Stat Points, Minor Perfection!

On July 24th, in the early morning, at a base outside Fang City, in the reception room.

Li Wei and Jiang Han sat side-by-side, looking like two refugees from a Middle Eastern war.

Their hair was messy, their eyes were bruised, their lips were dry and cracked, and their skin had an unhealthy grayish-white pallor.

Across from them sat a stern-looking middle-aged man in a dark gray Investigation Bureau uniform. He was in his thirties, broad-shouldered, and had a scar above his brow.

"What happened to you two? Did you go fleeing from famine?" Tang Ao stared at the two children of his cousin's family, unsure of what to say.

Jiang Han snorted and glanced at Li Wei beside him. "Uncle Four, you should ask her. This is all her doing!"

Li Wei gave a dry, forced smile and didn't say anything.

What was she supposed to say? That she could level up by watching Abyssal Monsters fight? Did that sound reasonable?

"Alright," Tang Ao stood up and motioned for them to follow. "I won't ask anymore. You two hurry home after watching the show. Your Jiang family's close relatives are all here today, saying they're here to congratulate the prospective bride. Don't keep them waiting too long."

The two quickly got up and followed behind him, responding listlessly.

As they passed through an alloy gate, four people in gray uniforms swarmed around them. They were carrying two sets of protective suits that looked incredibly heavy and, without a word, began to put them on the two.

Tang Ao explained from the side, "The aura of a Sixth-Tier Abyssal Monster is too strong. Your small frames can't handle it. If you don't want to be carried to the hospital, just wear them obediently and don't complain about the trouble."

Soon, two clumsy, large gray penguins appeared in the corridor. They made squishing sounds as they walked and occasionally bumped into each other, causing the passing people in gray uniforms to burst into laughter.

After taking an elevator and making several turns, they finally passed through an airtight door marked with a conspicuous red warning. The scene before them opened up.

A pit, as large as a standard swimming pool, appeared before them.

The pit was surrounded by thick alloy walls, with massive floor-to-ceiling observation windows spaced at intervals. The situation inside could be clearly seen.

Li Wei, wearing the cumbersome protective suit, quickened her pace and leaned close to an observation window to peek inside.

She saw a pitch-black "caterpillar," whose size was absolutely no smaller than a long-distance bus, coiled up in the center of the pit.

The thickest part of its cigar-shaped body was estimated to be over five meters in diameter.

Even though the pit floor was three to four meters below ground level, its back was still higher than Li Wei's head.

Damn, it's huge!

Li Wei marveled inwardly, a chill running down her spine for no reason.

At this moment, Tang Ao came up beside her, arms crossed, and smiling, he introduced, "Codename 'Death Worm.' A new species that appeared on the Western Frontier front. Its mouth and saliva can penetrate fortress foundations. The first time it appeared, it took out hundreds of our people."

"Later, we captured a few and sent them to research institutions across the country. This is one of them."

Holy crap, even fortresses aren't safe anymore? Does that mean my AFK leveling plan is going to be ruined? I was too hasty... Thinking about it, squatting in the coliseum to level up doesn't sound bad either?

But what about Aunt Liang... Sigh, I promised her something, I can't go back on my word, can I? I'm not that kind of person.

I'll risk it! Besides, since they could capture it, they must have figured out a way to deal with it, right?

Thinking this, Li Wei quickly asked, "Uncle Four, have they figured out how to deal with it?"

Tang Ao chuckled, "If they hadn't figured it out, would they bring it here just to kill it for fun?"

Hearing him say that, Li Wei felt a bit more at ease.

Immediately after, Tang Ao took out a walkie-talkie, his expression turning serious. "Let's begin!"

As soon as he spoke, several openings in the ceiling panel above "clacked" open, and various high-tech-looking weapons extended out.

Electromagnetic cannons, ultra-high-voltage electric arcs, high-energy plasma beams... a dazzling array of weaponry unleashed a barrage of fire and destruction upon the "caterpillar"!

If Tang Ao hadn't adjusted the transparency of the observation window in time, Li Wei felt that the flashing lights inside would have blinded her precious eyes.

Tang Ao looked at the two stunned faces under the protective suit's face masks. He put an arm around each of the large penguins' shoulders and smiled somewhat roguishly, "How is it, spectacular isn't it? Aren't you amazed by the greatness of human technology?"

"Why didn't you let the Martial Artists handle it?" Jiang Han asked curiously.

Tang Ao patted his cousin's son's shoulder. "It's a good opportunity to test the damage effects of these weapons on it. Making use of what we have."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wei felt her vision blur. A black "torrent," dozens of times thicker than any black light she had ever seen in the coliseum, violently pierced the observation window and slammed into her forehead!

Her body instinctively leaned back, but fortunately, Tang Ao caught her, preventing her from falling.

Abyss Essence: 2933→5762

Fang City, Four Seasons Green Hotel.

After leaving the Investigation Bureau base, the two didn't go straight home. Instead, they found a high-class hotel and booked two rooms, planning to tidy up their appearances.

After all, their Fourth Uncle had said that the Jiang family relatives were all waiting. They couldn't go back home looking like this and embarrass themselves.

Li Wei handed the light blue dress she had been wearing for several days, along with her undergarments, to the hotel maid to be expedited for cleaning and ironing. She then wrapped herself in a bathrobe and entered the washroom.

Closing the door, she took off the bathrobe and sat in the bathtub.

NND, I can finally add stats! I'm dying here!

Hiding my strength? Being low-key?

Not happening! She was an underground worker now. Without some strength to back her up, she felt extremely uneasy!

"Deep Blue, add stats!"

Crackling—!

The familiar sound of popping beans erupted from within her body once more, and pain like scraping bone and excising marrow instantly swept through her entire being!

Especially the moment her Vitality Value surged from 78 to 79, Li Wei's vision went black from the pain, and she almost fainted.

"Urgh—Haa…"

She gasped sharply, wanting to scream but afraid of attracting attention, so she could only grit her teeth tightly, squeezing out faint gasping sounds from between them.

"Sss… sss…"

She convulsed uncontrollably in the bathtub for several minutes, sweat laced with blood trickling down her skin, leaving red streaks on the white bathtub wall, making it look like a crime scene.

Finally, the pain subsided slightly, and Li Wei took deep breaths, gasping for air as she clutched the edge of the bathtub to recover.

She looked at the panel again.

[Vitality: 79 (+)]

[Abyss Essence: 5642]

With 120 Essence consumed, the Muscles and Bones Ringing in Harmony realm was finally reached. The next step was Minor Perfection!

Seeing the plus sign still lit next to her Vitality Value, Li Wei felt a bit nervous.

Previously, going from 70 to 75, while painful, was still bearable.

Who knew that the last four points… that Su Shuang, it felt like Lingchi…

[No! I can't back down! Strike while the iron is hot, push through!]

She gritted her teeth, her eyes red, as if competing with someone, and once again used her mind to click the plus sign.

[Vitality: 79 → 80 (+)]

[Abyss Essence: 5642 → 5542]

The moment her Vitality Value crossed the 80 mark, the expected intense pain didn't come. Instead, her joints felt a bit sore and swollen, and then began to itch.

Although uncomfortable, compared to the torture she just endured, it was like heaven and earth.

"Huh?" Li Wei was stunned. "Minor Perfection… doesn't seem that uncomfortable?"

So, she got carried away.

"Charge!!!"

[Vitality: 80 → 89 (+)]

[Abyss Essence: 5542 → 4642]

The result…

"Holy… crap…"

Li Wei's expression froze.

If the itching sensation earlier was a gentle stream, then this was now a surging river.

Li Wei felt as if countless needle-thin needles were poking out from her bone marrow, one by one.

She wanted to scratch, but couldn't reach it!

She wanted to escape, but the itch was like a persistent gangrene!

Within a few breaths, it had driven her mad with annoyance, her forehead covered in sweat.

Initially, this itch was confined to the joints.

It then rapidly spread to every bone, every muscle…

Her vision went black intermittently, and she almost lost consciousness.

And from her skin, through her pores, a black, muddy, foul-smelling substance was constantly being squeezed out.

Stream after stream, it stuck to her delicate jade-like body, smeared onto the bathtub wall, mixed with the bloody water, and was incredibly creepy.

After nearly half an hour more, Li Wei finally stopped struggling, lying in a thin layer of bloody mud, like a corpse.

[This… is killing me… But, the pain from staying up for four days seems to have disappeared. Why do I feel a little more energetic now?]