CH 8: You can eat food in this game!?

【Guide for the Active Substance Extractor:】

【1. Active substances are the primary materials for synthesizing clones, including but not limited to minerals required for the human body, 20 common amino acids, and 2 rare amino acids.】

【2. The raw material for the active substance extractor is animal carcasses, with the highest extraction efficiency from the order Primates within the class Mammalia (up to 90%). Non-primate mammals have lower efficiency, and invertebrates have the lowest extraction efficiency, below 10%.】

【3. Extraction efficiency is also related to the degree of decomposition.】

With the completion of the task of recruiting players, the rewards and the instruction manual were delivered together.

Inside Vault 404.

Chu Guang looked at the manual projected on his retina by the system while examining the iron contraption next to the conveyor belt that looked like a coffin.

According to the manual, this device is used to produce "active substances"—the raw material for synthesizing clones.

In simple terms, its function is similar to a corpse recycler?

However, based on the description in the manual, it seems that the corpses of different species are also within the scope of recycling.

Having a general understanding of the usage of this device, Chu Guang used a cart he found outside to drag it onto the elevator, and then rode the elevator to the surface.

He didn't want to bring corpses into the vault.

As for electricity, there would be a way.

The elevator ascended slowly and stopped as the doors opened.

Just as he was dragging the cart out of the elevator, Little Seven's voice echoed urgently from upstairs.

"Manager!"

"What is it?"

"Your players seem to be in trouble... A black bird is attacking them! It's on the north side of the sanatorium!"

A black bird?

Chu Guang was momentarily stunned, then his expression changed. He immediately dropped the cart and rushed toward the north side of the sanatorium.

...

"Damn! Brother Night, you're amazing."

"That forward roll to dodge was impressive, Did you learn it from Dark Souls?!"

"Shut up! I was scared shitless! Stop standing there, come help me!"

In the forest north of the old nursing home where the vault was located.

A black bird perched on a ten-meter-high branch, its sharp eyes locked onto the players below.

Its legs were slightly bent, and its kite-sized wings were folded back, ready to pounce at any moment.

Hearing the commotion from Night Ten’s side, the other three players immediately dropped their tasks and rushed over with axes in hand.

Perhaps seeing the crowd below, the black bird didn't immediately launch a second attack but instead stayed out of reach, biding its time.

Level 8 Gale crouched down, picking up a black feather from the ground and examining it.

"It looks like a crow."

"A crow this big?!" Glancing at the claw marks on the nearby wood, Night Ten retreated, still shaken.

"This thing is probably a mutant... A product of gamma rays or some other mutation. I saw it mentioned in the official setting." Ample Time watched the bird cautiously, not daring to relax.

Night Ten: "Official setting? Isn't it just a reservation page?"

Level 8 Gale: "That was a few days ago... The official website updated some functions yesterday. Didn't you see it?"

"Stop chatting, what do we do now? Just wait it out?" Night Ten took another step back, now the closest to the bird was Level 8 Gale.

Four men and a bird were in a standoff.

At this moment, a whistling sound cut through the air above them, heading straight for the bird.

"Squawk!"

Though the stone didn't hit, it startled the bird, causing it to flap its wings and jump to another branch.

When it finally stabilized on the new branch, it saw the person below picking up another stone and hurling it.

The bird was thoroughly enraged.

Never had it encountered such audacity in its territory.

With a powerful thrust, it launched from the branch like a cannonball, diving straight at Chu Guang.

Its sharp claws extended forward, resembling a set of grappling hooks.

However, as a beast, it couldn't understand the slight smirk on Chu Guang's lips.

Dropping the stone, Chu Guang skillfully grabbed a steel pipe stuck in the ground and thrust it forward with the sharp end.

In an instant, the bird couldn't dodge.

Though it tried to flap its wings to pull back, inertia made it impossible.

The steel pipe, like a spear, pierced through its chest.

"Squawk!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest.

Blood-soaked feathers scattered in all directions.

Watching the struggling bird fly away, Chu Guang silently approached and picked up the bloodied steel pipe from the ground.

"This isn't a crow."

"It's called a falcon... About two hundred years ago."

The four players stared at him in shock, stunned by the fluidity of his actions.

Damn!

So strong!!

But they didn't know that for most survivors who could walk the Wasteland alone, this level of skill was just basic.

Over the past month, Chu Guang had perfected his spear-throwing technique, hitting targets within ten meters without fail.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be here showing off.

"A falcon?! That big?" Level 8 Gale was astonished, his perception of birds shattered.

Ample Time swallowed.

"Because of gamma rays?"

"Not just gamma rays. Viruses, bacteria, genetic weapons... Various factors contributed to what we see today. Of course, mutants are just one of the threats we face. In some cases, humans can be more dangerous than them."

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

"That falcon must have nested in this tree. No wonder it didn't leave despite so many of you."

Typically, birds wouldn't provoke larger ground creatures unless necessary. Their diet mainly consisted of mutated cockroaches, mice, and squirrels.

Though the bird flew away, it wouldn't go far. It was probably waiting to die in a nearby tree.

Such a piercing wound from the steel pipe was nearly fatal.

It wasn't just birds; even humans would find it difficult to stitch such a wound.

Night Ten bowed his head in shame.

"Sorry... I was so focused on chopping wood that I didn't notice."

"No need to apologize," Chu Guang looked up, "Bird eggs are a delicacy."

They were in for a treat.

...

Chu Guang's judgment was quickly confirmed.

Under a crooked tree, he found the dead black bird.

After bleeding it out with a knife and plucking the feathers, he tossed it into a pot set on a brick stove, then added dry branches and leaves underneath, lighting it with matches he had bought earlier.

Smoke rose.

Before the water boiled, Chu Guang took the scalded bird from the pot, skewered it on a steel rod, and grilled it over the fire.

He also roasted the bird eggs.

There was no salt or spices, but even so, it was much better than the half-cooked green wheat porridge.

"Can we eat this?"

Looking at the "mutant" on the iron rack, Night Ten felt repulsed but couldn't help swallowing at the tempting aroma.

Eating in the game!

For foodies, this was a pleasant surprise.

It made him feel that the morning's hard work was worth it.

"Once it's cooked, you can eat it. I'll tell you what can't be eaten." Chu Guang slowly rotated the grill to ensure even cooking.

Opportunities to eat game in the Wasteland were rare.

Even when they caught something edible, it would spoil quickly due to lack of preservation methods.

Here, salt was more precious than electricity.

Especially for survivors in inland towns like Clear Spring City, using large amounts of salt to preserve food was impractical.

As for refrigerators, it was said the mayor had one, but Chu Guang had only heard about it, never seen it.

Of course, survivors had their methods.

For instance, in the neighboring survivor settlement, Mr. Brown's farm produced tar-rich tobacco. Even without salt, smoking meat could extend its shelf life by several months.

"Manager, how much wood do we need?"

Waiting for the food to cook was torturous.

To distract himself from the hunger, Ample Time started a conversation.

Chu Guang casually replied.

"As much as you can chop."

The players exchanged glances, showing little enthusiasm.

Chu Guang didn't mind at first, but then he realized something important.

They were "players," outsiders.

Unlike him, who was now part of this world, they could leave anytime and didn't feel the urgency of survival.

Even if he explained the importance of stockpiling wood, they wouldn't truly grasp its significance.

Their identity as players meant their perspective differed from his. Even if they were willing to work hard, it was difficult for them to sustain effort without rewards.

There were tasks, so there should be rewards.

"Let me think..."

Chu Guang rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

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

"One contribution point for every meter of arm-thick wood. Two points for every meter of thigh-thick wood."

Before Chu Guang could finish explaining the use of contribution points, the four players, who had been lazily holding their bowls, sprang to their feet.

"Manager, I'm suddenly not that hungry."

"Me neither."

"Since there's time before dinner, I'll chop a few more trees!"

"I suddenly feel like chopping something!"

Chu Guang: "...?"

He hadn't even explained what the contribution points could be used for…

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