Apocalypse: My Apartment Has Traits - Chapter 33 - 30: Metamorphosis, Hand Crossbow
Chapter 33: Chapter 30: Metamorphosis, Hand Crossbow
Su Lin returned to his room.
The air was filled with the lingering scent of sweat, but he didn’t mind at all.
He opened the food box, picked up his chopsticks, and sat on the floor, launching a whirlwind assault on that bowl of Treasure Meat soup.
After practicing the Breathing Technique for half a day, he was already starving.
The shape of the Treasure Meat, which had sparked numerous villagers’ riots, went unnoticed. He only felt an indescribable exotic fragrance explode in his mouth, shooting straight to his mind!
Delicious!
Damn, it’s so delicious!
The meat was extraordinarily tender, and with a gentle bite, the succulent fat seemed to melt instantly into a hot, slippery, fragrant juice that flowed down his throat.
Fresh, fragrant, tender, smooth—the taste was indescribably wonderful, with not a hint of “frozen meat”!
As soon as the Treasure Meat entered his stomach, a surge of heat immediately rose and burned in his dantian!
His stomach crazily writhed, greedily absorbing the essence inside.
Vast amounts of energy, like ignited magma, instantly surged towards his limbs and bones through the flowing blood!
Just moments ago, his physical strength was exhausted from training, but in the blink of an eye, it was filled and inflated by this abundant power!
Su Lin devoured the food ravenously, effortlessly sweeping away the Treasure Meat, and didn’t want to waste even the broth at the bottom of the bowl, drinking it all.
At this moment, his face was burning, and his entire body felt hot.
Casually pushing the tableware to the side, he swiftly pulled off his shirt, exposing his well-built upper body, and began to practice the Cultivation Technique from the first form of the Dawn Breathing Technique—Spirit Posture.
This practice was worlds apart from before!
Previously, it was just a weak warm current arising in his body.
But now, the surging active factors from the Treasure Meat mixed with the turbulent Qi and Blood, like a flood breaking through a dam, crazily impacting his body’s pores and skin membranes!
With just the first form’s Pile Skill, his flushed skin emitted a jade-like sheen, as if a meticulously polished red jade.
It was the active factors contained in the Treasure Meat, carrying the Qi and Blood, fiercely scrubbing away the outermost “skin” Genetic Lock of the human body!
Su Lin was focused, feeling no fatigue at all.
Finishing one form, he immediately moved on to the second, third…
Even though the Pile Skills and Breathing Techniques in the latter forms weren’t fully mastered, he practiced them without hesitation, striving to squeeze out every ounce of potency from the Treasure Meat.
Gradually, white mist enveloped him as steam rose from his body.
Beneath the red-jade skin, his muscles and flesh absorbed the immense vitality and activity from the Treasure Meat like a drought-stricken land quenching its thirst.
Muscle fibers, nourished by energy, swelled and reshaped.
His bare upper body underwent an astonishing transformation, visible to the naked eye.
The previously somewhat flat chest and abdomen rapidly revealed defined muscle contours, sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain, gaining prominence and outline.
Sweat slid over his lean and sculpted frame, devoid of any excess flesh, highlighting perfect lines filled with strength.
The crystallization of human wisdom, under the catalyst of Treasure Meat, allowed Su Lin to undergo a complete transformation in just over three hours!
Time quietly slid towards dusk, and Su Lin finally slowly withdrew his cultivation, his skin returning to normal, becoming even more hydrated and smooth.
His eyes sparkled, bright and energetic, as if light was flowing within them.
His gaze fell on the heavy double bed in front of him, and he grasped the bed’s edges sharply with both hands, exerting force from his waist and abdomen, breathing out and shouting!
“Rise!”
The heavy wooden bed lifted off the ground in response, and he raised it with little effort!
Feeling the surging power within him, Su Lin laughed heartily:
“Strength——!!”
…
…
Upstairs, the water bucket had little water left, so Su Lin used a damp towel to wipe away the sweat and put on a clean white shirt, feeling refreshed as he went downstairs.
Su Tongxi was still fully focused at the Construction Platform, her hands gathered in a soft white glow as she attentively continued the production.
Inside the room, the light dimmed, with only the light illuminating her earnest, focused little face.
“The metal nails aren’t finished yet?” Su Lin’s voice broke the silence.
Su Tongxi raised her head at his voice, her eyes initially bursting with surprise before turning into sheer astonishment!
Her mouth hung open, her almond-shaped eyes widened like saucers, staring dumbfoundedly at the transformed Su Lin.
“What’s wrong?” Su Lin’s lips curled slightly, carrying a familiar playfulness, teasing deliberately, “Can’t recognize your own man?”
“Brother Kirin!!”
Su Tongxi exclaimed in shock, her face instantly flushed red, jumping off the high stool excitedly like a little deer, rushing to Su Lin’s front, her little head tilted up, her eyes full of little stars.
“You’ve become so handsome!”
Her gaze wandered over Su Lin’s well-defined muscle lines visible beneath his thin white shirt, her small hand lifted slightly, wanting to touch but not daring, both shy and curious.
Su Lin chuckled lowly, stretching out his ape-like arms, gently pulling her entirely into his embrace.
His right arm applied slight force, pressing her petite body tightly against his firm, iron-like chest, letting her fully experience the transformation results of his afternoon training, his face showing immense satisfaction.
While holding his soft and delicate fiancée in his arms, he casually asked:
“The metal nails should be finished by now, right?”
Held in his single-arm embrace, Su Tongxi’s feet left the ground, her whole body seemed embedded against him, her body instantly softened into a pool of spring water, her little head shyly burrowing into his neck, her voice delicate like a mosquito:
“Mm… finished. But I don’t have the permission to upgrade the Construction Platform, so I thought I’d make some bullets in advance for you, waiting for you to finish…”
“Good girl! Here’s a reward!” Su Lin lowered his head and gave her a loud kiss on her cute little round face.
He took big strides, sitting majestically on the high stool.
The petite and delicate Su Tongxi was placed on his right thigh, like a doll, sitting quietly and obediently.
With a slight thought, the House Title Deed appeared out of thin air, automatically flipping to the Construction Platform page.
The materials sponsored by his grandfather and purchased in the morning were piled messily on the ground.
After confirming the upgrade command, a portion of the materials around the Construction Platform instantly disappeared.
Consequently, the Construction Platform seemed to be kneaded and reshaped by an invisible giant hand.
The originally dilapidated platform, seemingly about to fall apart at any moment, emitted a teeth-clenching “creak” as it quickly twisted, deformed, and reassembled!
In the blink of an eye, a brand new construction platform appeared before their eyes.
A rough metal frame, exposed rivets, and thick lumber were crudely pieced together, exuding a wasteland punk vibe. Despite its rugged appearance, it was simple and sturdy.
On the platform, a small unfinished cluster of white light floated, representing the bullet Su Tongxi had paused in crafting.
Su Lin pushed aside the cluster of white light and took out five blueprints from the bag at his feet.
They were for the [Swinging Wooden Hammer], [Arrow Wall], [Slime Floor], [Ejection Floor], and a rare hand crossbow.
Su Lin inserted them one by one into the House Title Deed.
The House Title Deed thickened slightly.
Returning to the construction platform page, Su Lin’s gaze swept over the newly added manufacturing list.
The Level 1 Construction Platform could only craft items such as oil lamps, fire-drilling bows, short bows, arrows, bullets, iron spears, great swords, long sabers, cotton cloth, and metal nails.
While the list for the Level 2 Construction Platform surprisingly included new options such as waist lamps, hand crossbows, slaughter sabers, iron wire, and hunting traps.
Su Lin’s attention was drawn to the “slaughter saber,” and he curiously pointed to it:
“What’s this used for?”
Sitting on his lap, Su Tongxi carefully shifted her position and explained:
“Regular mutated beast meat, apart from the precious treasure meat, is otherwise toxic and inedible. The meat we usually consume either comes from hunts in the deep wilderness where some natural habitats still persist or… we have to rely on this slaughter saber.”
She paused, her tone tinged with helplessness:
“I heard Mrs. Su complain before that this saber has only a one percent chance of yielding some edible regular meat from cutting mutated beast meat, which makes it rather useless. In the three years of the apocalypse, she only succeeded once. However…”
She added: “I’ve heard that the advanced slaughter saber in a Level 5 Safe House has significantly higher meat yield probabilities.”
Su Lin’s eyes shone brilliantly!
He leaned in closer to the House Title Deed, examining it carefully:
Slaughter Saber – Crafting Requirements: Metal x5, Regular Wood x1.
All low-level materials!
“Hiss…” He drew a sharp breath, sheer delight surged through his heart!
The tenfold enhancement effect of the King of the Garbage Can could be leveraged again!
According to the item’s rules, a slaughter saber crafted with low-level materials would have its probability of successfully acquiring regular meat directly increased tenfold after enhancement!
Ten percent!
By killing ten mutated beasts, one could theoretically obtain a piece of edible meat!
Wouldn’t that mean he could frequently have meat from now on?!
A strong sense of excitement surged within Su Lin.
However, the most crucial thing right now was the rare hand crossbow embodying his hopes for a killing move.
His gaze suddenly turned icy, a chilling air spreading.
Chang Sanheng…
This name lingered in his mind like a maggot gnawing at his bones.
It wasn’t just him; the Hunting Group leader Zhong Wubin, wilderness monsters, and the Night of Survival, each posed a deadly threat in his heart.
In these unstable times, he had to grow quickly.
The Level 2 Safe House was far from sufficient.
He needed to continue upgrading.
Before his parents passed, this safe house was a Level 4.
As such, he had vivid memories of the Level 4 Safe House’s features:
First, was the unlocking of the Martial Arts Training Room, which could accelerate cultivation speed without treasure meat and create mannequins for practical combat training;
Second, the rooftop garden, capable of growing small amounts of “Satiating Rice,” maturing weekly. While it couldn’t replace the nutrition of meat, it was much better than regular rice husks.
The garden’s function was fine, but unlocking the Martial Arts Training Room early was crucial.
Yet, from upgrading to a Level 3 Safe House, the final wave of shadow beast attacks each night would bring a boss-level shadow beast, with strength comparable to a martial artist who had unlocked the flesh lock.
At Level 4, not only would each wave have two shadow beast bosses, but the safe house also opened two doors, allowing two routes of shadow beasts to attack simultaneously.
By then, relying on low-level traps crafted using the King of the Garbage Can’s ability would likely become insufficient.
The Three-Line Choice a few days later might not offer augmentation options for traps.
Thus, Su Lin must strive to enhance his own strength to compensate for this shortfall.
At present, his body strength had made significant progress, yet he hadn’t even touched the edge of a skin lock.
To catch up with veterans like his grandfather, second uncle, and Chang Sanheng, who had battled for three years in the apocalypse, there was still an enormous gap.
And a good weapon would be key to significantly improving combat power.
Su Lin wasted no more time, meticulously selecting the materials needed for the rare hand crossbow blueprint from the material bag and neatly stacking them on the newly refurbished construction platform.
He mimicked the way Su Tongxi did it, holding his hands above the materials, palms facing each other.
Buzz!
A bright yet gentle white light instantly surged from his palms, softly enveloping all the materials.
Under the hazy white light, the metal ingots, wooden blocks, and resin seemed to come alive, twisting, stretching, shaping, and combining on their own… emitting faint and peculiar sounds.
With the item’s enhancement, the hand crossbow’s crafting time was compressed to one-tenth.
In no time, the glow dissipated.
On the construction platform, there lay a brand-new cross-shaped hand crossbow!
It shimmered with a cold and restrained metallic luster, compact in structure yet full of power, the crossbow arms taut, and the bowstring as full as a crescent moon, exuding a sharp aura that made one’s heart race.
“It’s done!”
Su Lin’s spirits soared, unable to conceal his excitement.
He lightly patted the perky, round little bottom of the girl in his arms.
“Let’s go! Time to test the waters!”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
