Classmate, You're Really Chewing!

This was purely physical strength. If he added the Blood Qi True Flame inside his body, Lin Chen was sure the enemy wouldn't even leave ashes behind—that was how domineering the Blood Qi True Flame was!

The surge of blood qi energy was equivalent to Marrow Cleansing. The process expelled impurities, but these impurities were directly incinerated by the Blood Qi True Flame, leaving no residue on Lin Chen's body at all.

The improvement in physical fitness didn't just strengthen his power—it also included defense, eyesight, and even hearing. This enhancement was all-around.

"Origin: 100"

"Upgradable Martial Art: Phoenix Undying Body, First Layer (0/9)"

Looking at the crude system panel, Lin Chen's heart was exceptionally stirred. This was his foundation for surviving in this world!

"Nine more upgrades to condense a second Blood Qi True Flame?"

Lin Chen tried, but was prompted that Origin was insufficient and he couldn't upgrade. Clearly, one hundred points of Origin weren't enough to continue strengthening the Phoenix Undying Body.

"I have to get Origin as fast as possible!"

Lin Chen's expression hardened. If the system was his foundation, then Origin was the basis of his strength—and the only resource he needed!

"Mutated Creatures!"

Lin Chen recalled the Mutated Rat he had killed last night. That was the best way for him to obtain Origin so far. Perhaps near where the Mutated Rat had appeared, there were other Mutated Creatures.

Hm?

Just as Lin Chen was about to leave and search for Mutated Creatures, a heavy panting sound, accompanied by faint moans, came from the bushes in the forest not far away.

"Damn, this early in the morning? How desperate do you have to be to get all hot and heavy here?"

He hadn't eaten pork, but he'd seen pigs run. Looking at the shaking bushes, Lin Chen felt a chill run down his spine. Heightened senses weren't always a good thing—at least now, he was too embarrassed to stay a moment longer.

Just as Lin Chen turned and hurried away, a strong smell of blood wafted from those bushes. If his senses hadn't been enhanced, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

"Something's wrong!"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. No matter how passionate a couple got, there was no way the smell of blood would be this thick. He immediately walked toward the bushes.

Pushing past the shrubs, two figures tightly embracing on the ground came into Lin Chen's view. A slender figure in light clothing was lying on top of another person, holding the other's head and chomping away with a crunching sound.

"Really eating him? How much love does it take to actually bite down like that?"

Looking at the figure below, whose half-eaten head was leaking red and white fluids all over the ground, Lin Chen felt a wave of nausea. This was literally eating—the head was almost gone!

Just then, the woman on top turned her head to look at Lin Chen. Her mouth was split into four sections, lined with sharp spikes, and covered in blood. The spiked tongue inside was flicking slightly.

"Demon! I knew you weren't human!"

Lin Chen shouted coldly, but then he suddenly froze. Staring at the woman's vaguely familiar face, he exclaimed, "Damn, you're Hu Xiaoling!"

Hu Xiaoling—Fatty's love interest!

Earlier, Lin Chen had wondered why Hu Xiaoling would fall for that guy before graduation. He'd said Fatty had nothing worth coveting except his fat. Now it seemed Hu Xiaoling really did covet Fatty's flesh!

"Well, at least Fatty had the sense to shower before a date and look presentable. Otherwise, the one on the ground might have been him!"

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Lin Chen wasn't sure if he should be glad for Fatty. That guy had chased Hu Xiaoling for years, and clearly didn't want to meet her looking sloppy. Otherwise...

Just as Lin Chen was lost in thought, Hu Xiaoling on the ground moved. She dropped to all fours like a leopard and charged at Lin Chen.

"Demon, watch my Great Might... pfft... watch my Blood Qi True Flame!"

Facing the charging Hu Xiaoling, Lin Chen directly activated the Blood Qi True Flame in his dantian. In an instant, a clump of golden-red flame wrapped around his fist as he punched toward Hu Xiaoling.

Boom~

The fist landed. With a dull thud, Hu Xiaoling's figure was swallowed by the Blood Qi True Flame, then exploded on the spot, vanishing directly before Lin Chen's eyes.

"That weak?"

Staring at the spot where Hu Xiaoling had disappeared without even a hair left behind, Lin Chen was visibly stunned. He'd thought she'd at least be stronger than last night's Mutated Rat, but that was it?

He struck once, and she turned to ash?

"Killed Mutated Creature Hu Xiaoling. Origin +100"

"Killed First-Order Mutated Creature Blood-Devouring Worm. Origin +500"

"Origin: 700"

"Upgradable Martial Art: Phoenix Undying Body, First Layer (0/9)"

"Oh?"

Lin Chen was slightly startled. He had only killed Hu Xiaoling, but there were two kill prompts—one for Hu Xiaoling and one for the Blood-Devouring Worm.

"Parasitic mutation?"

Lin Chen recalled how Hu Xiaoling had looked earlier and had a vague guess. She had probably been parasitized and mutated by the Blood-Devouring Worm. Otherwise, how could an ordinary person end up looking like that?

"Lonely as snow!"

Lin Chen sighed with emotion. The Blood Qi True Flame was really damn useful. The enemy didn't even leave ashes behind, so he didn't have to worry about blood and flesh flying everywhere and making him uncomfortable.

After all, in both of his lives, Lin Chen had never actually witnessed a scene of blood and guts splattering. The half-headed corpse on the ground had almost made him throw up just now.

"The Blood Qi True Flame is truly a must-have martial art for killing people... I mean, slaying demons!"

Lin Chen took a deep breath and headed toward where the Mutated Rat had been. He hadn't forgotten that he needed to obtain Origin to continue strengthening and improving his strength.

Just as he arrived at the spot where the Mutated Rat had been last night, a thorough search turned up nothing. After all, Lin Chen's five senses were now far sharper than they had been the night before.

"The authorities have probably already cleaned up this area. There might still be stragglers like Hu Xiaoling, but finding them won't be easy."

Lin Chen sighed inwardly. Aimless searching would yield little. With no other choice, he could only head back to the dorm.

As soon as he entered the dorm, a thick wave of cologne hit him. Fatty, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, was spraying perfume.

"Fatty, is that really necessary?"

Seeing this, Lin Chen was speechless. The perfume, sealed away for over three years, was being wasted today.

"You wouldn't get it!"

Fatty shot Lin Chen a look, then popped two pieces of gum into his mouth and chewed. "I'm not coming back tonight."

"Fatty, actually..."

"Hm?"

Meeting Fatty's gaze, Lin Chen hesitated. "Have a great date. May your night be filled with thunder and gunfire!"

"You bet!"

Fatty laughed heartily and strode out of the dorm with big steps.

Lin Chen had originally planned to warn Fatty that the date was off—after all, Hu Xiaoling was dead, so what was there to date about? But seeing Fatty's eager, carefully prepared look for the date, Lin Chen couldn't bear to crush his spirits. Besides, Hu Xiaoling was already dead; at worst, Fatty would just get stood up. There shouldn't be any real danger.

Lin Chen took a sip of water and was about to search online for information on Mutated Creatures when a knock came at the door.

"Shen Fatty, did you forget..."

Lin Chen assumed Fatty had come back, but when he opened the door, he saw a square-faced man and a young man standing at the dorm entrance, exuding an aura of killing intent.

They were clearly no ordinary people.