131: Add a little more to Chapter 131

Seeing how formidable Chu Xuan's marksmanship was, Tang Zheng and Qin Shaowu each swapped their submachine gun magazines four times before tacitly agreeing to stop using them. Instead, they picked up pistols to cover the gaps in Chu Xuan's firing range.

After another minute or so, the Specters' offensive was no longer as frantic. Two larger ones, along with a few others whose eyes didn't look quite as crazed, had quietly retreated, clearly unwilling to go to their deaths.

The remaining thirty or so Specters no longer posed a threat. Tang Zheng and Qin Shaowu relaxed even further, simply stopping their fire and leaving the rest to Chu Xuan.

"Brother Zheng, is it true that killing monsters improves your physical fitness? I feel like my body is filled to the brim now, like I have endless strength, and some strange numbers appeared before my eyes... spirituality value 70?" Qin Shaowu nudged Tang Zheng and asked curiously.

"Indeed, as long as you kill Specters, you can obtain spirituality values and use them to enhance your physical attributes. However, since you haven't bound a dedicated System, your attribute increases are relatively random and the upper limit is very low. I was just like you before," Tang Zheng nodded.

"So that's how it is..."

Qin Shaowu looked thoughtful, then suddenly asked, "Brother Zheng, you were so fierce just now, beating that big-headed monk half to death, but in the end, Brother Xuan killed him. Don't you have any feelings about that? If you had killed that big monk yourself, you probably would have gotten a lot of rewards, right?"

"One must be content. When I first came here, I killed a Specter and got 100 spirituality points, which was already a great gain. As for killing that big-headed monk later, I was only one part of the process, not the decisive factor. Chu Xuan played the key role in all of it, so it's only right that he got the kill. Besides, he hasn't treated me unfairly. With so many Specters down there now, just going down to finish a few off later will be worth a lot of spirituality points."

As he spoke, Tang Zheng glanced sideways at Qin Shaowu with a forced smile. "Besides, what do you mean by those questions? I feel like you're trying to drive a wedge between us. What are you up to?"

Qin Shaowu gave a mischievous grin. "I was just afraid you'd have a grudge, feeling unbalanced or unhappy, so I wanted to help Brother Xuan talk sense into you. Since you've figured it out yourself, I'm relieved."

Smack!

Tang Zheng slapped the back of Qin Shaowu's head and snorted with a laugh. "Do I need you to talk sense into me? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You're speaking so loudly just because you want him to know you're considering everything for his sake, right? You want to show off in front of Chu Xuan so you can cling to his leg and be his number one lackey? But I advise you to put that thought away. Chu Xuan and I are sworn brothers, even if we have different parents. You'll have to wait in line."

"Brother Zheng, you're amazing. You saw right through my deeply hidden intentions," Qin Shaowu said with a look of shock.

While the two were talking, the barrel of the submachine gun in Chu Xuan's hand finally couldn't take it anymore after ten consecutive magazine changes, and it began to smoke and spark.

Chu Xuan immediately switched to the last intact submachine gun, pulled the bolt, and suppressed the recoil while spraying fire. These final three Specters ultimately failed to reach him, collapsing into the pools of blood not far away.

"Brother Xuan is mighty!"

Qin Shaowu walked forward, clicking his tongue. "Over a hundred monsters taken down easily. Too strong! If we get some high-powered weapons, forget a hundred, we could handle ten thousand easily!"

"I suggest you don't be too optimistic. These were 'Lost Villagers,' a result of this place's unique nature. Normal Specters won't mindlessly charge to their deaths like this. No matter how destructive a weapon is, what use is it if you can't hit them? They are cunning and treacherous, hiding among crowds, difficult to distinguish. They might even be right beside you..."

Chu Xuan said gloomily, "Even if someone is a normal human now, no one can say for sure if they will suddenly turn into a terrifying monster one day. Even I am the same."

The smile on Qin Shaowu's face froze. "Brother Xuan, you're joking, right?"

"A joke, huh..."

What Chu Xuan didn't say was that an A-Rank Specter like Night Demon wouldn't die even if a specialized weapon was fired point-blank at its head, even in a half-crippled state.

Not to mention an S-rank Specter capable of releasing a large-scale Domain; they probably wouldn't be much different from this Yinshan Village.

Ordinary means couldn't possibly get in. Would the most destructive weapons in human society even have an effect?

Chu Xuan didn't know either.

Thinking of this, Chu Xuan's heart suddenly stirred, and he blurted out, "Tell me, if those who controlled weapons of mass destruction weren't humans, but were possessed by Strange Creaturess, what would the result be?"

Qin Shaowu opened his mouth but couldn't speak, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"That would definitely be a massacre, but that shouldn't be possible... right?" Tang Zheng said, clicking his tongue. "If that happened, then humanity would probably be facing extinction soon."

"But these aren't things we can worry about right now."

Chu Xuan ended the heavy topic and a smile appeared on his face. "Now, it's time for us to harvest the final spoils. Time to finish them off!"

"I think I've already reached my limit and can't improve any further."

Qin Shaowu put the remaining unused pistols and magazines back into the woven bag, keeping one cocked pistol in his right hand. "You guys go ahead, I'll cover you!"

"There's a knife here!" Liu Dahai ran out of the courtyard holding a Wood-chopping knife, which he handed to Tang Zheng.

"Little brother, I see you don't have a suitable weapon. Use this."

After speaking, Liu Dahai raised both hands and backed away a few steps, wiping the sweat from his forehead and forcing a smile. "We won't cause trouble. We'll stay right here and won't do anything reckless without your orders."

The rest of the people also walked out of the courtyard but didn't approach, looking completely submissive.

Seeing how sensible these people were, Chu Xuan naturally had no objections.

However, he didn't act immediately. Instead, he first checked the System's quest list. All three quests had undergone changes.

[Quest 1: Prevent humans who have arrived here from being possessed by Strange Creaturess. At least 15 people. (4/0/18)]

[Detected that the Talent User has gathered all survivors. The final count will be calculated once The Gloom here dissipates.]

[Quest 2: Liberate the Lost Villagers. At least 30 people. (38/0/135; Completed)]

[Quest 3: Help the Great Buddha find his true self. (Completed)]

In the prompt for Quest 2, 38 villagers had just been liberated. Chu Xuan wasn't surprised; while he was firing, he had been silently calculating the kill count from the System prompts.

These 38 villagers had brought him a total of 460 spirituality points. His spirituality value had now reached 750 points, with 310 points still in an over-limit state.

Chu Xuan took a moment to feel his current physical condition.

In the dream, he had increased his four basic attributes to 17 points consecutively, which had already pushed him near his limit.

Just before waking up, although he had recovered slightly, he felt he hadn't reached the point where he could continue adding points.

After waking up, although his physical condition hadn't fully restored as he had hoped, the worst-case scenario hadn't happened—namely, a sudden massive attribute increase causing unbearable pain or even physical collapse.

Instead, he was in the same state as before he woke up.

It had been an hour and a half since he woke up in the hotel. Chu Xuan sensed carefully and found his state was a bit better than when he first woke.

"Maybe I'll try adding one more point. Just one. I can't let them go to waste..." Chu Xuan pondered for a moment, then consumed 2 attribute points and added them to spirit.

[spirit +1]

[Current spirit: 18]

In an instant, Chu Xuan's head twitched as if a cold needle had pierced through it, and his entire body suddenly went rigid.