Harvester

Chapter 16 Harvester

The alien world is filled with Spirit Energy and various radiation sources. The metabolism of living organisms is faster, cells are more active, and genes are more unstable, making it easy to mutate entirely new organ forms and extraordinary abilities.

After death, it is also easier to decay and deteriorate. Various ancient and mysterious germs will rapidly multiply in the corpse, controlling the still-unrotted nerve cords and muscle bundles, turning the corpse into undead creatures like zombies, or even extremely dangerous biochemical bombs.

Monster corpses are a valuable resource for the development of Dragon City, even the only strategic resource under the shroud of mist, and must be harvested against the clock.

Once the organs mutate, and the materials decay, the resources harvested cannot offset the resources consumed to eliminate the monsters.

Even if all the monsters are killed, it is still a loss.

Many times, the strong fight selflessly. By the time the fierce battle ends, the monster corpses either turn into undead creatures and have to be killed again, or they are so rotten that all resources are written off.

In worse cases, the corpse swells up dozens of times and explodes with a "bang," blasting all kinds of mucus carrying deadly germs thousands of meters, polluting the air and water, and even causing plagues.

Over time, the auxiliary profession of "Harvester" was born.

They specialize in following behind the strong, racing against time to clean up the battlefield, not letting go of even a drop of monster blood or a piece of monster dung.

"For me, Harvester is the best auxiliary profession at this stage—it can collect rare materials, expand my network, get to know all kinds of strong people, and, being close to the water, I can get cultivation resources more easily.

"Since I did it for ten years in my previous life, and awakening and upgrading won't be too expensive, why not do what I'm good at?"

Thinking of this, Meng Chao unhesitatingly invested Contribution Points and awakened the Elementary Harvesting Technique.

As a burst of pain shot through his temples, all the muscles in his face twitched, and a large amount of detail surfaced in the depths of his brain.

Harvesting methods for crustacean monsters...

Harvesting methods for mammalian monsters...

Harvesting methods for reptile monsters...

Harvesting methods for flying monsters...

There were also a large number of intricate monster structure diagrams, methods for extracting the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, identification and collection methods for hundreds of kinds of mucus, acid, and venom, various signs of monster zombification, and signs that a monster corpse was about to turn into a biochemical bomb...

There were also a large number of memory fragments, all scenes of him and his father harvesting together.

Countless images overlapped, imprinting the rich experience of a veteran Harvester on his cerebral cortex.

Pain and pleasure went hand in hand, and he couldn't help but stretch out his hands, holding non-existent butcher knives and scalpels, his ten fingers dancing lightly, indulging in the reaping and harvesting.

Meng Chao realized he had made the right choice.

Awakening the Elementary Harvesting Technique cost 998 Contribution Points, and then, it only cost 1355 Contribution Points to break through the Ordinary Level and reach the Expert Level.

Next, the Expert Level Elementary Harvesting Technique and the Perfect Level Basic Gunmanship also produced some kind of... "synergistic" effect, and a large number of bizarre monster weaknesses and structures exploded in his mind.

All of them were brand new monsters unheard of in this era.

"That's right, for a Harvester, the most important thing is to understand the organs and structures of monsters, and for an excellent gunman, the most important thing is to understand the structure and weaknesses of monsters. These two skills are highly related.

"In my previous life, it was precisely because I worked as a Harvester with my dad for ten years, dissecting tens of thousands of monsters, that I was later able to master the perfect level of Basic Gunmanship and barely become a third-rate expert.

"Haha, most of the monsters in my previous life's memories haven't even evolved yet. Doesn't that mean that when they appear, I will be the person in the entire Dragon City who understands them the most?"

Meng Chao grinned.

The nosebleed spurted out again, gushing.

Meng Yishan returned home and hurriedly packed his things, about to leave again: "Suxin, work is over down there. Remember to go to the neighborhood committee to collect our family's share later. They insist that I heavily injured the super beast, so they're giving our family extra Black Beetle meat. This stuff doesn't keep, so make some for the kids in the morning, and let them take some to school. Meng Chao, Xiao Cao, you guys go to bed early. I'm going to the North City Battlefield; it's waiting to be harvested there."

Meng Chao, holding his nose, stood up: "Dad, I'll go with you."

"Hmm?" Meng Yishan was taken aback.

"Looking like this, I might not do well in the college entrance exam. Instead of just finding any job, I might as well become a Harvester and take a gamble," Meng Chao shrugged.

Meng Yishan looked at his son's "weak" appearance, thinking that the kid probably wouldn't get into college.

If he didn't go to college, being a Harvester was indeed the best job an ordinary person could find.

The risk factor was, of course, very high.

The battlefield was ever-changing, and no one could guarantee that a new monster wouldn't attack while they were collecting spoils.

Some monsters had strong vitality and could launch a fatal blow even after appearing to be dead for a long time.

Monster corpses could mutate, and poisonous blood, acid, and deadly spores could all kill a Harvester.

But the other side of high risk was high reward.

Not to mention, just the long-term exposure to monster corpses, nourished by beast blood and crystal radiation, made the probability of awakening Superhuman powers higher than ordinary professions.

Ever since his son was injured last year, although he had been forcing a smile, how could Meng Yishan not see the loneliness in his heart?

As a father, he had been racking his brains for his son's future and had already spoken to the company leaders.

"Okay, I'll take you to see it!" Today's battle made the old father see his son's growth, and Meng Yishan made up his mind.

"Brother, are you really going to be a Harvester?" At the door, Bai Jiacao grabbed her brother's hand, refusing to let go.

Looking at the little girl's concerned face, a warm feeling surged in Meng Chao's heart.

After all, the bond between siblings was deep. Hearing that her brother was going to do such a dangerous job, even the Black Night Witch was a little worried, right?

"Then if you encounter delicious monsters like the Black Beetle again, remember to bring some home!" The little girl earnestly instructed.

"..."

Meng Chao took a deep breath, thinking, It's all my fault. I really shouldn't have had such high expectations for the Black Night Witch.

The mist gradually dissipated, and the communication channel became clear.

The overall situation on the North City Battlefield was settled. Monster corpses piled up like mountains, just waiting for the Harvesters to show their skills.

Military trucks were already parked at the entrances of various residential areas, with the "Resource Recycling" logo sprayed on both sides of the truck beds.

The father and son fastened their seat belts in the truck bed, and accompanied by the truck's bumpy ride over the monster corpses, they sped towards the north of the city.

The further north they went, the thicker the fog became, and the more severe the mutual erosion between Dragon City and the alien space.

Everywhere they looked, they could see the hideous corpses of monsters, like strangely shaped statues, emitting a pungent odor.

There were also wildly mutated trees and vines, all clinging to human buildings, and in just a few hours of growth, they had almost devoured the buildings, turning the city of reinforced concrete into a lush, primeval forest.

Meng Chao also saw a Tyrannosaurus Rex-like behemoth with a hole blasted through its chest by an anti-tank gun, spilling a pool of eerie blue blood all over the ground.

Yet, it wasn't quite dead, its maw filled with fangs still opening and closing.

"Ah-Chao," Meng Yishan suddenly said, "The more I think about it, the more I feel something's off. That super beast from earlier, it doesn't seem like I hit it."

"Dad, you have sharp eyes. It wasn't you, indeed. I got it with a headshot," Meng Chao said honestly.

"You—" Meng Yishan chuckled speechlessly.

"Don't believe me?" Meng Chao said, "Haven't you heard that people can unleash infinite potential in times of crisis? Like a mother with no strength to truss a chicken, who can move hundreds of pounds of rocks with her bare hands to save her child from the ruins. What's so strange about me awakening superhuman powers to protect my family?"

He began to lay the groundwork for his power.

"That makes sense," Meng Yishan slapped his thigh, suddenly enlightened, "You reminded me, could it be that I inadvertently awakened superhuman abilities to protect you, and suddenly became stronger?"

"...Dad, I didn't expect you to have a superhuman heart even at your age!" Meng Chao clicked his tongue in wonder.

"What kind of talk is that? In Dragon City, who doesn't have a superhuman heart? And is your dad very old?" Meng Yishan protested, "You young people are allowed to daydream, why can't middle-aged people become superhuman!"

"Don't be angry, Dad, that's not what I meant."

Meng Chao chuckled, "If you really want to become superhuman, I'll arrange it. I'll take some time another day and bring our whole family to become superhuman. Oh, never mind my sister, it's too much trouble if she becomes superhuman. Just you and Mom. After you become superhuman, you can take good care of her."

"You kid, you're getting more and more unreliable." Meng Yishan couldn't help but reach out and tap his son's forehead. After a pause, he added, "Seriously, being a Harvester isn't easy. You need to be bold, meticulous, and ruthless. Don't be nervous later, learn from me."

"Dad, I'm not nervous."

"How is it possible not to be nervous? The real battlefield is not the same concept as our neighborhood. Thousands upon thousands of monsters, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, how can you not be nervous?"

"Dad, I'm really not nervous."

"It's okay to be nervous, what are two fathers and sons afraid of? Back then, when your old man was a Harvester for the first time, I saw so many monster corpses and smelled the pungent stench, I was so nervous that I peed my pants. Did you pee?"

"I really don't... Forget it, I'm nervous, I peed."

"That's right. I'll pass on a secret to you. The first time you're a Harvester, put a diaper in your crotch. Really, the smell of many high-level monsters will stimulate the human central nervous system, and the bladder can't be controlled. So, all the newbies wear diapers. Some people have been wearing them for years."

"Dad, where am I going to get diapers in the middle of the night!"

"Good son, look, what's this? When we get there later, find a corner and change first. I'll watch for you, it's not embarrassing."

"...Dad, I suddenly have full confidence in the college entrance examination. I'm not going to be a Harvester, let me go home."

As the two were talking, the bumps became more violent.

The explosion-proof tires crushed the monster corpses, making "crunching" sounds.

The stench, like tentacles, seeped into the carriage. Holding your breath couldn't stop it, it was very pungent.

Arrived at North City.

The wheels ran over a huge crater, and half the people in the car jumped up.

The smell of gunpowder and blood, wave after wave, impacted people's hearts.

In the distance, there were several screaming buildings, half collapsed and half burning.

With the help of the raging fire, Meng Chao saw several paralyzed six-legged crawling crystal chariots.

The heavy armor was easily torn apart by the monster's bladed limbs, and many soldiers were scattered in the carriage, torn to pieces.

Many other soldiers were missing arms and legs, their faces pale, silently receiving treatment.

The monsters, however, suffered ten times more tragically than the humans.

Whether snakes, insects, rats, ants, jackals, wolves, or leopards, they were all burned into charred black corpses, then torn to pieces.

These monsters, crushed by the steel torrent, basically had no value for harvesting.

"The soldiers' work is too rough."

The Harvesters shook their heads dismissively.

No wonder these days, the army is only an auxiliary force in the fight against monsters; the key still lies with the Superhumans.

If they all followed the army's method of indiscriminate bombing, crushing all the monsters into slag, it would be satisfying, but it would waste a lot of guns, ammunition, and the soldiers' precious lives, without reaping any benefits.

In less than three to five years, Dragon City would face resource depletion, starving to death and being trapped.

"Today, our company is responsible for the Resource Recycling operation in the area east of the steel mill, around Wufu Road," Meng Yishan introduced to Meng Chao. "The Superhumans used cold weapons to kill several thousand monsters, and the corpses are well-preserved. How many resources we can recover depends on us."

The truck stopped in front of the Dragon City Steel Group.

Many Superhumans flew across the night sky, like colorful shooting stars, continuing further north to hunt down the routed monsters.

All around were Harvesters, flying different flags, allocating work areas, racing against time.

"Brother Meng."

A dozen middle-aged men with dark skin, simple temperament, and strong muscles came up to greet them.