Kill Monsters to Level Up?!

Chu Sheng had no idea what the three of them said after he left, but even if he had known, he would not have cared.

He had little interest in helping others. If not for the radio and tapes, he would not even have bothered making up a story about awakening.

Sitting on his sidecar motorcycle, Chu Sheng toyed with the Butcher Knife.

Perhaps because it had become a sacrificial item, he found that its edge could no longer cut him.

The little thing seemed to have a mind of its own.

Of course, pressing its tip against himself could still hurt him.

After all, although the edge could not cut him, the hardness of the Butcher Knife itself had not changed.

As he played with the Butcher Knife, Zhu Qing's voice came from beside him.

"Chu Sheng, could you take a look at these pants and see if you can upgrade them?"

Chu Sheng turned at his words and saw Zhu Qing approaching, holding a pair of pants in one hand and carrying a can in the other.

"Here, these are the pants. See if you can upgrade them. This is your payment."

As he spoke, he set the fuel can on the ground and handed the pants to Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng took the pants and got off his motorcycle. With his other hand, he lifted the fuel can and shook it. There were about five liters of gasoline inside.

"Sure, let me take a look."

He happened to be short on fuel, so he did not refuse.

Although the captain had given him some gasoline earlier, no one would complain about having more of the stuff.

Hearing Chu Sheng agree, Zhu Qing smiled and swept the red hair falling across his forehead back with his hand.

"You know my Sequence is Giant. I have to grow bigger when I fight, and every time I transform, I have to put on an extra layer of clothes big enough for my Giant form. I'm sick of it. See if you can upgrade these stretch pants."

Chu Sheng nodded without speaking.

[Upgrading the stretch pants requires 100 Survival Points. Proceed with upgrade?]

100 Survival Points?

Absolutely not!

He only had 100 Survival Points in total.

Chu Sheng made alterations to the phantom image.

[Upgrading the stretch pants requires 60 Survival Points. Proceed with upgrade?]

"Upgrade!"

A flash of white light appeared, instantly enveloping the stretch pants.

[Upgrade complete. Stretch pants upgraded to stretch shorts.]

[Remaining Survival Points: 40]

As the white light faded, the stretch pants appeared again.

They looked no different on the outside. Zhu Qing looked at Chu Sheng expectantly.

Chu Sheng looked back, and the two stared at each other.

After a long while, Chu Sheng cleared his throat. "It worked, but it also failed."

"Huh?"

"The pants were successfully upgraded, but only a small section of them."

As he spoke, he marked out a section of the pants with his hand.

Zhu Qing fell silent for a moment as he looked at the section Chu Sheng indicated.

"So... these pants turned into shorts?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Better than nothing."

Neither of them mentioned that the pants would become underwear once he turned into a Giant.

Worn normally, they would be like an ordinary pair of summer shorts, but once he became a Giant and his body expanded, the shorts would become underwear.

"One day, I'll put together a full Giant outfit!"

Zhu Qing left with the stretch pants.

Before leaving, though, he reminded Chu Sheng to return the fuel can after filling his tank.

Chu Sheng paid that no mind. You already gave it to me, and now you want me to return it?

Not happening!

The convoy did not stay there long. After a brief rest, they set off again.

This time, Chu Sheng did not stay beside Captain Brother Hui's vehicle. Instead, he nestled between An Xi's and Zhu Qing's vehicles.

Both had combat Sequences, so the safest place was between them.

Old Man Li had the same idea.

Old Man Li rode in a pickup truck with its bed already piled full. Chu Sheng could even see a few foam boxes of plants growing in one spot.

The pickup and sidecar motorcycle drove side by side. Spotting Chu Sheng, Old Man Li leaned out from the passenger seat and grinned at him.

"Chu Sheng, see anything you want on my truck?"

"I'll trade you for something."

Chu Sheng glanced at him, then turned his eyes back to the road ahead. "There's nothing I want."

"Let's wait until the next supply stop."

"Come on. You don't drink anyway. Trade me those bottles of liquor you have."

Chu Sheng said nothing and simply kept driving.

Trade away his liquor?

What a joke!

In the apocalypse, cigarettes and alcohol were hard currency.

He could trade them for good stuff when they encountered other convoys.

Although some of the things on Old Man Li's truck tempted him, there was no rush. Even if he traded for them, he would not have enough Survival Points to upgrade them.

He could let them hold on to those things for him for a few days first.

He had only realized this yesterday, while taking stock of the supplies he had received from An Xi inside his tent.

What good would getting those supplies now do?

Better to get them in a few days.

When Chu Sheng did not respond, Old Man Li sighed and took out his treasured bottle of Jing liquor, with a little less than half left.

"Wu, keep your eyes on the road. I'm going to have a drink."

"Mr. Li, take it easy. Don't get too drunk." Wu, who was driving, sounded helpless, but he could not talk him out of it.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Hiss... there's barely any left anyway. Hah... I wouldn't get drunk even if I finished it all."

Old Man Li had only drunk a capful, hissing and sighing, before he was already talking nonsense.

The convoy traveled for four days straight, but they did not get very far.

With Captain Hui leading them, the convoy would occasionally stop to let the survivors following behind rest before continuing. Sometimes they would make sudden turns or even head back the way they had come.

Over those four days, they drove more than two hundred kilometers, yet advanced only a little over thirty.

Not a single Anomalies appeared in those four days, either, leaving Chu Sheng itching for a fight.

Survival Points required Anomalies. Without Anomalies, there were no Survival Points. Without Survival Points, he could not upgrade anything. Without upgrades, he could not grow stronger, and the Heavenly Craftsman Sequence also required him to fuse supernatural materials.

Those supernatural materials also came from Anomalies.

"Ah, even the best cook can't make a meal without ingredients!"

Sitting alone beside the fire, Chu Sheng sighed.

"What cook?" An Xi had appeared behind him at some point and asked in confusion.

Chu Sheng turned to glance at her. Over the past few days, the others had all learned the name of his Sequence. Although they did not know its abilities, they would find out eventually as he used them.

So he did not bother hiding it. "The Heavenly Craftsman Sequence needs me to kill Anomalies to grow. Its abilities are related to Anomalies, too."

"There's actually a Sequence like yours?!" An Xi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Kill monsters to level up?!"

Chu Sheng gave her a speechless look. "You were a gaming addict before the apocalypse, weren't you?"

"I can make sacrificial items, but I need supernatural materials. You know where supernatural materials come from, right?"

"Oh, sacrificial items?!" An Xi looked thoughtful, but her eyes soon lit up, and she ran toward the convoy.

"Wait here for me."