Chapter 37: Crawler

But why would it come out during the day?!

A chill ran down his spine.

Without time to ponder this question, Light Chu swiftly raised his rifle and pulled the trigger while shouting loudly.

"Spread out!"

Bang!

The muzzle spewed flames.

However, the distance was too far, and the ammo didn't hit its target. It left a deep bullet hole in the wall behind the crawler.

Infuriated by the splattering stones and bullet fragments, the crawler snapped off the leg bone in its mouth and let out a blood-curdling roar.

"Roar!"

Gamers were dumbfounded by its imposing presence, frozen in place beside the cart, their feet seemingly glued to the ground.

Damn it!

This thing is way more shocking than a raider!

"How many times do I have to say it? Spread out from beside the cart!" Light Chu shouted, not stopping his actions, quickly working the bolt to continue shooting, firing several more ammos in succession.

Thanks to the hunting experience he had accumulated over these days, although it hadn't turned him into a sharpshooter who could hit targets with pinpoint accuracy, at least his reloading action had become much smoother than when he first touched a gun.

The crawler's four arms moved rapidly, and in a flash, its figure disappeared into a nearby window.

At this moment, the two gamers finally reacted, hastily raising their rifles and aiming nervously.

"Respected Governor, we won't go anywhere!"

"Yes, we swear to defend—"

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

Watching these two idiots stumbling over their lines, Light Chu wished he could kick them in the butt.

But now was clearly not the time for that.

He could sense that danger was rapidly approaching.

The crawler was different from the feeders.

Although both were products of the mutated fungus, the latter was clearly more like mindless zombies, retaining only the instinct to feed, fearing sunlight, and having combat abilities even lower than those of mutant hyenas.

But the former was different; this creature had almost no difference from a "living" organism. They didn't rely on instincts to hunt but instead used their intelligence.

They not only thought tactically but could even pursue targets that had disappeared from their field of view. Sunlight made them feel fear, but it couldn't restrict their movements.

Who the hell provoked this thing!

A drop of cold sweat slid down Light Chu's forehead as his gaze quickly scanned the concrete buildings along the street, his nerves stretched to the extreme.

Left?

Or right—

In the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure. Light Chu swiftly turned his gun toward the second floor of a store on the right side of the street.

Almost at the same time, the repulsive crawler swung its four arms and charged fiercely toward him.

Bang!

His index finger, resting on the trigger, moved on its own.

In the blink of an eye, the ammo luckily struck its shoulder.

Black blood splattered.

The crawler let out a pained scream, tumbling and falling to the ground.

Though slightly delayed, the two gamers eventually reacted and quickly raised their 5mm pipe rifles, aiming nervously.

However, due to the poor quality of the two guns without rifling, coupled with the lack of shooting experience from both individuals, the two gunshots only created a lonely sound.

They didn't even touch the target.

The gunshot wound on the shoulder did not stop the crawler; instead, it aroused its ferocity. It rolled over and adjusted its position, ignoring everything else and charging towards what it perceived as the greatest threat.

Death approached like the wind.

Light Chu, who had just finished reloading, instinctively let go of the pipe rifle in his hand and drew out the steel pipe he had used as a javelin, placing it horizontally in front of him to block the gaping maw that was biting towards him.

The steel pipe emitted a creaking sound under the strain. Light Chu clenched his teeth tightly, and every inch of his muscles tightened to the limit.

However, while nine points of strength may be extraordinary for an ordinary person, it was still slightly inferior when facing a mutant like the crawler.

Even though Light Chu exerted all his strength, he still felt his feet gradually losing control of the ground. The crawling mutant, propelled by brute force, pushed him back and slammed heavily into the stranded bus in the middle of the road.

Boom!

The completely rusted body of the bus cracked and dented upon impact. Light Chu felt a momentary loss of consciousness in his back.

But it was precisely because of this that the threat of death ignited his instinct to survive.

"Fuck you!"

His eyes gradually became bloodshot as he stared fiercely at the approaching sharp teeth.

Light Chu suddenly felt a surge of power flowing out from his tense blood vessels, forcefully stopping the gaping mouth from approaching him and even forcing it back slightly.

Perhaps sensing a hint of danger from its prey, the crawler suddenly raised its forearms, intending to grab the prey's shoulders and tear him apart completely!

However, in the blink of an eye, two gunshots rang out. One hit the bus, and the other struck the crawler's scapula.

"Aooh!"

That crawler, with a bullet lodged in its back, let out a miserable howl.

The sharp teeth biting the steel pipe instinctively loosened, and its head jerked back, losing its balance and control over the prey.

"Ah! Die you mother...!"

Dropping the gun in his hand, Tomorrow picked up the 9mm pipe rifle that Light Chu had thrown away earlier and let out a roar as he charged forward.

Zero Marksmanship?

Then just shoot at close range!

Boom!

The trigger was pulled, and flames erupted as the dark blood burst from the crawler's back.

This shot alone was not enough to be fatal, but it was sufficient.

Seizing the opportunity, Light Chu raised the steel pipe in his hand, which had been completely bent into a V shape, and forcefully stabbed it into the crawler's neck.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice!

Then he exerted all his strength to stir it.

Black blood surged out like a twisted water tap turned on, shooting up into the sky and drenching Light Chu's body.

The crawler let out a shriveled cry, flailing its arms indiscriminately as it struggled to retreat, but in the end, it fell heavily to the ground, convulsed a few times, and ceased to move.

Leaning against the bus, Light Chu gasped for breath, lifted his arm to wipe off the black blood on his face, and spat on the ground.

"Thanks."

The two gamers were greatly shocked as they looked at the governor covered in blood.

He's so damn strong!

If they were in his place, not only would they not have been able to fight the crawler back and forth, they probably wouldn't have lasted even one round before dying.

"You're welcome... Let me help you up," Tomorrow was the first to regain his senses.

He immediately approached to support the governor, but Light Chu raised his hand and stopped him.

"No need, I'll rest for a while..."

Light Chu, catching his breath, glanced at his bulging veins on his arm as if he could see the blood vessels pulsating beneath the muscles.

Is this the potential hidden in my genetic sequence?

When he was pushed to the brink of despair earlier, he felt an infinite power surging from his arms, allowing him to compete evenly with the crawler.

It's hard to describe the feeling he had just experienced.

Gently clenching his sore fists, Light Chu decided that he would get a physical examination after returning.

He wanted to know what exactly had happened to his body just now.

At this moment, Nighten walked over with a rifle in his hands.

"My Governor, should we take a rest in the nearby shop? The street is too open, and I'm worried about the danger..."

"Indeed, with so many gunshots just now, anyone nearby must have heard them," Tomorrow added.

Actually, Light Chu wanted to say that any survivors who heard the crawler's howl would stay far away and wouldn't dare to look in this direction.

But right now, his muscles felt as if they had broken down, and he indeed needed some rest.

"That sounds good... Tomorrow, help me to the restaurant across the street. Nighten, bring our cart to the entrance."

Nighten nodded vigorously.

"Alright! By the way, do we need to retrieve the crawler's corpse?"

Light Chu shook his head.

"No need."

"Its flesh is inedible."

The crawler's nervous system had been completely infiltrated by mutated fungi, and every cell contained a deadly neurotoxin.

Strictly speaking, the black blood that drenched him was also poisonous. However, talking about toxicity without considering the dosage was just being unreasonable. As long as one didn't foolishly take a few sips, there wouldn't be any problems.

Moreover, he had seven points of physique attribute, which meant his recovery ability, resistance to abnormal states, and immunity were about 140% of an average adult male. It wasn't easy for him to be poisoned.

Speaking of which, he didn't even know if the crawler could be considered a mammal and whether it could be thrown into the active substance extractor for recycling.

If they could manage to fix the generator, they could give it a try.

However...

Looking at the cart piled with food, Light Chu sighed silently.

It's a pity.

There's no more carrying capacity.

He couldn't possibly pile the creature's corpse on the food they were going to eat...

...

Nighten ran towards the cart.

Light Chu placed one hand on Tomorrow's shoulder and limped towards the restaurant on the other side of the street corner.

However, when the two passed through the open door of the restaurant and were about to find a place to sit and rest, they suddenly noticed a person sitting by the bar.

It was a redhead woman.

Her pretty face was pale due to blood loss. Her slender eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and sweat beads the size of soybeans could be seen on her forehead.

What's even more critical is her lower right leg, below the knee, was missing. The wound was crudely bandaged with a torn sleeve and bandage.

Okay.

So, you attracted the hatred of that beast.

But she didn't faint, quite resilient.

Light Chu finally understood now where the crawler got the leg it was holding in its mouth.

"A new NPC!"

While Tomorrow was still surprised, Light Chu took his rifle back from him and aimed it without hesitation at the woman lying on the ground.

"You better behave... My injuries are lighter than yours."

The woman's hand reached the pistol on the ground.

Seeing the black muzzle pointed at her, she wryly pursed her lips and pushed the pistol towards Light Chu's feet, closing her eyes.

"Is she an enemy?"

Noticing the administrator's actions, Tomorrow nervously confirmed her identity, but from Light Chu's perspective, asking such a question on the wasteland itself was stupid.

"I don't know."

But it doesn't matter.

Light Chu gave an ambiguous answer and gestured for Tomorrow to help him sit on a nearby chair. Then, with a click of the bolt, he placed the rifle on the table.

Upon hearing the sound of the chambering, the woman's eyebrows twitched, and regret filled her tightly closed eyes.

Who could have expected that?

The guy's gun wasn't even loaded...

Although he was in pain, Light Chu still managed to squeeze out a pleased expression on his face.

"We can talk now."

The woman forced herself to remain calm and spoke calmly.

"What do you want to know?"

Light Chu didn't beat around the bush, he introduced himself first and then got straight to the point.

"Light Chu, what's your name?"

"Summer Salt."

"What are you?"

"A mercenary from Boulder City."

"And your teammates, are you the only one?"

"They're dead."

"Oh... How many died?"

Summer's mouth twitched, and she gritted her teeth.

"Three... All dead except for me."

Light Chu nodded and looked at Nighten, who was coming in with the cart from outside. He spoke in Mandarin.

"Leave the things at the door, don't bring them in. Look around nearby and see if you can find any bodies dressed like this woman... If you find them, bring back their equipment."

Nighten looked bewilderedly at the woman slumped at the bar, wondering where this NPC came from.

Damn!

Did I miss another plot?

Staring at the man who turned and left, Summer's eyes flickered slightly. She couldn't understand the language he was speaking, nor did she know what he was going to do.

"By the way, I almost forgot to ask, what's the deal with that crawler?" Light Chu looked at Summer Salt, who had opened her eyes, and continued, "How did you provoke it?"

"It targeted us," Summer Salt didn't hide anything and confessed, "We were searching for the entrance to Sanctuary 117 when we encountered it... It chased us all the way from the subway, and we were nearly wiped out."

The crawler was indeed quite troublesome, especially in narrow terrain. Even experienced veterans would find it challenging.

Light Chu had also encountered this creature for the first time. He had only heard Old Charlie from Bette Street saying that when facing a four-handed monster, it was best to run as far as possible. Now, he realized it was a good thing he didn't listen to that old man.

How the hell could anyone out run from it?

"Entrance to Sanctuary 117? What's that?" Light Chu curiously asked.

"I don't know, all we know is that its approximate location is near the New World Department Store on Line 7, North Suburbs of Springvale. Our employer has something important there."

Light Chu nodded.

He didn't really care whether what this person said was true or not. He didn't care at all. Sanctuary 117 might have some good things, but it wasn't worth the risk.

Just look at this person's miserable condition.

Even a professional was beaten up like this. Who knows what other dangers might be waiting inside.

The most important thing now was to develop and expand the outpost. Light Chu didn't plan to complicate things. Once he became stronger, he could just throw this place as a dungeon to the gamers for research, wouldn't that be great?

No need to take unnecessary risks himself.

Noticing that Light Chu didn't seem interested, Summer Salt tentatively asked, "You're not interested?"

"Why should I be interested?"

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

"Oh, did you see it? Show me a photo."

"...No."

Light Chu smiled lightly.

"Then talk to me about it when you have it."

For him, chatting with this person was just a way to pass the time. When Nighten finished unloading the cart, he would probably be done resting.

He would leave the pistol on the ground for her.

As for whether she could survive or not, it had nothing to do with him.

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

Summer Salt was stunned.

This topic was too sudden, and she didn't react for a moment.

"...It's natural."

"Oh, the color looks nice, but it's time to wash it."

Summer glared at him angrily.

"Are you teasing me?"

Light Chu smiled and found it amusing.

However, just as he was about to tease her a little more, a stern shout came from the door.

"Release her!"