The instant the crate lid popped open, a bulky mutant ram covered in long black fur burst out of the box.
*Baa!*
The ram shrieked and stamped its hooves hard against the ground. Then it charged, like a runaway motorcycle, straight at Clara. Facing the sudden attack, Clara’s pupils contracted, but her hands stayed steady. She pulled the trigger on the Repeating Crossbow. The ram was too fast. The bolt veered wide and buried itself in the asphalt.
Just as the ram was about to hit her, Clara dodged to the side, barely clearing the charge, and swung the fire axe into its hind leg as it passed.
*Crack!*
The sharp sound of breaking bone rang out. The mutant ram let out an agonized bleat. Its hind leg was severed clean through, and its massive body lost balance and crashed to the ground. Before it could struggle up, Clara closed the distance in two quick strides, aimed the axe blade at its neck, and chopped down with all her strength. Blood sprayed. The ram’s head rolled to the side.
Clara caught her breath and looked at the corpse on the ground. Satisfaction washed over her.
DismantleDismantle the D-rank mutant corpse?YesNo
DismantleNotice¦ Ding! Dismantle successful.ItemDetails🥩 Mutton 165 lbD-rank meat containing trace amounts of energy. Edible.🍲 Mutton Offal 22 lbD-rank offal. Fills the stomach.🐏 Ram Head x1Mutant ram head. Crafting material.🟫 Animal Hide x1Beast hide. Crafting material for clothing and armor.🪢 Beast Sinew x2Tough beast tendon. Crafting material.
“Ranked food?”
Clara’s eyes lit up. She opened her wristband and checked the information on the mutton she had just dismantled.
Appraisal🥩D-rank Mutant MuttonDescription: ¦ Meat containingtrace amounts of energy. Edible.Effect: ¦ Eaten long term, slowlyraises Strength and Stamina.Eating it raw carries a 5% chanceof an unknown virus infection.Cooked, it has no side effects.
No wonder the meat she had dismantled from that rabbit had come with no rank. Only meat from sufficiently strong mutant creatures carried this kind of energy.
“So as long as I keep hunting ranked mutant creatures from now on...”
Clara’s breathing quickened.
“My body can get stronger without limit.”
“Push-ups, and meat. I have to get stronger as fast as possible.”
Looking at more than a hundred pounds of mutton, she was stumped again. It was too hot to keep anything for long, and the wristband’s Storage Space had no way to preserve food. After thinking for a moment, she put the ten pounds of Rabbit Meat left over from yesterday on the Trading Platform. The source of this chapter is NovelPing.
MerchantItemTradeStock🍖 Rabbit Meat 0.3 lb🔩 Iron Ingot x445🥩 Mutton 0.4 lb6 assorted resources100•NoteNote: ¦ Buying all kinds ofblueprints. DM me.
Chat Channel💬Anonymous Player-Holy crap?! Am I seeing things? The seller is putting up fresh meat?-💬Anonymous Player-I haven’t tasted meat in ages. 4 Iron Ingots for 0.33 pounds? Traded.-💬Anonymous Player-Too slow! What are you, octopuses? It’s gone already?!-💬Anonymous Player-Boo-hoo, you animals.-💬Anonymous Player-Please list a bit more. I’ll trade you a C-rank Crude Wooden Spear blueprint, how about it?!-💬Anonymous Player-You’re pulling out a blueprint? The guy above is crazy!-💬Anonymous Player-Crazy? Compared to getting stronger, a crappy blueprint is nothing! I can’t even beat a mutant dog right now. If I don’t level up, I might as well wait to be eaten!-💬Anonymous Player-I traded for D-rank mutton! Let me tell you, this meat is tasty even raw. After eating it, you feel all warm and cozy. Very comfortable!-💬Anonymous Player-The guy above is badass, daring to eat it raw. Didn’t the system say there’s a chance of virus infection? Take it easy!-💬Anonymous Player-I can’t worry about that much. People are starving out here. Who cares?-
In just a few minutes, Clara received hundreds of resources in trade, plus six blueprints of different types: a folding table, a grill, a wooden refrigerator, iron pot cookware, a coal stove, and a lounge chair. There was other miscellaneous stuff too. Salt, pepper, soap, toilet paper... and even a box of opened condoms. Clara’s expression darkened. She took it out and threw it away.
*Looks like I’ll have to be more specific about what I’ll take. What’s the point of this thing?*
Then Cute Bunny sent her a message.
Private Chat💬Cute Bunny-Do you have food? I want to trade for some.-
Clara thought for a moment, then replied.
Private Chat💬Anonymous PlayerClara Bennett-Maybe. What are you offering?-
Private Chat💬Cute Bunny[Image] -Is this okay?-
Appraisal📐C-rank Light‑Dimming Car Window Glass BlueprintReduces strong light exposure andin-car temperature. Has a certainanti-peeping effect.
*Isn’t this exactly what I wanted? Every time I use my ability, I have to sneak around. With this, I won’t have to worry about anyone peeping at me anymore.*
Private Chat💬Anonymous PlayerClara Bennett-Sure, I’ll take it. What do you want?-💬Cute Bunny-I want 3.4 ounces of milk, 4 loaves of bread, and 1 bottle of mineral water. Is that okay?-
Clara thought it over and decided to take the trade. This buyer had a high chance of producing blueprints, and neither side of the deal was unreasonable. Better to build a good relationship first. After the trade went through, Clara immediately checked the window glass blueprint. It needed 30 Glass, and she didn’t have enough. She would pick some up through trading later.
Then she crafted every blueprint she had the materials for.
*With a pot, I can make some mutton offal soup.*
Soon everything was crafted, and she checked her Storage Space.
*That’s well stocked.*
She had assumed the iron pot cookware was just a pot and a spatula, but it even came with a ladle.
Meanwhile, on a highway somewhere, a worn-out Santana sat on the shoulder. Mia, the older sister, handed the bread and water she had just traded for to her younger sister in the passenger seat.
“Luna, hurry up and eat something.”
In the passenger seat, a pale girl leaned weakly against the seat. Her name was Luna, and her leg was wrapped in blood-stained bandages. She took the food, ate in small bites, and asked softly, “Mia, why won’t that seller even add us as friends?”
Mia sighed and stroked her sister’s head.
“Maybe they have their reasons.”
“Think about it. Anyone who can produce that kind of supplies would definitely be targeted. Staying out of sight is the safest thing in the world.”
“I didn’t manage to grab any of that D-rank mutton earlier. Otherwise your injury would heal faster.”
“Mia...” Luna’s eyes reddened. “Don’t say that. I’m the one dragging you down...”
“Silly girl. What are you saying?” Mia cut her off at once, her eyes warm. “We’re sisters. If I don’t protect you, who will?”
“Don’t worry. As long as we sisters stick together, we’ll survive. And then we’ll find our eldest sister.”
Luna nodded firmly and swallowed her tears.