Chapter 8: We can eat food in this game!

[Active Substance Extractor User Manual:]

1. Active substances are the main ingredients for synthetic clones, including but not limited to minerals required for the human body, 20 common amino acids, and 2 rare amino acids, etc.

2. The raw material for the active substance extractor is animal carcasses, with the highest extraction efficiency achieved from mammals of the Primate order, reaching up to 90%. Non-Primate mammals have lower efficiency, while invertebrates have the lowest extraction efficiency, below 10%.

3. The extraction efficiency is also related to the degree of decomposition.

As the recruited gamers completed their mission, the rewards and user manuals arrived together.

Inside Sanctuary 404.

Light Chu looked at the instructions projected onto his retinas by the system while examining the iron lump that resembled a coffin near the conveyor belt.

According to the instructions, this device was used to produce "raw materials for synthetic clones," which referred to "active substances." In simple terms, it functioned similar to corpse recovery.

However, based on the description in the manual, it seemed that the range of recovered bodies included different species.

Having understood the usage of this device, Light Chu used a trolley he had picked up from outside to drag it onto the elevator and returned to the surface along with the elevator. He didn't want to bring corpses into the sanctuary.

As for the electricity, he would find a way. There was always a solution.

The elevator ascended slowly and stopped, and the doors opened. Just as he stepped out of the elevator, Qi's voice almost simultaneously came from the building.

"Master!"

"What's wrong?"

"There seems to be a situation with your gamer... A black bird is attacking them! It's on the north side of the sanatorium!"

A black bird?

Light Chu was momentarily stunned, his expression quickly changing. He immediately dropped the trolley he was holding and hurried towards the direction outside the sanatorium.

...

"What the hell? Nighten bro is amazing!"

"He just did a somersault to dodge something!"

"Get lost! I was scared shitless! Stop standing there like an idiot, quickly come and help me!"

In the forest to the north of the sanatorium.

A black bird stood on a branch ten meters high, its sharp gaze locked onto the group of players on the ground.

Its bird legs slightly bent, its kite-sized wings folded backward, ready to launch into the air at any moment.

Upon hearing the commotion from Nighten's side, the other three gamers immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed over with their axes.

Perhaps noticing the growing number of people on the ground, the black bird didn't immediately initiate a second dive. Instead, it remained in a place out of reach, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Hurricane bent down and picked up a black feather from the ground, examining it closely.

"It looks like a crow."

"A crow of this size?!" Glancing at the claw marks on the nearby tree, Nighten took a step back, his heart still pounding.

"This thing must be a mutant... caused by gamma rays or something else. I saw the setting on the official website." Tomorrow stared at it cautiously, not daring to let his guard down.

Nighten: "The official website has a setting? Wasn't it just a reservation page?"

Hurricane: "That was a few days ago... The website was updated with new features yesterday. Didn't you see it?"

"Forget about that for now, what should we do?" Nighten nervously took another step back.

At the moment, Hurricane was the closest to the bird.

The four gamers and the bird were locked in a stalemate.

Just then, a swooshing sound cut through the air above the heads of the four individuals, and it smashed straight towards the large bird.

"Gwarr!"

Although the stone didn't hit its target, it startled the big bird, causing it to flap its wings and fly up, landing on another tree branch.

As it flapped its wings, finally stabilizing itself on the tree branch, it saw the person on the ground picking up another stone and throwing it towards itself.

The big bird was now thoroughly enraged.

It was the first time it had encountered such an audacious individual in its territory.

With its bent legs exerting a powerful force, it propelled itself into the air from the tree branch, like a bullet fired from a barrel, aiming directly at Light Chu.

Its sharp claws extended forward, resembling open hooks.

However, no matter how many heads a beast had, it couldn't possibly comprehend the mockery in the curled corner of Light Chu's mouth.

He let go of the stones in his hand and skillfully grabbed the steel pipe embedded in the ground, forcefully thrusting its sharp end.

In the blink of an eye, there was no time to evade.

Although the bird flapped its wings and tried to create distance upon seeing Light Chu picking up an unfamiliar object, it was practically impossible due to the inertia.

The steel pipe, like a javelin, fiercely pierced into its chest.

"Ha—!"

A piercing cry echoed through the forest.

Blood-stained feathers scattered in all directions.

Watching the struggling bird fly away, Light Chu silently approached and picked up the blood-soaked steel pipe from the ground.

"This is not a crow."

"Its scientific name is falcon... probably from two hundred years ago."

The four gamers stared at him in astonishment, stunned by his fluent and seamless actions.

Holy shit!

So cool!!

However, they didn't know that for the vast majority of survivors who could walk alone in the wasteland, this level of skill was nothing more than basic training.

In these five months, Light Chu hadn't learned anything else but had honed his javelin throwing skills to perfection. Within ten meters, he could strike wherever he pointed.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have the opportunity to show off here.

"A falcon?! That big?" Hurricane in surprise, as it overturned his understanding of birds.

Tomorrow swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Because of gamma radiation?"

"Not just gamma radiation. Viruses, bacteria, genetic weapons... various factors have contributed to everything we see today. Of course, the mutants are just one of the threats we face. In certain situations, humans can be even more dangerous than them."

Light Chu looked up at the pine tree in front of the four players and continued.

"The falcon we just encountered probably made its nest on this tree. No wonder it didn't leave even with so many people around."

Generally speaking, flying birds seldom provoke larger ground creatures on their own. Their diet primarily consists of mutated cockroaches, rats, and squirrels.

Although the beast flew away, it didn't go far. It was probably waiting to die on a nearby tree.

This type of water pipe with a sharp end may not have strong penetrating power, but the hollow inside acts as a natural bloodletting groove. Once a hole is punctured on the body, it's almost certain death.

Not to mention birds, even if a person gets close, it's difficult to stitch up the wound.

Nighten lowered his head in shame.

"Sorry... I was too focused on cutting wood and didn't notice."

"No need to apologize," Light Chu looked up and said, "Bird eggs are good stuff."

They were in for a treat.

...

Light Chu's judgment was quickly validated.

Under a crooked-necked tree, he found the lifeless black bird.

He bled it with a dagger, plucked its feathers, and tossed it into an iron pot placed on a brick-made stove. He stuffed dry branches and withered leaves underneath the stove, lit them with matches he had bought earlier.

Smoke rose.

Before the water boiled, Light Chu scooped the bird out of the pot after blanching it and skewered it on a steel rod, directly roasting it over the fire.

The bird eggs were also roasted together.

There was no salt or spices.

Even so, it was much better than eating half-cooked green wheat porridge.

"Can we eat this thing?"

Nighten instinctively felt repulsed as he looked at the "mutant" on the iron rack, but the enticing aroma made him involuntarily salivate.

They could actually eat in the game!

For a food lover, it was definitely an unexpected surprise.

And it instantly made him feel that all the hard work of the morning was worth it.

"When it's cooked, we can eat it. I'll let you know what things are inedible," Light Chu leisurely turned the roasting rack, ensuring every side of the food was evenly heated.

Opportunities to eat wild game on the wasteland were rare.

Even if they occasionally managed to catch edible game like this, it would spoil quickly due to the lack of preservation methods.

Salt was scarcer than electricity in this place.

Especially for survivors living in inland cities like Springvale, it was impractical to use a large amount of salt for food preservation.

As for refrigerators, they heard that the town mayor's castle had one, but Light Chu had only heard about it and never actually seen it.

Of course, the survivors were not completely helpless.

For example, the neighboring survivor stronghold—Mr. Brown's farm—produced a type of tobacco leaf rich in aromatic compounds such as tar and aldehydes. Even without salt, it could extend the shelf life of food by several months when smoked.

"Your command, how much wood do we need exactly?"

Waiting for the delicious food to be cooked was torment.

To divert their attention from food, Tomorrow took the initiative to start a conversation.

Upon hearing this question, Light Chu casually replied.

"Cut as much as you can."

The gamers looked at each other, lacking enthusiasm.

At first, Light Chu didn't pay much attention to it either, but then he suddenly realized something.

They were "gamers," or in other words, "outsiders."

Unlike himself, who had already transmigrated over to this side, they could leave this place at any time and didn't face the urgency of survival.

Even if he told them the importance of stockpiling wood, they wouldn't truly understand what that statement meant.

The identity of being gamers determined that their perspective and way of thinking differed from his own. Even if they didn't mind grinding, it would be challenging to sustain their efforts without rewards.

There needed to be a mission.

Naturally, there had to be rewards.

"Let me think..."

Light Chu rubbed his chin and fell into contemplation.

Suddenly, he came up with an idea.

"At four o'clock this afternoon, we'll tally today's results."

"I'll assign one contribution point for every meter of a tree with the thickness of an arm. For a tree with the thickness of a thigh, it'll be two contribution points—"

However, to Light Chu's surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, the four sluggish individuals holding bowls stood up in unison.

"Governor, I suddenly don't feel very hungry."

"Me neither."

"Since it's still a while until the meal, I'll go chop a couple of trees!"

"I suddenly feel like cutting something!"

Light Chu: "...?"

He hasn't said what these contribution points can be used for yet...