Chapter 177

Chapter 177

"Damn it, they've already cleaned up."

"How could there be fish scales? A water-based monster?"

Several members of the Special Operations Group, wearing different combat suits, arrived at the alley where the incident occurred at breakneck speed. However, they were still too late; all that remained was a pile of useless flesh and motorcycle debris that hadn't yet refreshed.

One of them picked up a palm-sized, hard scale and sniffed it: "It smells like fish."

Perhaps to make it easier for players to act, or by design, surveillance cameras were not common in the game world. Thus, there were no cameras here, no witnesses, nothing.

They had no idea what had happened or why a water-based monster would appear in this urban area with only hidden sewers.

"Everything valuable has been cleared out. Let's go."

"The area over there is taken by the Fire Squad. There's nothing left to scavenge here. Damn it."

On the other side of the wall, Ji Xinghai leaned against it, listening as the footsteps faded away. He waited a few more minutes before crouching and moving along the wall to a relatively safer corner.

"Dad?"

After Ji Xinghai unbuttoned his outer coat, the silent black snake finally emerged. It was also soaked and had been jolted around during the chaos, but the moment it came out, it noticed the bleeding wound on his shoulder.

"Dad hurts."

Ji Xinghai glanced at the gash from the stab wound, which had been inflicted before the teleportation and had torn through his combat suit. The edges of the wound, now exposed to water, had turned slightly white—a thoughtful design.

"I got accidentally cut. It'll be fine soon."

Since he wore everyday clothes over his combat suit, the outer layer was drenched. Fortunately, the backpack was waterproof, so the phone and spare clothes inside were safe, though the loot he had just tossed in had some bloodstains.

Thanks to the game's mechanics, items dropped by monsters appeared as cards, allowing him to quickly collect everything before any unexpected visitors arrived, rather than having to leave some behind.

Now that he was at the bottom of the game hierarchy, he could only avoid direct confrontation when faced with looting.

He deeply missed the days when he had enough strength to take advantage of others.

In the rush, Ji Xinghai had stuffed all the loot into his backpack after the monster died and then hid. So he wasn't sure exactly what he had obtained.

However, besides the loot from the dead monster, he had other gains:

Acquired regular currency: 300,000 × 100%,

Contribution points: 300 × 100%.

Activated innate skill Devour, gaining 5 points in Strength, 7 points in Agility, and 3 points in Wisdom from the monster Three Axes.

Of course, his biggest gain was killing a D-class monster independently, becoming an official member, and unlocking more privileges.

His mission watch had just reminded him to head to the nearest branch station to receive his official membership card and accompanying equipment.

Initially, he had planned to find more members of the Hungry Academy and use their numbers to quickly kill the monster and become an official member. Now, he didn't need to do that, but others might still require assistance.

He also wanted to test whether assisting indirectly without directly attacking the monster counted as "independently killing or controlling" it.

The battle between humans and monsters continued, with explosions and ground tremors never ceasing. There was no one nearby. He quickly wiped off the water and dirt on his combat suit, changed into new clothes, and opened his backpack.

Finally, he could see what he had obtained.

One-star material: Ten fish spines.

Two-star material: One complete fish skin.

One-star skill: Throwing.

Two-star skill: Underwater Breathing.

Fish Spear: Adds 2 points to Strength, returns automatically after being thrown.

Fish Shock Pendant: Adds 2 points to Intelligence, 1 point to Agility, and can resist 8% of mental attacks.

Teleportation Card × 3.

Free attribute points × 3.

Battle Pet Energy Block × 7.

There was quite a lot, and he didn't have to carefully select what he could use—this was the joy of having everything to himself.

With the skill cards in hand, nine translucent slots appeared under his personal information. Could it be that one person could possess up to nine skills?

Ji Xinghai thought for a moment and decided not to learn the skills right away. Instead, he added the free attribute points first and put on the Fish Shock Pendant.

Thus, his personal information was updated as follows:

Player ID: 101

Strength: 14 + 2

Agility: 17 + 1

Intelligence: 15 + 2

Skills: None

Equipment: Basic Light Gun, Fish Shock Pendant, Fish Spear, Teleportation Card × 3

Pet: Black Snake

Rank: 3 (temporarily NO1)

Contribution Points: 300 (temporarily NO1)

He's topping both charts, so it seems he was the first to independently defeat a monster.

Ji Xinghai stood up and tried to bend a discarded iron rack chair left in the corner of the street, finding it didn't require much effort.

Apart from his intelligence, his strength and speed were now more than twice what they used to be. If he were to kill the fish monster now, he wouldn't even get injured.

The Ink Snake also looked up at him. Ji Xinghai patted its head and fed it a combat pet energy block, which it swallowed with a gulp. He then fed it a second, third, and up to the sixth block. When it curled up and closed its eyes, a small dialogue box appeared on it, displaying: "Advancing."

It took six energy blocks for it to advance; in the future, it might need even more.

Ji Xinghai put away the Ink Snake and walked out of the alley.

In the distance, the battle between monsters and humans was nearing its end. From afar, Ji Xinghai saw a writhing giant centipede and an equally monstrous behemoth, which was the giant mech mentioned by the server.

Facing the direction of the rising sun, it moved like a mobile mountain, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly. At that moment, the golden-armored giant held the giant centipede in its hands, trying to slam it into the ground, while the centipede spewed corrosive white liquid.

"A giant mech."

As the golden light outlined this human-made monster, its majestic presence and the peak combat power representing human industrial prowess left everyone in awe.

A few minutes later, the B-class monster, capable of destroying a city, finally fell under its heavy blows.

Ji Xinghai suddenly felt the charm of these man-made monsters.

"Ah! Heavy mech! My God! Should I be seeing this?"

"In my lifetime! I want to play a holographic game; I want to pilot a mech; I want it all! When will the country develop them? I heard there's an international research department; how far have they progressed?"

"I know you're excited, but calm down; this is just a game."

Even though supernatural abilities and magical legacies had already emerged, the recovering human world never abandoned its research into the strongest human weapon—the mech.

"No one can resist the charm of mechs. Please turn my cyber Buddha into gold."

"Then I'll go for a seductive purple."

"All heretics! Please turn it into macho pink, thank you (politely)."

In the past, the Hungry Academy's rewards included materials and models related to mechs, but experiencing the overwhelming pressure of such a giant mech directly was still new.

The scientists researching mechs wished they could dive into the game themselves, replacing the students, even if it meant facing these terrifying monsters, as long as they could touch the mechs.

What?

Holographic game mechs aren't feasible?

Nonsense; they could tell if it was feasible or not. It was clearly very feasible!

In the game.

Ji Xinghai walked to the Special Operations Group branch station in this city, encountering no one along the way as the alarms kept ordinary people in safe shelters.

He did encounter a few students, though not from the Hungry Academy. They were wary of each other. These people were likely here to take advantage of the B-class monster, but their furrowed brows suggested that scoring points wasn't easy.

"Hello, I'm here to turn pro." Ji Xinghai stated his purpose upon entering the branch station.

Turn pro? The two students sitting on the sofa stared at Ji Xinghai, unsure if he was a student or an NPC. If he was a student, did he successfully solo-kill a D-class monster early in the morning?

The receptionist showed no expression, confirmed the situation through the mission watch, updated his information, and handed him a laminated certificate. Now he was a full member and had three teleportation opportunities after refreshing.

The receptionist also handed him a cardboard box and a list. "Hello, this is your equipment list for turning pro. Please check it and sign."

The two students perked up their ears, and one even pretended to walk over to see what was inside.

However, Ji Xinghai was quicker. He glanced at the list, opened the box briefly, and signed it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodbye."

He carried the box to a nearby hotel with the Special Operations Group logo. The receptionist greeted him warmly, but the free room remained the same despite his promotion.

Pulling the curtains shut and turning on the lights, he opened the cardboard box.

A liquid combat suit, which, when not in use, resembled a black vest. With a thought, it would melt and spread, transforming within three seconds into a combat suit covering everything except the head.

A liquid helmet, usually worn as glasses, which automatically transformed into a helmet upon activation and connected to the combat suit, providing maximum body protection.

A basic light source gun. (Now he could hold one in each hand.)

Nine small grenades, each the size of a finger, with a three-second delay before detonation, releasing energy stronger than a motorcycle explosion, suitable for any environment.

A bottle of hemostatic spray, highly effective against external injuries, stopping bleeding instantly and accelerating healing.

A silver storage bracelet: capable of storing one cubic meter of items.

Ji Xinghai had been thinking about upgrading his equipment, and this saved him some money. Whether it was the basic light source gun or the one-time grenades, they were excellent tools.

He still needed a long-range sniper rifle, which he could buy with contribution points.

The old combat suit could be taken off; although it was easy to wear, it wasn't breathable and offered little defense. The new combat suit and helmet could be activated on demand, though they still lacked strong defensive capabilities.

He had seen better energy membrane-type combat suits in the store, but they were too expensive and required advanced member permissions.

And his favorite was still the silver storage bracelet. He had gotten used to having a storage tool, and he missed it when it wasn't there for a moment.

Unfortunately, it only had a capacity of one cubic meter, so it probably couldn't fit a motorcycle. If only it could be upgraded. Ji Xinghai wanted to buy another motorcycle—it was fast and highly maneuverable, and in critical situations, it could even be used as a bomb.

Thinking about it, three hundred contribution points wouldn't be enough.

He organized everything he had: treating what needed treatment, wearing what needed to be worn, putting on what needed to be put on, and storing what needed to be stored in the bracelet. Only then did Ji Xinghai pick up the 'Special Operations Group Member ID.'

It was navy blue, with a simple planet diagram on the front, surrounded by various monstrous creatures. Above it was an arched logo, and written in JiuZhou characters that Ji Xinghai could read was 'Special Operations Group Member ID.'

Inside, it was still in JiuZhou characters. On the left was a single photo, below which were the name and serial number. On the right were personal details, and at the bottom was a line of text:

"International Monster Association and International Special Operations Group to all Presidents, Kings, Monarchs, and Chairmen around the world: We hereby request and require your permission to allow Mr. Ji Xinghai unobstructed passage and provide him with any assistance he urgently needs.

"Dated on [Month Day Year], certified and stamped by the International Monster Association and International Special Operations Group."

Wow, this sense of ceremony instantly made him feel like a local NPC.

"We can copy this and set up something like an International Paranormal Special Operations Group. I think in the future, paranormal crimes should be handled by paranormals; everyone has their specialty."

"Sure, I fully support it."

The audience in the live stream was very excited. Smart merchants were already making prototypes, planning to sell them to young people and children, surely earning a profit.

Of course, they would need to apply first and pay a patent fee.

Everything copied from the game had to be done this way.

People from the Command Units of various countries were also happy.

Although they didn't have monsters now, they did have negatively mutated 'anomalous creatures.' It was possible that they might establish an International Anomaly Special Operations Group in the future, where paranormals, mutated animals and plants, and mech warriors would all appear. So they could definitely learn from this example.

"Ranking No. 1, our Brother Hai must be the first among the students to receive his certificate." The JiuZhou Command Unit was more concerned about their own student.

They thought it would take a day or two to contact other students before they could start monopolizing monsters to become full members. They didn't expect Ji Xinghai to find an opportunity so quickly.

It was textbook weak overcoming strong. If it were a direct confrontation, Ji Xinghai wouldn't be a match for the fish monster now, but he cleverly utilized the teleportation feature and the motorcycle.

The difference between humans and animals lies here—humans use their brains and tools.

"Monsters are like dinosaurs from back then; they follow a different evolutionary path, focusing on strength, agility, and size, overpowering everything. Humans, however, focus on intelligence and balanced development."

Additionally, biological experts were building models based on the data obtained or observed from the 'Three-Blade Axe' and the fish monster. According to the current information, experts judged that these monsters were consistent with biological evolution and could exist in reality.

Either these monsters truly existed, or the smart AI of the holographic game had the ability to simulate biological evolution.

In either case, it was worth paying attention to.

"It's said that many merchants are applying for patents to use the appearances of these monsters. The patent fees will be evenly distributed among the students of this year. For those who died multiple times and may not recover due to low mental values, this money could ensure their livelihood."

"Ah, many people will die in this game. It was so difficult for Ji Xinghai to become a full member, and it will be even harder for others."

"...Where is the difficulty?"

"Huh? It seems some students are contacting Ji Xinghai. Damn, he seems to be surrounded by students from other colleges. Those bastards want to manually eliminate their competitors."

"Which one?"

A group gathered around, watching the student huddled in the corner of the stairs.

"Does he need help?"

"No, he seems to be warning Ji Xinghai to watch out for outsiders, especially near the branch stations."