Rat King Bone Knife

Lu Heng took the Weapon Modification Scroll out of his Wristband Space.

The scroll lay open in his palm, the dark gold characters gleaming faintly in the dim light. He glanced at the Bronze Hunting Blade on the table, then at the Rat King's corpse on the ground.

Without further hesitation.

Lu Heng pressed the scroll onto the blade of the Bronze Hunting Blade.

The moment the scroll touched the blade, the dark gold lettering suddenly lit up, and the entire scroll transformed into a ball of white light, enveloping both the Hunting Blade and the Rat King's corpse.

The white light grew stronger, forcing Lu Heng to squint.

He could clearly see that, within the white light, the Rat King's body was dissolving little by little. Fur, muscles, bones, sharp teeth, claws—everything was being scorched by the white light into tiny specks of light, like fireflies scattered by the wind, slowly drifting toward the Bronze Hunting Blade in the center.

The Hunting Blade is also changing.

The blade began to tremble slightly, and fine patterns appeared on the Bronze surface, as if something was growing from the inside out. The Rat King's spine was the first to integrate—segment by segment, embedding itself into the blade from the base and extending along the spine to the tip. Then came the claws, which transformed into dark patterns, seeping into the sides of the blade. Finally, the fur covered the hilt, solidifying into a rough yet non-slip grip.

The whole process lasted about ten seconds.

The white light gradually weakened, changing from dazzling to soft, then from soft to transparent, and finally dissipated completely.

Lu Heng opened his eyes and looked down at the Hunting Blade in his hand.

The blade has changed.

The originally thick Bronze blade was stretched thinner, narrowing into a smooth arc from the hilt to the tip, like a piece of Bronze that had been thinned. But upon closer inspection, the surface of the blade was no longer the smooth Bronze pattern—a row of fine joints was embedded in its spine, extending from the base to the tip, formed by the flattening and forging of the Rat King's spine into the blade. Faint dark lines were visible on both sides of the blade edge, like marks left by sharp claws, gleaming coldly in the light.

The handle has also changed. The original cloth strips have been replaced by a layer of grayish-black leather, which feels rough but is non-slip to the touch. It is formed by fusing the fur of the Rat King. At the end of the handle, there is an extra curved bone hook, which is made from the Rat King's tailbone. It fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and is not easy to slip out of your hand.

Lu Heng held the knife up to his eyes and examined it by the moonlight streaming through the window.

The entire feel of the knife had changed. The original Bronze Hunting Blade was heavy and rustic, like a sharpened piece of bronze. Now, this knife was slender, cold, and possessed the ruthless edge of the Rat King, the kind of edge that seemed to pounce from the shadows.

On a whim, he brought up the Wristband's authentication interface.

A pale blue screen unfolded before my eyes, and lines of information appeared:

[Rat King Bone Knife]

grade:

Description: Forged from Bronze Hunting Blade and incorporating the complete body of the Rat King. The blade is inlaid with the Rat King's spine, the edge is supported by sharp claws, and the hilt is covered with the Rat King's skin. It has both piercing and cutting capabilities, and its slashing effect has an armor-piercing effect. The wounds caused are not easy to heal (Note: It is not that it cannot heal, but the healing speed is greatly reduced, and additional stamina or medicine is required to accelerate recovery).

characteristic:

- Armor Penetration: When attacking, there is a certain probability that it will ignore part of the target's defense.

- Laceration: Wounds are slow to heal after being hit, continuously weakening the target's status.

Lu Heng stared at the Appraisal Panel for a few seconds.

"Rat King Bone Knife"—the name is straightforward, without any fancy embellishments, but it's accurate enough. The Rat King's bones, fur, and claws are all forged into this knife, so calling it that is perfectly fitting.

He gripped the knife in his hand and swung it lightly.

The blade sliced through the air with a very soft hiss, much faster than the original Hunting Blade. The slender blade reduced wind resistance, significantly increasing the speed of the swing. The bone hook at the end of the hilt nestled in the palm, providing a stable grip, as if it were an extension of the hand.

Lu Heng looked at the row of fine knuckles on the blade and felt a little itchy.

He wanted to test the sharpness of the knife.

Try cutting it with something to see how effective the armor penetration is, and whether lacerations really make wounds harder to heal.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

There was nothing suitable to chop in the house; I couldn't very well try it with my own hands.

With a thought, Lu Heng put the Rat King Bone Blade back into his Wristband Space.

His gaze fell back on something else in the Wristband —the complete corpse of Mutant King Cobra.

The snake's body was coiled up, its scales gleaming a dark green in the dim light of the room. Its head still retained the ferocious look it had before death, with its Poison Fang exposed and its tongue half-protruding. The entire corpse was intact; he hadn't had time to decompose it before.

Lu Heng stared at it for a few seconds.

Let's not break it down yet.

If he finds the King Cobra's lair across the bridge tomorrow—he noticed the snake darted out from under the bridge during their fight, so its lair is likely nearby—he might find Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest.

If that treasure chest yields another Weapon Modification Scroll--

There's no need to dismantle the snake carcass; just use the whole thing and modify the Combat Suit. With snake bones embedded in the Combat Suit, you can imagine how strong its defensive capabilities will be.

As Lu Heng thought about this, his thoughts drifted further and further away, becoming more and more beautiful with each passing moment.

He suddenly came to his senses.

It's too far.

This idea is a bit far-fetched. We don't even know if the lair on the other side of the bridge still exists. Even if it does, what you get from the treasure chest is all down to luck. Weapon Modification Scroll aren't like cabbages; you can't just open them whenever you want.

But Lu Heng thought about it again and realized that it wasn't entirely unreasonable.

The King Cobra is Bronze Tier beast, and its lair likely contains its stockpiled items, so the quality of the treasure chests won't be low. As for whether it can yield scrolls, that's beyond its control.

Whether it will work or not, you'll have to search for it to find out.

I need to go there tomorrow.

Lu Heng kept the plan in mind, then remembered something else.

I have to go to the Shelter again tomorrow.

Some of the items he found at the abandoned storage site were meant for his saviors. Those people had saved his life, and now that supplies were scarce in the Shelter, he had some extra food, so he couldn't leave it unsold.

Lu Heng opened the Wristband Space and took out the flour stored inside.

One bag, two bags, three bags, four bags, five bags.

Five bags of flour should be enough to last them for a while.

He found several more bags of dehydrated vegetables, which he had previously retrieved from the ruins of the supermarket. They were well-sealed and not damp.

Five bags of flour, along with these vegetables, will be taken along.

Lu Heng gathered his things together and placed them by the bedside, planning to take them with him when he left tomorrow.

He lay down on the bed, and just as he closed his eyes, he remembered something else.

There are also a few clothing stores in town.

When he was clearing that area before, he passed by those streets. The clothing stores were all open, and the clothes inside were hanging neatly, untouched. He didn't stop then—equipment was much more important than clothes. Weapons, armor, medicine, food—any of these were more urgent than clothes.

But now that I think about it, those clothes weren't entirely useless.

The people in the Shelter were short of clothes. As autumn approached, the nights grew colder and colder, and some were still wearing thin clothes they had picked up in the summer, which wouldn't last long.

Never mind, when I go tomorrow, I'll stop by a few more shops and pick up those clothes too, then take them with me.

Lu Heng turned over and mentally reviewed the things he needed to do tomorrow.

Go explore the snake's nest across the bridge, deliver supplies to the Shelter, and pick up clothes along the way.

After confirming that nothing had been missed, he gradually relaxed.

The wind was still blowing outside, and the chill seeping in through the cracks in the window made Lu Heng instinctively pull the blanket tighter around him.

We'll talk about it tomorrow.

Now, go to sleep.