Chapter 36

But why during the day?!

A chill ran down his spine.

There was no time to think about this. Chu Guang suddenly raised his gun, pulled the trigger, and shouted loudly.

"Scatter!"

Bang!

The gun spouted flames.

However, the distance was too great, and the bullet did not hit the target, leaving only a deep bullet hole in the wall behind the crawler.

Enraged by the splattered stones and shrapnel, the crawler bit through the leg bone it was holding, and a blood-curdling roar erupted from its blood-soaked mouth.

"Roar!"

The players were stunned by the sight, standing motionless beside the cart, their feet seemingly glued to the ground.

Damn it!

This is way more shocking than the raiders!

"Tell me how many times! Get away from the cart!" Chu Guang shouted, his hands never stopping as he quickly reloaded and fired several more shots.

Thanks to the hunting experience he had accumulated over the past few days, although it hadn't made him a marksman, it had at least made his reloading smoother than when he first picked up a gun.

The crawler's four arms moved rapidly, and in a flash, it darted into a nearby window.

At this moment, the two players finally reacted, hastily raising their guns and nervously aiming.

"Administrator, we won't go anywhere!"

"Right! We will defend to the death!"

"I told you to get away from the food!"

Seeing these two still stuttering, Chu Guang wished he could kick their butts.

But now was clearly not the time for that.

He could feel the danger approaching rapidly.

The crawler was different from the feeders.

Although both were products of the mutated fungi, the latter were clearly more like mindless zombies, retaining only the instinct to feed and fearing sunlight, with combat abilities even weaker than mutated hyenas.

But the crawler was different. It was almost indistinguishable from a living being, hunting not by instinct but by intelligence.

They not only think tactically but can even pursue targets that have disappeared from their sight. Sunlight makes them wary but does not restrict their actions.

Who the hell provoked this thing!

A cold sweat trickled down Chu Guang's forehead, his eyes darting across the concrete buildings along the street, his nerves stretched to the limit.

Left?

Or right?

A glimpse of a shadow in his peripheral vision, Chu Guang quickly turned his gun to the second floor of the shop on the right.

Almost simultaneously, the hideous crawler swung its four arms and charged at him viciously.

Bang!

His index finger on the trigger moved on its own.

In a flash, the bullet luckily hit the feeder's shoulder.

Black blood splattered.

The crawler let out a painful scream and tumbled to the ground.

Although a bit late, the two players finally reacted, hurriedly raising their 5mm iron tube rifles and firing.

However, due to the poor quality of the guns and their lack of shooting experience, the two shots were in vain.

They didn't even graze it.

The gunshot wound on its shoulder did not stop the crawler; instead, it roused its bloodlust. It rolled to adjust its position and charged at what it considered the greatest threat.

Death came like the wind.

Chu Guang, who had just reloaded, instinctively loosened his grip on the iron tube rifle, pulled out the steel pipe he had stuck in his back like a spear, and held it horizontally to block the crawler's gaping mouth.

The steel pipe groaned under the strain, and Chu Guang clenched his teeth, every muscle in his body tensed to the limit.

However, 9 points of strength, though exceptional, were still not enough to match the crawler's might.

Even with all his strength, Chu Guang felt his feet gradually lose their grip on the ground, pushed back by the crawler's brute force, and he crashed into a stranded bus in the middle of the road.

Thud!

The completely rusted bus shell cracked and dented, and Chu Guang felt a sudden numbness in his back.

But this very sensation ignited his survival instinct.

"Damn!"

His eyes bloodshot, he glared at the approaching fangs.

Chu Guang suddenly felt a surge of power from his veins, forcing the crawler's mouth to stop and even push it back.

Perhaps sensing a hint of danger from its prey, the crawler suddenly raised its two front arms, intending to grab the prey's shoulders and tear it apart!

But in that split second, two gunshots rang out. One hit the bus, and the other hit the crawler's shoulder blade.

"Roar!"

The crawler, hit in the back, let out a blood-curdling scream.

The fangs that had clamped onto the steel pipe loosened, its head jerking back, losing balance and control over its prey.

"Ah! Die!"

Fang Chang dropped his gun, picked up the 9mm iron tube rifle Chu Guang had discarded, and charged, roaring.

Bad aim?

Then get close and shoot!

Bang!

The trigger pulled, flames spouted, and black blood exploded on the crawler's back.

This shot was not fatal, but it was enough.

Chu Guang seized the opportunity, raised the steel pipe, now bent into a V, and thrust the sharp end into the crawler's neck.

Once.

Twice.

Three times!

Then he used all his strength to twist it.

Black blood gushed out like a faucet, drenching Chu Guang.

The crawler let out a dry scream, flailing its arms, struggling to retreat, and finally fell heavily to the ground, twitching a few times before lying still.

Chu Guang, leaning against the bus, panted, wiped the black blood from his face, and spat on the ground.

"Thanks."

Seeing the blood-soaked administrator, the two players were greatly impressed.

So strong!

If they had to face the crawler, they wouldn't last a single round, let alone a full fight.

"You're welcome... Let me help you up."

Fang Chang was the first to recover.

Seeing the plot had concluded, he immediately stepped forward to help the administrator up, but the administrator raised a hand to stop him.

"No, I need a rest..."

Chu Guang, panting, looked at his bulging veins, as if he could see the blood vessels pulsing under his skin.

Is this the potential hidden in the gene sequence...

When he was pushed to the brink, he felt an infinite power surge from his arms, matching the crawler's strength.

It's hard to describe that feeling.

He lightly clenched his sore fists and decided to get a medical check-up when he returned.

He wanted to know what had happened to his body.

At this moment, Ye Shi, carrying a gun, also walked over.

"Administrator, shall we rest in a nearby shop? The street is too open, and I'm worried about danger..."

"Indeed, with all those gunshots, anyone nearby would have heard them," Fang Chang added.

Actually, Chu Guang wanted to say that any survivors who heard the crawler's roar would hide far away, not even daring to look this way.

But his muscles were aching as if they were broken, and he really needed to rest.

"Alright... Fang Chang, help me to the restaurant across the street. Ye Shi, drag our cart to the entrance."

Ye Shi nodded vigorously.

"Sure thing! By the way, do we need to recover the crawler's body?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"No."

"Its meat is inedible."

The crawler's nervous system was completely eroded by the mutated fungi, and every cell contained lethal neurotoxins.

Strictly speaking, the black blood that splattered on him was also toxic, but without considering the dose, it wouldn't be a problem. Besides, with his 7 points of constitution, his recovery ability, resistance to abnormal states, and immunity were 140% of a normal adult male, making him less likely to be poisoned.

Speaking of which, he wasn't sure if the crawler was a mammal and whether it could be processed in the active substance extractor.

If he could fix the generator, he could try it out.

But...

Looking at the cart piled high with food, Chu Guang sighed inwardly.

Too bad.

There's no more room.

He couldn't stack the crawler's body on top of the food...

...

Ye Shi jogged toward the cart.

Chu Guang, with one hand on Fang Chang's shoulder, limped toward the restaurant across the street.

However, when the two crossed the open entrance, preparing to find a place to rest, they noticed a person sitting at the bar.

It was a red-haired woman.

Her face, usually full of spirit, was pale from blood loss, her fine eyebrows furrowed, and beads of sweat visible on her forehead.

Worse still, her right leg below the knee was missing, the wound crudely bandaged with a torn sleeve and bandage.

Well, well.

So you were the one who drew the aggro.

But to not pass out, she must be tough.

Chu Guang finally understood where the crawler's leg in its mouth came from.

"New NPC!"

Fang Chang was still excited, but Chu Guang had already taken his rifle from him and aimed it at the woman on the ground.

"You'd better be honest... My injuries are much lighter than yours."

The woman's hand was already reaching for the gun on the ground.

Seeing the gun barrel pointed at her, she resignedly pursed her lips, pushed the gun to Chu Guang's feet, and closed her eyes.

"Is she an enemy?"

Noticing the administrator's actions, Fang Chang nervously confirmed her identity, but in the wasteland, asking this question was pretty stupid.

"Unknown."

And it doesn't matter.

Giving an ambiguous answer, Chu Guang indicated for him to help him to a chair, then chambered a round and placed the rifle on the table.

Hearing the sound of the round being chambered, the woman's eyebrows twitched, and her tightly closed eyes were filled with regret.

Who would have thought...

This guy's gun wasn't even chambered...

Despite the pain, Chu Guang managed a pleasant smile.

"We can talk now."

The woman tried to remain calm and said flatly.

"What do you want to know?"

Chu Guang didn't beat around the bush, introduced himself, and got straight to the point.

"Chu Guang, what's your name?"

"Xia Yan."

"Who are you?"

"A mercenary from Boulder City."

"Teammates? Just you?"

"Dead."

"Oh... How many?"

Xia Yan's lips twitched, and she gritted her teeth.

"Three... All dead except me."

Chu Guang nodded and looked at Ye Shi, who was dragging the cart from outside, speaking in Mandarin.

"Leave the stuff at the entrance, don't bring it in. Go around and look for anyone dressed like the lady on the ground... dead bodies."

"Bring back their equipment if you find any."

Ye Shi, confused, looked at the woman slumped at the bar, not knowing where this NPC came from.

Damn!

Missed the plot again?

Staring at the man who turned to leave, Xia Yan's eyes flickered. She couldn't understand the gibberish Chu Guang was speaking or what he was doing.

"By the way, almost forgot to ask, what's with the crawler?" Chu Guang asked, looking at Xia Yan, who had opened her eyes. "How did you provoke it?"

"It targeted us," Xia Yan admitted, "We were searching for the entrance to Vault 117, and we encountered it... It chased us out of the subway, and we almost all died."

The crawler was indeed tough, especially in narrow areas, even experienced veterans would find it challenging.

Chu Guang was encountering this thing for the first time. He had only heard old Charlie from Bet Street say that if you see a four-armed monster, run as far as you can.

Now, thinking about it, he was glad he didn't listen to the old man.

There's no way he could have run away!

"Vault 117 entrance? What's that?" Chu Guang asked curiously.

"I don't know, we only knew its approximate location, near the New World Mall on Line 7 in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City. It contains something our employer wants."

Chu Guang nodded.

He wasn't very concerned about whether she was telling the truth or not. Vault 117 might have some good stuff, but it wasn't worth the risk.

Look at her state.

Even professionals were beaten up like this, who knows what other dangers might be there.

The priority now was to develop the outpost. Chu Guang didn't want to take unnecessary risks. Once they were stronger, they could throw it to the players to explore. Why take the risk himself?

Seeing Chu Guang's lack of interest, Xia Yan probed.

"Aren't you interested?"

"Why should I be interested?"

"I heard there's a power armor inside."

"Oh, you saw it? Show me a photo."

"...No."

Chu Guang smiled faintly.

"Then talk to me when you have one."

For him, talking to her was just a way to pass the time. Once Ye Shi returned, he would be rested enough.

He would leave the gun on the ground for her.

Whether she survived or not was none of his concern.

"By the way, is your hair dyed or natural?"

Xia Yan was taken aback by the sudden change in topic.

"Natural... natural."

"Oh, the color is nice, but you need a wash."

Xia Yan glared at him angrily.

"Are you mocking me?"

Chu Guang smiled, finding it amusing.

But just as he was about to tease her a bit more, a loud voice came from the entrance.

"Let her go!"