Chapter 3: I’m not hated

The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, the Mutants who had been out on patrol returned to swap shifts.

Chu Xiuyan hadn’t slept a wink all night, feeling full of energy, so he was sent out to patrol and keep watch.

His teammate was a Mutant he didn’t know.

Judging from the dark circles under his eyes, he must have been one of the losers from last night’s arm-wrestling matches.

“Shi Yang.”

The loser took the initiative to greet him, his attitude decent enough, so Chu Xiuyan unceremoniously invited him to another friendly round of arm-wrestling.

Passing by, Fanyi coldly warned him not to make trouble.

Now Shi Yang, sporting dark circles under both eyes, patrolled outside with full vigilance.

Chu Xiuyan sauntered lazily behind, wandering about.

Suddenly, the System chimed in: [Your Pollution Value has dropped. It’s now 75%.]

Chu Xiuyan: [No wonder, I do feel a bit weaker than last night.]

What did he do last night?

Seems like he fought with someone—no, wait, arm-wrestled with someone, then studied his abilities a bit.

Reasoning backward, he guessed that the Pollution Value might be related to his strength, and the value itself might gradually decrease with time or with each use of his abilities.

So he might be able to become human again—Nice!

This idea spun around in his head, but he set it aside for now.

Yesterday, after the System threw him into this world, he was kidnapped by Mutants before he’d even had time to properly observe the place.

Though the System had told him this was a world struck by catastrophe, seeing it now… it was far more brutal than he had imagined.

Everywhere around him were apocalyptic scenes: buildings collapsed, roads shattered, many cars parked along the street were crushed to bits by fallen power poles and debris, and hardly a soul was in sight.

The wild wind made the billboards creak and rattle, yellowed leaves floated up from the ground and spun through the air.

A stench of decay hung in the air, dust covered everything, each step leaving a footprint.

“Stony Sheep, what does ‘siege to the end’ mean? Are the settlements getting attacked soon?”

Chu Xiuyan spun a pair of goggles he’d dug out from a shop in his hand, wiped the dust off, and put them on.

Shi Yang, who had earned a nickname, didn’t care much, and replied woodenly, “A nearby human Gathering Place discovered a Blood Crystal Mine. Though we got to it first, they’re preparing to join forces and take it back. They’ll probably act in the next couple days.”

“Oh, so the ones in the Prison are all people from the nearby Gathering Places?”

“Some of them are, caught as Hostages. If those Gathering Places don’t care about their Hostages, they’ll end up as food.”

Chu Xiuyan realized something.

He’d only suspected it before, but now it was confirmed.

That uncle in the Prison must have entered the enemy camp voluntarily, both to protect the Hostages and to coordinate from within.

The Mutant settlement was likely about to be destroyed, and there was a mysterious uncle in the Prison carrying everything on his shoulders.

He was an uncontrollable variable outside everyone’s plans, but ultimately not essential, so all Chu Xiuyan needed to do was find a way to get himself out of this deathtrap.

…No, that wouldn’t do.

Chu Xiuyan thought of the System, thought of that comic book setting.

For a moment, his scalp tingled.

The protagonist can’t run away.

Fine, change of plan—make use of the chance to reset, and figure out a way to put on an absolutely dazzling performance amid the coming chaos.

But how exactly?

Chu Xiuyan grabbed his hair, feeling like just months had passed since he’d been at the height of his intelligence, but now his brain felt completely reset.

[Ah! Where’s my brain! Where did my brain go!!! I can’t find it—]

He screamed internally.

System: [? You got issues, huh.]

Chu Xiuyan fumed: [I’m going to poison them.]

He was going to poison tonight’s stew!

Nobody would have a brain left!

***

After chatting a while with Shi Yang, he managed to learn about Fanyi’s origins.

To Chu Xiuyan’s surprise, Fanyi had only joined the settlement a month ago, coming from the Northwest.

Though his strength wasn’t great, his intelligence was extremely high, and he often came up with useful strategies, making him highly valued by the Chief.

“But everyone can feel it—Fanyi actually looks down on us a bit,” Shi Yang said.

“He’s not from our world. The boss often reminds us in secret to keep our guard up around him.”

Chu Xiuyan clenched his fist, understanding now—the uncle in the Prison was coordinating inside and out, and he could stir up discord!

…And also poison them!

“Oh oh, there’s a rat over there! Stony Sheep, help me block it, I’m gonna kill it!”

“Eh?”

Around two in the afternoon, the next shift of Mutants arrived.

They looked at the mouse, centipede, beetle, and other small animal corpses sticking out of Chu Xiuyan’s pocket, baffled.

“What are you catching those for?”

“Tonight’s food.”

“No need, the Hunting Team handles food tonight. Besides, there’s still meat in the Prison, it’s fine to kill one or two.”

Chu Xiuyan glared at the questioner: “Rat and centipede meat is still meat, even if it’s a tiny bit. Keep nagging and I’ll start catching mosquitoes for the pot.”

The other Mutant: What, are you nuts?

Chu Xiuyan invited him to a friendly arm-wrestling match.

The other Mutant quickly walked away.

By the time Chu Xiuyan returned to the settlement, the sun was about to set.

He wandered around the place, found the kitchen, and without asking, dumped all his odds and ends from his pocket into the pot, making the Mutant in charge of food so angry he picked up another pot and tried to smash it over Chu Xiuyan’s head, cursing all the while.

“I hunted these! Meat, no matter how small, is still meat!”

Chu Xiuyan declared righteously.

The Inhuman Cook: “You have to wash them and cut them up! It’s not an emergency, you can’t just toss them in like that, filthy—who’d want to eat it?”

Chu Xiuyan: “Ugh, so fussy.”

The Inhuman Cook raised his pot: “You’re nuts, get out!”

Chu Xiuyan quickly slipped away.

“New face.”

The Inhuman Cook shook his head, set to work, skinning and gutting the cleaned rats.

Suddenly, his movements paused in surprise.

“That’s odd, the feel is a little off…”

He sniffed, but didn’t catch any scent of blood.

Thinking it must be some newly-evolved, better-camouflaged mutant beast, he didn’t dwell on it.

He chopped it up and threw it into the pot after changing the water.

Time passed quickly.

The Hunting Team brought back a Bear.

Ah, a huge Bear, practically the size of a small mountain, its fur matted with blood and one arm torn off.

“It lost a fight to a Tiger. We were lucky enough to grab it after, but the Tiger ran too fast—otherwise we’d be eating Tiger tonight,” explained the Hunting Team.

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Chu Xiuyan hugged his pitiful haul of rats and centipedes.

Maybe he really should throw a few mosquitoes into the pot.

The Inhuman Cook refused to waste any food, so in the end, Chu Xiuyan’s mixed-meat stew was served anyway.

Chu Xiuyan ate centipede legs expressionlessly, consoling himself for ages with the excuse of “self-produced, self-sold.”

When he looked up, he saw the other Mutants happily carving up Bear meat for barbecue, while his own area was empty and cold.

He pondered a moment, scooped up a spoonful of meat and broth from his bowl, got up, and headed toward the barbecue crowd.

Grabbing a Mutant at random, he forced him to open his mouth and poured the steaming stew in.

The Mutant, caught off guard, widened his eyes and flailed wildly.

Chu Xiuyan let go only after making sure the meat was swallowed.

The Mutant, clutching his throat, raged, “What’s wrong with you?! Is that stew poisoned?!”

Even if you guessed right, I’ll never admit it.

Chu Xiuyan folded his arms, drooping his shoulders, and muttered resentfully, “Meat I brought back from the hunt.”

“You mean those finger-sized rats and centipedes? You call that hunting? If you like it so much, eat it yourself!”

Chu Xiuyan repeated, “Meat I brought back from the hunt.”

The Mutants nearby, eager for drama, suddenly felt a chill down their spines.

Chu Xiuyan’s gaze swept over them one by one, and he repeated a third time, “Meat I brought back from the hunt.”

Silence. Long, deathly silence.

Shi Yang was the first to step forward, a trace of heaviness on his face: “Choked on some meat, a bowl of broth might help.”

“Yeah, yeah, good point, makes sense.”

The others gradually chimed in with various responses.

Chu Xiuyan was satisfied.

“Don’t eat too much, now. One bowl each. I want to share it with everyone in the settlement.”

The Mutants: …We really want to curse, but apparently we can’t beat him.

The strongest ones—Black Fang and Stone Bone—are out on night patrol, the Chief doesn’t care about minor squabbles, and though Fanyi’s brain is sharp, his strength isn’t… we’re doomed.

Chu Xiuyan stood off to the side with a cheerful grin, arms folded, watching as each Mutant swallowed his meat broth before letting them go.

Not far away.

The Chief, standing by the window of a wooden cabin, witnessed everything and said to Fanyi outside, “A rare personality, very much like those Mutants from the Northwest.”

Fanyi’s expression didn’t change.

“Tonight, the humans will act.”

Chief: “Fanyi, stop them. By dawn, I’ll break through to A-level. Then I’ll prove to everyone that the Mutant evolutionary path is the right one.”

“Even if it means cannibalism?”

“Even if it means cannibalism.”

Fanyi sneered.

Just as the Chief was about to say more, there was a knock at the door.

The loud, dark-haired newcomer stood in the doorway, beaming, “Boss, I brought you some meat!”

One hand holding stew, the other holding Bear meat—not much to complain about.

The Chief accepted the newcomer’s goodwill.

“Thanks.”

Chu Xiuyan grinned, then turned to see Fanyi.

“Gray-haired Brother, want some meat?”

Fanyi gave a fake smile.

“I’m vegetarian.”

Chief: “……”

Chu Xiuyan: “……”

Back at the banquet area, the full Mutants gathered around the bonfire again, chatting about nothing but “women” and “human meat.”

This time, Chu Xiuyan didn’t go up and challenge them all to arm-wrestling.

He sat on a nearby rock, gazing up at the stars.

The stars in this world were bright—much brighter than in the world he’d come from.

He stared for a long time, realizing that, just like when he was a kid, he still couldn’t find the North Star.

Back when his teacher mentioned it, he’d rushed to look for it, but the city lights were too bright, so finding even a couple of bright stars was lucky.

Now in a new world, there were more stars, but he still couldn’t find it.

Ugh, he didn’t want to admit he was an idiot.

Suddenly, the System appeared: [You let the Gray Mist disguised as rats and centipedes get eaten by the Mutants?]

[Yep.]

Chu Xiuyan thought about his ability, propped his chin on his hand, and said: [Creatures I kill are devoured by my ability—Gray Mist. Then the Gray Mist can mimic their appearance and abilities, moving under my control.]

[So, the Gray Mist mimicking rats and centipedes entered the Mutants’ stomachs and will attack from the inside.]

[The Mutant Chief ate some too, and Fanyi isn’t strong. You could say this settlement is already in my hands.]

System: [First time I’ve seen someone use a devouring ability like this. But here’s the real issue, Host—do you dare kill these Mutants?]

Chu Xiuyan: [……]

A long silence.

He messed up his own hair.

[So that’s the problem, damn it! Why do these Mutants treat me like a companion? Why do they give me so much goodwill?? Aren’t they supposed to be cold, brutal monsters who’d even eat their own?!]

The youth smacked the stone beneath him, saying viciously, [I’ll kill them without mercy.]

System: [?]

[Because I’m stronger, they treat me kindly. If I were weak, I’d just be bullied or used as food.]

[If they show respect and goodwill, I can chat and joke with them. But when the time comes, when they have to die, I won’t hesitate to kill them. Because of our positions, there’s no way I could ever be on their side.]

Suddenly, the wall of the wooden cabin exploded.

A giant monster covered in Crimson Crystals charged at Chu Xiuyan, its scarlet eyes filled with icy killing intent as it roared, “I’ll kill you—!”

It was the Mutant Chief.

He’d discovered the problem with the meat.

The System spoke quickly: [Pollution Value at 45%! Right now, you’re no match for the Mutant Chief!]

[It’s dropping faster now—probably because of all the ability use.]

He had used Gray Mist to devour and mimic plenty of small creatures.

Chu Xiuyan’s intelligence shot up.

He’d learned from Shi Yang that the settlement had a Blood Crystal Mine.

Blood Crystal = high Pollution Value, high Pollution Value = powerful.

And the Mutant Chief always stayed in one place.

Wasn’t the location of the Blood Crystal Mine obvious?

Thinking this, he turned into a cloud of Gray Mist and shot toward the wooden cabin even faster than the Mutant Chief.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The Mutant Chief shouted in shock and anger, “Who are you?!”

But from inside the cabin came an even louder shout: “Damn it, I can’t turn back! Help!!”