Collecting Rewards

A light punch struck the wall, leaving a clear fist mark before Xiao Hen's eyes. Yet his fist felt no discomfort at all. He could tell that if he struck with all his strength, he might even be able to shatter this wall.

"Being strong really does feel great."

Xiao Hen muttered to himself. After taking several deep breaths, he suppressed the excitement in his heart, casually tore off the soaking-wet bedsheet, and tossed it into the washing machine.

Looking around, Xiao Hen frowned inwardly. It seemed he needed to find time to move. This kind of densely populated residential area was no longer suitable for him to live in.

He had bought the apartment in New City Residential Area for the convenience of work. But now, he was going to venture into other worlds and risk his life. Once he returned to this world, he would have no interest in going back to work.

I'll resign tomorrow. Xiao Hen pursed his lips and walked toward the bathroom. There was already a considerable divide between him and the ordinary life of regular people. He had made up his mind: after resigning, once he returned from the next world, he would sell this house and buy a large home in the suburbs. It was more remote there, so the chances of someone discovering something like what had happened today would be much lower.

"Host, a friendly reminder: it is best to claim your rewards before entering the next world. It will benefit you," the Machine Intelligence Program said in the same calm voice.

"Oh, right. I still haven't claimed my rewards." Xiao Hen quickly finished showering, then came out and began claiming the rewards the Shuttle had promised.

"Claim rewards." Xiao Hen spoke with some anticipation.

"Host has confirmed the reward claim. Rewards are being issued!"

Reward One: Main Quest completed. Storage Space expanded to ten cubic meters.

Reward Two: Side Quest completed. Kroatia Combat Power Rating System unlocked.

The Host has received the Shuttle's recognition and is now a beginner machine owner. Please continue your efforts.

Xiao Hen froze for a moment, then asked, "That's it?"

"Yes, that's all the rewards!" the Shuttle replied.

"That's... all?"

Xiao Hen touched his chin speechlessly. He had thought the rewards would be something amazing, but it was only an expansion of the Storage Space and the unlocking of some kind of Combat Power Rating System?

Xiao Hen could understand the Storage Space expansion, but what exactly was this combat power rating system?

If he did not understand something, he asked. Xiao Hen honestly consulted the Shuttle's Intelligent Program. "What exactly is this so-called combat power rating system?"

"This is a combat capability assessment system from the Kroatia civilization. It evaluates how strong an entity's combat ability is based on its various attributes."

"Oh? Then can I see my current Combat Power?" Xiao Hen asked with interest.

"Of course. The Host's Combat Power has already been digitized. Would you like to view it?"

"Of course!" Xiao Hen nodded, and a translucent panel appeared before him. Inside it was a silhouette of his body, with the test results for his various attributes beneath it. The final Combat Power result was twenty.

Xiao Hen fell into thought as he looked at his physical attributes. His constitution, agility, strength, stamina, and so on all surpassed those of ordinary people. Combined, they gave him a Combat Power of twenty.

"I'd like to ask, what is the Combat Power of an ordinary person on Earth?"

The Shuttle immediately answered, "An ordinary adult human on Earth has a Combat Power of one. A trained soldier has roughly two to three points. Elite special forces soldiers, martial artists, fighters, boxers, and the like have around four to five points. Because the Host possesses G-Virus Enhancement and powerful combat instincts, the Host has a Combat Power of twenty."

"Only twenty?" Xiao Hen frowned slightly. He had thought that after gaining G-Virus Enhancement, he had surpassed ordinary people countless times over. Yet he was only four times stronger than those special forces soldiers. Didn't that mean that a few special forces soldiers could defeat him?

But after thinking it over, he realized that was not right. No matter how weak he was, he was still enhanced by the G-Virus. He could not possibly be this weak.

"The Host's strength is already extremely formidable on Earth. Every additional point of Combat Power is stronger than the point before it. It does not mean that four people with five points of Combat Power can defeat a Host with twenty points. Those special forces soldiers would need several hundred men, or even more, along with countless high-level weapons, to defeat the Host! If the Host possessed even more powerful weapons, the gap would widen further!" The Shuttle's voice remained cold and detached.

"That's true. If I add all kinds of weapons into the equation, my Combat Power can definitely rise again. Come to think of it, an ordinary person with a nuclear bomb should have immense Combat Power too, since the terrifying destruction they can cause is beyond doubt!" Xiao Hen understood. This Combat Power system merely gave him a more intuitive understanding of his own strength.

"By the way, can I see other people's Combat Power?" This question made him think of the Combat Power Scouters from the anime Dragon Pearl. If he could see an enemy's Combat Power, he would be better able to guard against enemies and defeat them in the future.

"Not for the time being!" The Shuttle's words delighted Xiao Hen. Not for the time being meant it would be possible later, right?

"Do I need to repair the Shuttle first?" Xiao Hen asked.

"As long as the Shuttle's integrity exceeds fifty percent, it can detect an enemy's Combat Power."

"Great! Its current damage level is seventy-three percent, so once I complete another twenty-three percent of repairs, this function can be unlocked?" Xiao Hen asked excitedly.

"Yes!" The Shuttle did not disappoint him. Its affirmative answer filled him with delight.

After checking the time, Xiao Hen saw that it was already quite late. Most of the time had been spent absorbing the G-Virus. He spread a fresh bedsheet, lay comfortably on the bed, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

The next day, Xiao Hen opened his eyes. After getting up, he was full of energy, no longer as tired as he used to be. His strong body gave him boundless vitality.

The sun had already risen outside the window. The vendors outside the residential area had gotten up even earlier, setting up their stalls at daybreak and beginning another day of work.

After washing up and getting dressed, Xiao Hen checked the time and left the house. He took out his somewhat battered electric scooter from the garage, mounted it, and headed toward the company.

Today, I'll resign. He wondered whether the company had been discussing his three days of absence without leave.

He sped along familiar roads until he arrived before an office building in the city center. After parking his scooter in the parking lot, Xiao Hen made his way toward the company at an unhurried pace.

"Huh? Xiao Hen, where have you been these past few days?" A young woman's surprised voice came from behind him.

"I had some things to take care of these past two days." Xiao Hen turned around and saw a stylish young woman with dark red shoulder-length hair, light makeup, and a smile on her face. She was Li Wenjuan, a colleague from the same department, and they had always gotten along fairly well.

"Then... you'd better be careful. The boss is furious that you haven't shown up these past few days. Old Zhang couldn't get through to you on the phone, and he's really worked up about it!" Li Wenjuan said softly.

"Thanks. I understand."

Xiao Hen sneered inwardly. Old Zhang was the department manager in charge of Xiao Hen's department and one of the boss's trusted men. Normally, he was always barking orders at Xiao Hen and clearly disliked him. Now that Xiao Hen had skipped work for three days in a row, wouldn't Old Zhang devour him the moment he saw him?

Xiao Hen and Li Wenjuan entered the office together. Instantly, the atmosphere turned cold. As if sensing Xiao Hen's arrival, Zhang Quande, seated at the desk inside, immediately darkened his expression. He slowly rose to his feet and walked toward Xiao Hen.

This chapter was a little late today. I'm too embarrassed to ask for votes...