Wang Yanfei watched Jessica until her tiny figure disappeared around the corner of the stairwell. Only then did he realize he was still standing there in a daze.
At some point, Alvina had already coiled herself around his neck, swinging back and forth as if she were on a little playground swing.
Seeing him spacing out for too long, the little white snake tightened her grip, her tail flicking against his shoulder again and again.
Wang Yanfei felt himself being squeezed a bit too hard. He reached up instinctively. "...Easy."
Alvina saw the hand coming and couldn't dodge. She opened her mouth and bit down.
She did hold back a little. She only wanted to snap him out of it.
But she clearly underestimated how tough Wang Yanfei's skin had become. Her fangs pierced the surface slightly, then failed to sink in any further.
The sting jolted him fully back to his senses.
Then he froze for a moment. Alvina's teeth… actually couldn't get through anymore.
He lowered his head and glanced at the small wound on his finger. Something stirred in his mind.
His Attributes had increased. His Constitution had increased. So of course his body would strengthen as well.
At this rate… once he pushed Strength, Agility and Constitution all to seven, what would he become?
And if he went even higher?
Just thinking about it filled him with motivation.
As for going to work?
Sorry, we are not acquainted.
Wang Yanfei made up his mind quickly. "Not going to work today."
Alvina stopped swinging. Her tail tapped twice on his shoulder. "Exactly. What's the point of going to that dump anyway? Total waste of time."
Wang Yanfei ignored her and continued. "First, recover my Sanity. Tonight… we hunt again."
——————
Late at night.
After somehow getting through all of Jessica's questions—
"Why didn't you go to work today?"
"Why did you tear apart your desk?"
—those soul-piercing interrogations finally ended, and Wang Yanfei managed to slip away.
He closed his door and let out a long breath.
He threw on the black cloak, strapped on the makeshift armor he had patched together from the remains of his work desk, then took the oversized cleaver from his table and hooked it at his waist.
He checked himself in the mirror twice.
Yes. Very stylish.
Alvina circled him half a turn, staring at him in disbelief. "Human, are you… entering some kind of trash-collecting contest?"
Wang Yanfei felt a snake had no right to judge his fashion sense, so he ignored her completely.
He stretched his arms and legs a bit. The armor poked him here and there, but it didn't really hinder movement.
He opened the door and stepped out.
——————
Night deepened.The outer district still carried its familiar stench of rot.
After the past ten days, he no longer even flinched at it.
Alvina continued complaining. "This armor is ugly. So, so ugly. And what are all these extra bolts even for?"
Wang Yanfei sighed. "They hold things together."
Alvina said, "Then why are there fifteen more than you need?"
Wang Yanfei said nothing.
He was about to fire back a retort when he suddenly halted.
A "target" had appeared ahead.
From a distance, it looked like two people struggling with each other.
Two steps closer and he finally saw it.
At first glance, the thing looked human. But its upper torso had split vertically, forming a giant, upright maw.
Teeth grew chaotically along both sides. Several octopus-like tentacles extended from the back of its throat, wrapping around a man and forcing something into his mouth.
The man's feet had already begun to twitch.
Wang Yanfei didn't even think. He raised his gun and fired twice.
Bang. Bang.
Two crimson beams slashed through the night.
Neither shot hit.
But the monster was startled. It immediately flung the man aside, several sticky tentacles whipping toward Wang Yanfei.
A harsh hiss cut across the air.
He jammed the gun behind him, grabbed the cleaver at his waist, stomped once, and launched forward.
The blade sliced horizontally, colliding with the incoming tentacles with a strange thud.
They were soft and slimy, slipping along the back of the blade like eels. He couldn't get proper force on them.
Using the momentum of his charge, he twisted his body and slashed again.
The blade shaved off only a thin layer of mucous skin before the tentacle slipped away once more.
Another wave of attacks came quickly, forcing him to scramble for a moment.
But soon, he realized he didn't need to block at all.
The tentacles slapped against him, and the armor made from his desk parts only gave off dull thuds, nothing more than a muted ache.
A few struck the protruding bolts head-on, and the tentacles recoiled as if pricked by needles. The monster screeched sharply.
Seizing the opening, Wang Yanfei sprinted forward. He was already right in front of the creature.
Now he finally had a solid angle. He gripped the cleaver with both hands and brought it down hard.
Crack.
A tentacle was cleaved clean in half.
The monster staggered back a step, the vertical maw growling low.
Wang Yanfei didn't give it any chance to recover. Several more swings followed, clean and decisive, slicing the creature neatly in two from the waist.
Given his current physical strength and the hollow structure of this "empty-shell monster," the fight was easier than expected.
The creature collapsed in two writhing halves, twitched a few times, then fell still.
Wang Yanfei stabbed the cleaver into the ground, freeing his hands. He drew the Bullet Ant and aimed it toward the man the monster had thrown.
At the same time, wisps of pale gray mist drifted upward from the monster's remains.
Wang Yanfei reached out, and the mist rushed into him like water finding a drain.
A crackling noise spread through his bones, and a warm current flowed through his body.
He opened his panel, took a quick look, and found no Attribute changes.
"Need to farm more."
He closed the panel helplessly and turned back to the man.
The guy held both hands up, clothes scattered across the ground, still sporting that blinding rainbow hair that could make anyone's eyes hurt.
It was the same guy from yesterday.
Wang Yanfei couldn't help laughing. "What, caught by me again?"
The man froze at the sight of the familiar silver gun.
Yesterday this cold-faced thug had terrified him.
Today he was back with even scarier equipment, and he had casually chopped a monster in half.
Seeing that Wang Yanfei hadn't pulled the trigger yet, the man didn't even dare pick up his clothes. He forced out a smile.
"Well, you know… I heard this area gets monsters at night, so I, uh… came to take a look."
Wang Yanfei rolled his eyes internally. Who comes here at midnight to "take a look"?
This lie didn't even come with a warm-up.
He lifted the gun slightly. "I want the truth."
The man's expression changed instantly. He nodded like a pecking chicken.
"Right, right, no problem at all. You could've just said so. No need for knives and guns."
He sighed, resigning himself. "You look like you're from the Inner City. I won't hide it…"
"My mom is sick. Some Inner City folks told me that if I stay in this area at night for ten days straight, they'll get her into a hospital."
Wang Yanfei paused. His gaze softened slightly.
He didn't lower the gun, but his impression of the guy did shift a little.
"Why would I laugh at that? Helping someone get treatment… that's the right thing to do."