Chapter 7: Encounter

When the mutated frog died, everyone felt as if they were dreaming, frozen in place, not daring to move.

It was Sang Chu who used the small healing device in her hand on the child who had been bitten by the frog, barely saving his life.

Zuo Xuefeng took a deep look at her, finally snapping back to his senses. “You’re Sang Chu?”

She nodded, straightened her clothes, and wiped the blood off. “Sorry, I was unconscious that day, and my throat was injured, so I couldn’t speak.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Have you been hunting monsters out here all this time?”

“Mm.”

Zuo Xuefeng said, “Yao Hua has been looking for you everywhere. Later, she saw a video in the trading market of a mutated creature with your name on the ID tag, and she was startled—she thought you were dead. None of us expected…”

After seeing her skills today, Zuo Xuefeng no longer doubted that the girl who had survived alone outside was Sang Chu.

Cao Dian was drenched in sweat. He took off his helmet, shook the sweat from his hair, and walked over.

“Thank you for saving us. My name is Cao Dian. I wonder if you could tell us—how did you kill that frog?”

This question was important, and Zuo Xuefeng also looked at Sang Chu expectantly.

Sang Chu took out the weapon she was using and explained, “This is something I found in the underground nest. It’s strange, but very useful. It can pierce through mutated creatures. Even sharpened bamboo can pierce their skin. I set up traps in the bamboo forest before, and used them to kill several mutated frogs. Sometimes I use sharpened stones—anything with a sharp point can be used as a weapon.”

Zheng Peng said, “No way? Are these things really better than my weapons?”

Sang Chu knew he couldn’t accept it right away, so she opened the footage stored in her device.

“It’s a matter of compatibility. The mutated frog was killed by my bamboo spear. As for those bees and mosquitoes, I used traps to lure them in and then burned them alive. The wild boar was killed with a sharpened stone, and the ground snake was strangled with vines. I was afraid it would regenerate, so I kept tying it up and didn’t dare take it apart. This is all real—you’ll see for yourself next time.”

After seeing the footage in her device, no one dared doubt her anymore. They all stared wide-eyed, afraid to miss any detail about how to kill these creatures.

Kang Liqian looked at the greenish blade in her hand, which was different from a laser knife.

“You said you found this knife in the underground nest, but why didn’t you use it to kill the mutated creatures?”

Sang Chu looked a little embarrassed. “I was curious when I got it, so I tried it out on a dead mutated creature. Then…I cut up its tail and roasted it to eat.”

“Hahaha…”

Seeing her embarrassed expression, the group burst out laughing. Zuo Xuefeng patted her on the shoulder.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. After being in the wild for so long, it’s normal to want to eat some meat!”

Kang Liqian hadn’t expected that answer—he’d just been curious. “Then, Sang Chu, can you use your knife to help me cut up some things later?”

Zheng Peng chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, I caught a wild mountain rabbit. Can you help me butcher it?”

Sang Chu replied, “Of course.”

Zuo Xuefeng said, “Sang Chu, that mutated frog is your trophy. Hurry and put it away. Do you want to come back to my base to rest for a while?”

Sang Chu looked at Zuo Xuefeng. “You don’t want the mutated frog?”

Mutated frogs were worth a lot of money. She’d wanted to suggest splitting the reward, but seeing how many people Zuo Xuefeng had lost to the frog, and remembering how he’d saved her before, she felt embarrassed to bring it up.

But she really needed the money.

Kang Liqian said, “You killed the frog, how could we take it from you? Hurry, pack it up and come back to the base with me. I want to eat roast rabbit!”

Food was even more attractive to him than the mutated frog.

For these people, the mutated creature itself wasn’t important. What mattered was that it was dead and their friends were safe. That was more comforting than any reward.

Besides, they’d learned so much valuable information. When they got back, they had to get the footage from Sang Chu’s device and share it, so more people would know how to fight these creatures and reduce casualties in the future.

Sang Chu followed them, feeling a bit dazed. She hadn’t expected people in this mutated world to be so kind.

She’d thought the world would be cruel and everyone would only look out for themselves.

But now it seemed that most people in this mutated world were actually good.

Sang Chu had originally planned to sell the blade for money, but now she just stared at it blankly.

Tu You, seeing her distracted, asked, “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer. Tu You just squatted on her shoulder, watching her efficiently process the mutated creature.

She said nothing.

Zuo Xuefeng sat down beside her. “Achu, are you alright?”

Sang Chu nodded. Zheng Peng thought maybe she was upset from having to deal with so many mutated creatures, so he quickly said,

“Achu, you don’t have to do all this. Just leave it for later. Come eat with us, I’m good with my hands!”

Sang Chu paused, looked at him, and saw everyone’s concerned faces. She took a deep breath and handed the blade to Zuo Xuefeng.

“I like living in the wild, and I might find more things like this. Take this blade as thanks for saving me.”

Zuo Xuefeng said, “No, no, this is yours. How can I take it?”

Zheng Peng agreed, “Yeah, Achu, you got this from killing the creature. It’s obviously rare. You should keep it!”

“It’s exactly because it’s rare that I want to give it to you. With this, you’ll be much safer in the wild. You’re a good person, and I hope you stay safe.”

Sang Chu’s words made Zuo Xuefeng fall silent. As a field operator, he knew that if survival rates could be improved, everyone wanted to live well.

But he couldn’t stop going out to clear mutated creatures.

The more there were, the less land there was for people to live on.

Zuo Xuefeng said, “Achu, I don’t want to refuse. We all know how powerful this is, but I can’t just take it for free. I’ll hand it over to Dr. Li, and you’ll get your share of the reward.”

“Don’t worry about it, just take it. I want to go back to that underground nest and have a closer look. I didn’t search it thoroughly—maybe there’s more!”

Cao Dian said, “Silly girl, the higher-ups have money. Don’t be shy, just take what you deserve. By the way, where is that nest? I’ll go with you—there’s strength in numbers.”

“It’s in a deep pit not far from here. Eat first, no rush.”

She had to hurry and get the gold out for Tu You to take. Since they couldn’t see Tu You, she could use this opportunity."