The little reed chickens looked as though they had hatched only a few days ago. From a distance, Su Yue counted four chicks. The mother bird was nowhere to be seen.
Ordinarily, with people nearby, the mother wouldn’t leave the nest.
Had she run into another mutated beast?
There was no time to think about it.
After making sure no one was around, Su Yue immediately activated her ability. Five finger-thick vines sprouted from her right hand and shot toward the chicks.
One vine wrapped around each chick, while the fifth scooped up the entire nest.
If you’re going to rob someone, you might as well clean them out completely.
She couldn’t help wondering what the mother bird would think when she returned to find both her chicks and her home gone.
Sorry, sorry—but eggs and chicken sound way too delicious…
Controlling the vines, Su Yue quickly gathered everything and prepared to run. She couldn’t leave the sack of reed fluff behind, either. Hoisting it onto her shoulder, she sprinted away with the vines carrying four chicks and a nest above her head.
Run!
If the mother bird came back, Su Yue couldn’t guarantee she’d win a fight, so escaping was the safest choice.
No one was nearby right now. She just needed to get farther away and find somewhere to hide the chicks.
But what you fear most is often what happens.
Just as she was hoping not to encounter the mother bird, a series of urgent cries sounded from behind her.
Oh no. The mother’s here.
Grimacing, Su Yue severed the four vines carrying the chicks so they couldn’t escape.
She tossed aside the sack of reed fluff as well.
Time to fight.
Su Yue spun around, intending to strike first—but the sight before her left her stunned.
That’s not a chicken. That’s a peacock!
The mother bird was nearly the size of a peacock, her feathers shimmering with beautiful blue-violet hues.
However, her plumage was disheveled, and blood stained the feathers that stood on end.
She must have encountered another mutated beast earlier and lured it away from the nest to protect her young.
Strike while she’s injured.
Su Yue unleashed her power with all her might. Six thorn-covered vines shot from her palms, their sharp spikes laced with a paralyzing toxin.
At the same time, she kept moving in a zigzag pattern, putting distance between herself, the chicks, and the sack.
The mother bird’s right leg was bleeding, but for the sake of her chicks, she still charged forward with angry clucks.
Chickens were naturally social animals, but after mutating, they had lost that instinct. Otherwise, Su Yue would never have dared raid the nest.
Wielding her thorny vines, Su Yue rushed to meet her opponent.
The mother bird beat her wings and lunged, stabbing at Su Yue with her sharp beak. If that attack connected, it would leave a wound the size of a teacup.
Su Yue dropped into a crouch, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Her vines struck from the side, piercing the mother’s injured right leg while the others wrapped tightly around her body.
Reed fluff exploded into the air as the bird flapped frantically.
The paralyzing toxin quickly seeped into her flesh.
But Su Yue’s powers had reverted to a beginner level after crossing into this world, and the toxin wasn’t strong enough.
The mother bird soon broke free and lunged again, extending claws that gleamed coldly in the light.
Su Yue’s weakened body couldn’t dodge in time.
One claw raked across her shoulder, leaving behind a vicious, bloody gash.
Combined with the pain of her torn vines, the agony made her curse inwardly.
Ignoring the blood pouring from her wound, Su Yue pulled out her improvised iron-blade knife.
Seizing the moment before the mother bird could turn around, she threw herself forward.
Then she drove the blade straight into the creature’s eye.
The mutated reed chicken’s skull was extremely hard, and even its skin was remarkably tough. Her makeshift knife couldn’t pierce it.
The eyes were its only weak point.
Blinded in one eye, the mother bird thrashed even more violently, crying out in agony.
“I’m sorry, but I really want to eat chicken.”
Watching the mother fight desperately for her chicks made Su Yue feel a flicker of guilt—but only a little.
To make it up to her, she decided to end things quickly.
Mother bird: …Oh, thanks a lot.
Su Yue had nearly exhausted her power.
Summoning the last of her energy, she created one final vine with a sharpened tip.
She aimed carefully at the remaining eye.
Then she struck.
The battle was over.
Su Yue collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, but she didn’t dare linger.
The nearby forest was dangerous.
The scent of blood might attract other mutated beasts at any moment.
She needed to leave immediately.
Tearing open her sleeve, she examined the wound on her shoulder.
The fabric was soaked through with blood.
But beneath it, the horrifying gash was already growing new flesh and slowly closing.
Her healing ability.
She tore away the blood-soaked cloth and ripped a cleaner strip from the hem of her shirt to wrap around the injury.
Not because she feared infection—
But because she didn’t want anyone in the refugee district to see her wounded state and take advantage of her.
Taking out her iron knife, Su Yue crouched beside the mother bird’s corpse and checked its radiation level.
[Target animal radiation level: 11,691. Consumption not recommended.]
Holy crap. That’s incredibly high.
The radiation levels of mutated beasts were generally much higher than those of mutated plants.
Edible mutated beasts were usually limited to young offspring.
Only a tiny number evolved radiation-resistant traits that reduced their radiation levels.
Still, highly mutated beasts had their advantages.
Their fur, fangs, and claws made excellent crafting materials.
And inside their brains, they often carried a crystal core.
Crystal cores could be used as an energy source for protective energy shields.
They sold for a high price.
Su Yue found a hard stone and smashed open the mother bird’s skull.
Using a stick to poke through the mess, she discovered a glowing, diamond-shaped crystal about two centimeters long.
“A crystal core?!”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
Isn’t this exactly like the energy crystals found inside zombies’ heads?
She wiped the crystal clean with the bloodstained cloth she had torn off earlier.
Holding it in her hand, she carefully felt the familiar energy flowing within.
This was definitely an energy crystal.
Absorbing it could strengthen supernatural abilities.
And absorbing crystals with enough energy could even trigger the awakening of new abilities.
The people of this world couldn’t absorb the energy directly. They could only use technology to release it externally.
What a waste.
Grinning, Su Yue tucked the crystal core securely inside her clothing.
Then she removed the mother bird’s sharp beak, detached the claw sheaths from its talons, and plucked its feathers, stuffing everything into her cloth bag.
“All valuable materials. Such a shame.”
She couldn’t carry the rest of the carcass and had no choice but to leave it behind.
Using her vines, Su Yue wrapped the chicks’ beaks shut and injected each of them with a small amount of paralyzing toxin.
The little chicks rolled their eyes and passed out.
The toxin wasn’t dangerous.
They would wake up in two or three hours.
She tucked the cloth bag into the sack of reed fluff, hiding it in the middle.
The chicks were placed near the top to prevent them from suffocating.
After tightening the mouth of the sack and deliberately leaving some reed fluff visible at the opening, she slung it over her shoulder and headed home.
No one paid much attention to her along the way.
As temperatures dropped, only people with connections could gather cotton from the designated cotton fields.
Most ordinary families collected reed fluff to make winter clothing and blankets.
She had already entered the refugee district and was only about ten minutes from home when someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder.
“Su Yue, what happened to your arm?”