LV10! The Second Stage of the Sequence!

Night. Chu Guang had a nightmare. In the dream, fur sprouted all over his body, and he turned into a bear. To escape the pursuit of hunters, he sprinted desperately through the forest, tearing a Crawler to shreds with two swipes of his claws, slapping a split-claw crab to death with one paw, and sending an actual bear flying with a single punch along the way... *Wait a minute, I can even wreck a split-claw crab, so why the hell am I running away from hunters?* Right at that moment, Chu Guang woke with a start. The first thing he did upon waking was feel himself all over. Aside from being drenched in hot sweat, he found no other changes. Chu Guang let out a sigh of relief. *Close one!* Bracing his hands on the bedboard, Chu Guang prepared to sit up. But he misjudged his own strength; with an excess burst of power, he literally leaped clear off the bed. Momentum carried him forward two stumbling paces before he found his footing. Before Chu Guang could even process what had happened, his bones let out a series of sharp pops as he moved his limbs. After stretching a bit, every single cell throughout his body felt unprecedentedly refreshed and comfortable, as if every single pore were breathing. More than that, Chu Guang felt his mind was unprecedentedly clear and his vision unprecedentedly sharp. It didn't feel at all like he had just rolled out of bed—rather, it felt like he had chugged several cans of taurine energy drinks. What shocked him in particular was that, standing beside the bed, he could clearly make out the grain etched onto the doorknob! He immediately realized what had happened. Chu Guang didn't linger in his room for a second. Without another word, he hurried to the resident hall and ran a full-body checkup using the medical examination equipment there. Just as he expected. Waking up from this sleep, he had leveled up again! [ ID: Chu Guang Gene Sequence: Administrator (Second Stage) Level: LV.9 → LV.10 —Basic Attributes— Strength: 11 → 16 Agility: 6 → 11 Constitution: 8 → 13 Perception: 7 → 12 Intelligence: 7 → 12 ] [ Talents: 1. Wild Instinct 2. Spiritual Deterrence ] [Spiritual Deterrence: Exerts mental pressure on fully sentient life forms weaker than oneself, undermining their will to resist.] Second stage! All attributes increased by 5 points!? "Holy shit, this is way too good." Leveling up just by sleeping! Looking at the examination results displayed on the VM screen, Chu Guang grinned from ear to ear. Sure enough, just as he had guessed, LV10 was a bottleneck. Once the development progress of a gene sequence broke through this hurdle, one's strength would undergo a qualitative leap! "Plus five to all attributes, plus an extra talent... Is this what the wasteland natives call an 'awakening'?" Chu Guang still remembered hearing the term for the first time from Hein, who had come from Red River Town. Later, in his clash with "Bear," the cornered Bear had displayed a phenomenon akin to "mutantization." Almost certainly, that counted as a form of awakening as well. In Shelter 404, however, this phenomenon seemed to be called the second stage of the gene sequence. Unlike Bear, who had awakened naturally, Chu Guang's appearance and physical traits hadn't undergone any noticeable changes from the awakening. The only differences he felt were greater strength, sharper thoughts, keener environmental perception, quicker reaction speed, and stronger recovery and immunity. Chu Guang roughly deduced that the second stage of different sequences probably provided different bonuses, and the unlocked talents would likely differ as well. For example, a Strength-type sequence would probably focus more on muscular enhancement, while an Agility-type sequence would lean toward reflex nerves and the like. Still, all of this was mere speculation. At present, across the entire shelter, only he had reached the second stage. Among the other players, the fastest levelers—the Cow and Horse Squad—were only at the peak of LV7 at best. As for what happened with other sequences, they would only find out once the players ground their way up to LV10. Regardless, Chu Guang was quite satisfied with the second stage of his "Administrator" sequence. A 5-point boost across all attributes instantly turned him into a well-rounded pentagon warrior. Add to that the skill that slapped a fear debuff on others, and he felt practically invincible! Footsteps echoed from the corridor to the side. Yawning, a newly awakened Xia Yan walked out of her room with crutches tucked under her arms. Seeing Chu Guang clutching his VM and grinning foolishly, her sleep-fogged eyes blinked in confusion, and she muttered under her breath, "What good stuff are you looking at that's got you smiling like an idiot?" The smile vanished from Chu Guang's face in an instant. He snapped his head up, fixed his eyes on Xia Yan, and stared straight into her gaze. Their eyes locked. The air fell silent for several seconds. A crimson blush gradually spread across her pale cheeks. "Cr-crazy lunatic." Turning her head away, Xia Yan hobbled off on her crutches. Watching her sway as she headed toward the airlock, Chu Guang stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to the wastebasket recharging in the corner. "Xiao Qi." The signal light overhead blinked once, and Xiao Qi raised its level camera. "Present, Master." Chu Guang continued, "Was she afraid?" Xiao Qi seemed taken aback. After several seconds of silence, it timidly replied, "Although the target's blood pressure, heart rate, and heat dissipation all increased slightly, Xiao Qi feels... that probably wasn't the effect you were hoping for?" Chu Guang: "..." Alright. Maybe his features were too handsome, making him look far less intimidating. This skill was of little practical use to him after all. *** Bet Street. The plaza before the castle was teeming with people. The residents of Bet Street had been summoned here early in the morning. Many had only just woken up, their faces filled with confusion and curiosity. For the residents living here, many had never set foot in this spot in their entire lives. The old mayor's family couldn't stand the sight of poor folk, so whenever they came anywhere near here, patrolling guards would chase them away. Now, however, things were different; the old mayor's family had been run off. Though a new mayor had taken over, at least this new mayor was a familiar face they had interacted with—far warmer and more approachable than that vampire they had never even laid eyes on. Facing the pairs of eyes focused on him, Old Charlie took a sheet of paper marked with signatures and a date from his breast pocket, cleared his throat, and spoke: "Starting today, the first legal code of Bet Street officially takes effect! It shall promise and protect the legitimate rights and interests of all Bet Street residents. "The rules are simple: intentional murder shall be punished by hanging; fighting resulting in minor injuries shall be punished by more than one year of imprisonment and hard labor; fighting resulting in severe injuries shall be punished by more than three years of imprisonment and hard labor. Furthermore, anyone guilty of theft or malicious destruction of property shall, depending on the monetary amount involved, face imprisonment, hard labor, and flogging..." Old Charlie read out roughly twenty-odd clauses, though the vast majority of the crowd could only understand around a dozen of them. The people in the plaza exchanged glances. A legal code? Many of them were hearing this bizarre word for the very first time. Although Bet Street had previously had a guard force, the guards had never handled disputes among residents; they were solely responsible for the safety of the castle and the outer walls. Over the years, no murders had occurred. Fights broke out often enough, but no one had ever been grievously injured. After all, surviving was hard enough in these times, and nobody was eager to make enemies lightly. Even without moral constraints, people still weighed the pros and cons of disrupting order. As for theft... Did digging up ram horn potatoes outside someone's door count as theft? How was that supposed to be calculated? Looking at the residents exchanging bewildered looks, Old Charlie knew what was on their minds, but he offered no explanation. There was no need to explain. They wouldn't understand things that were overly complicated anyway. Laws were completely meaningless when merely written on paper; once they were strictly enforced just once, people would naturally weigh the consequences of breaking them. After a brief pause, Old Charlie continued: "Starting today, the official currencies of Bet Street are established as silver coins and copper coins, which can be used to purchase food, daily necessities, clothing, and other supplies at the grocery store operated by the neighborhood office. The original chips may still be used, but only for purchasing food and salt. Furthermore, compensation for scavenging and hunting will no longer be paid in chips. The current exchange rate between chips and silver coins is tentatively set at one chip for one silver coin; after one month, a chip will only exchange for five copper coins." As soon as the words left his mouth, a flurry of chatter erupted from the crowd. "Chips won't be good anymore?" "Why change to silver and copper coins..." "Exactly! What the hell are silver and copper coins? I've never even heard of them." "Are you exchanging?" "Hell no!" "Only a fool would exchange!" As they spoke, many sneakily watched the expression on Old Charlie's face. They expected him to panic, or at least look overwhelmed. To their disappointment, Old Charlie didn't take their complaints to heart in the slightest. His expression remained utterly composed and steady, as if he hadn't heard a single word. In contrast, Yu Hu, standing in the crowd, was even more anxious than Old Charlie. Unlike the other residents of Bet Street, he had seen those silver and copper coins before. The bluecoats in Wetland Park bought things with those exact coins—and they bought quite a lot of good stuff with them. Hearing people claim that only a fool would trade chips for silver coins, how could he hold back? Just as he was about to speak up and explain, however, Yu Xiong standing beside him saw through his intentions at a glance and immediately yanked his arm. "Bro, why're you pulling me?" Looking at his indignant younger brother, Yu Xiong shook his head and said in a grave tone, "What could you tell them? What's the point other than starting an argument?" Yu Hu looked frantic. "But—" "No buts. If even you can figure this out, do you think Big Brother Chu wouldn't have thought of it? Since he made this decision, he definitely has his own reasons and plans. As for us, we just need to do our jobs well. Don't go stirring up a whole basket of trouble instead of helping!" Rebuked by his elder brother, Yu Hu finally quieted down. He hadn't thought it through before, but hearing his brother put it that way, it made sense. Could someone as clever as Big Brother Chu fail to anticipate this? Having understood this, Yu Hu relaxed immediately. Looking at the troublemakers loudly proclaiming they wouldn't exchange their chips for silver coins even if it killed them, he thought they looked like utter fools. *Heh.* *Just you wait!* *When I get back, I'm swapping all the chips at home for silver coins, and we'll see who ends up regretting it!* Yu Hu and Yu Xiong's father remained silent, but clearly, he had also formed an idea of his own. "No rush to exchange our chips," Old Yu whispered, tapping his eldest son's arm with an index finger. "If anyone takes silver coins and doesn't want them, we can trade our chips with them... We should be able to get a better rate." Yu Xiong paused, immediately grasped his father's meaning, and nodded. "Right!" After giving the surrounding residents ample time to talk it over, Old Charlie waited until their discussions died down before slowly continuing with the other arrangements. For instance, the guards. Although the original guard force had been disbanded, Bet Street could not go undefended for even a single day. Yu Xiong, the eldest son of the Yu family, was tentatively appointed Captain of the Guard. Simultaneously, an open recruitment would select fifteen young men between the ages of fourteen and thirty-five to form the new guard force. The daily duties of the guards would consist of patrols, standing sentry, and training. The workload was not heavy and didn't involve risking their lives; standing behind the cover of the perimeter wall was far safer than scavenging or hunting out in the ruins. As for compensation, in addition to room and board, the neighborhood office would pay each guard a monthly wage. The current figure was 50 silver coins, which might increase in the future. Although they had no concrete concept of the purchasing power of silver coins, they heard Old Charlie say that at the grocery store run by the neighborhood office, a single silver coin could be exchanged for one kilogram of ram horn potatoes or green wheat. Fifty silver coins a month meant fifty kilograms of grain. Part of the money could also be used at the grocery store to buy salt or other daily necessities—more than enough to cover a family's living expenses! As Old Charlie finished speaking, eager expressions appeared on many faces. They planned to go press their handprints and apply in a little while. If they were selected, they wouldn't have to worry about starving all winter! "...In addition, a charitable school will be established in Bet Street's central castle, tentatively offering two courses: literacy and arithmetic. "All youths who have reached the age of six and are under the age of fourteen must complete two semesters of coursework. While classes are in session, the school will provide enrolled students with a free lunch. "Youths over the age of fourteen may voluntarily sign up for adult evening classes held from seven to nine at night, free of charge. Those who achieve passing scores in both courses will be eligible for positions at the neighborhood office." Evidently, compared to the guard recruitment, the vast majority of Bet Street residents were not very interested in this so-called school, nor did they view it as any kind of benefit. However, the promise of free meals was quite appealing. Even if it only fed the children, it would still save some grain for the family to get through the winter. Regardless of whether Bet Street's residents were interested in literacy and arithmetic, the work of eradicating illiteracy had to be carried out. Establishing order was the first step; breaking free from ignorance was the second. Only by walking these two steps well could a solid foundation be laid for further progress. Gazing at the survivors whose faces were filled with ignorance, Old Charlie let out a soft sigh in his heart. *A heavy burden and a long road ahead.* Once all the arrangements were explained, Old Charlie promptly announced the adjournment of the assembly. Aside from those planning to apply for the guards, the rest of the residents dispersed and headed home. Many still had to go hunting later, and with dawn not yet fully broken, they rushed home to pack their gear. On the way home, Wang Defu, the third son of the Wang family, complained indignantly, "Why make someone from the Yu family Captain of the Guard? Their family only has two grown men, what makes them qualified?!" He wasn't the only one dissatisfied; his two older brothers were clearly displeased as well. Especially his eldest brother, Wang Biao. Right up until Old Charlie announced the candidate for captain, Wang Biao had worn an elated expression. After all, from beginning to end, he had considered himself Old Charlie's man. Yet the moment Old Charlie announced the choice, he felt his entire world turn gray in an instant, and his expression turned uglier than if he had swallowed shit. On what grounds? He was the one who had risked his life to deliver the letter to the Bloodhand Clan! He was the one who had kept his mouth shut and guarded the secret for Old Charlie that the Bloodhand Clan had already been wiped out! And the one appointed Captain of the Guard was someone from the Yu family? After hearing this decision, even the few chips in his pocket felt entirely tasteless...