This Game Can Actually Eat!

[Active Substance Extractor Instruction Manual]

[1. Active substances are the main raw materials for synthesizing clones, including but not limited to minerals, 20 common amino acids, and 2 rare amino acids necessary for the human body.]

[2. The Active Substance Extractor uses animal carcasses as raw materials. The most efficient extraction, up to 90%, comes from the primates of the mammalian class in the phylum Chordata. Non-primates are next, and invertebrates have the lowest extraction efficiency, less than 10%.]

[3. Extraction efficiency is also related to the degree of decomposition.]

Along with completing the mission to recruit players, the rewards and instructions are credited together.

Inside Shelter 404.

Chu Guang was looking at the instructions projected onto his retina by the system, while staring at the iron box next to the conveyor belt that looked like a coffin.

According to the instructions, this thing is used to produce the “raw material” for “synthetic clones”——that is, “active substances”.

In simple terms, its function is similar to corpse recycling?

However, according to the description in the instructions, it seems that corpses of different species are also within the scope of recycling.

After roughly understanding how to use this thing, Chu Guang used a handcart he had picked up outside to drag it onto the elevator and returned to the surface with the elevator.

He did not want to bring corpses into the shelter.

As for electricity.

There would always be a way.

The elevator slowly rose and stopped steadily before the door opened.

Just as he was dragging the handcart out of the elevator, Little Seven’s voice came from upstairs almost at the same time.

“Master!”

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems there is a situation with your player… a large black bird is attacking them! To the north of the nursing home!”

A large black bird?

Chu Guang was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed instantly. He immediately dropped the handcart and rushed towards the direction outside the nursing home.

……

“Damn, Night Ten is awesome!”

“That forward roll dodge just now was incredible!”

“Shut up, I was scared shitless! Don’t just stand there, come help me!”

In the forest north of the nursing home.

A black bird stood on a tree branch ten meters high, its sharp gaze locked onto the group of players on the ground.

Its legs were slightly bent, its wings as large as a kite folded back, ready to shoot off at any time.

After hearing the commotion from Night Ten’s side, the other three players immediately put down what they were doing and rushed over with axes.

Perhaps seeing that there were many people on the ground, the black bird did not immediately launch a second dive, but instead stayed at a height unreachable by the crowd, lying in wait for an opportunity.

Gale bent down and picked up a black feather from the ground, staring at it for a few seconds.

“Looks a bit like a crow.”

“Crows are this big?!” Night Ten said with lingering fear as he glanced at the claw marks on the wood and retreated.

“This thing should be a mutant… caused by gamma rays or something else, I saw it in the game’s setting on the official website,” Fang Chang said cautiously while keeping an eye on it, not daring to relax for a moment.

Night Ten: “There are settings on the official website?! Isn’t it just a reservation page?”

Gale: “That was a few days ago… the official website updated with new features yesterday, didn’t you see it?”

“Let’s not dwell on that now, what should we do? Just keep stalling?” Night Ten said nervously as he retreated another step.

Now Gale was closest to the bird.

The four of them and the bird reached a stalemate.

At this moment, a “swoosh” sound of cutting through the air passed over the four people’s heads and went straight for the large bird.

“Squawk!”

Although the stone didn’t hit the bird, it did startle it, causing it to flap its wings and fly to another branch.

As it flapped its wings and finally stabilized itself on the branch, it saw the person on the ground pick up another stone and throw it at it again.

The big bird was completely enraged.

It was the first time it had encountered someone so brazen in its own territory.

Its bent legs pushed off powerfully, launching it from the branch like a cannonball towards Chu Guang.

Its sharp talons stretched forward like open hooks.

However, a beast is still a beast. No matter how many heads it grows, it could never comprehend the mocking curl at the corner of his mouth.

Dropping the stone in his hand, Chu Guang skillfully grabbed the steel pipe stuck in the ground and fiercely thrust the sharp end out.

In the blink of an eye, there was no time to dodge.

Although the big bird tried to flap its wings and open some distance when it saw Chu Guang pick up an unfamiliar object, it was basically impossible to react in time due to inertia.

The pipe pierced into its chest like a javelin.

“Squawk——!”

A shrill cry echoed through the forest.

Blood-stained feathers scattered.

Watching the struggling bird fly away, Chu Guang silently stepped forward and picked up the bloodied pipe from the ground.

“This is not a crow.”

“Its scientific name is falcon… from about two hundred years ago.”

The four players stared at him in astonishment, stunned by his smooth actions.

Damn!

So strong!!

However, they did not know that for the vast majority of survivors who could walk alone in the wasteland, this level of skill was merely basic.

In these five months, Chu Guang had not learned much else, but he had practiced his javelin throwing skills to the point where he could hit any target within ten meters.

Otherwise, he would not have had the chance to stand here and show off.

“A falcon?! This big?” Gale said in astonishment, which overturned his perception of birds.

Fang Chang swallowed his saliva.

“Because of gamma rays?”

“Not just gamma rays. Viruses, bacteria, genetic weapons… various factors together caused everything we see today. Of course, mutants are just one of the threats we face. In some cases, humans can be more dangerous than them.”

Chu Guang looked up at the pine trees in front of the four players, then continued.

“That falcon just now probably nested in this tree, no wonder it didn’t leave despite so many of you.”

Generally, birds rarely provoke ground creatures much larger than themselves. Their diet mainly consists of mutated cockroaches, rats or squirrels.

The beast has flown away, but not far, probably waiting to die on some tree nearby.

This kind of pointed pipe, although not very penetrating, has a natural blood groove inside from the hollowing. As long as it pierces a hole, it’s almost certainly fatal.

Not to mention birds, even if a human gets hit, it would be very difficult to suture the wound.

Night Ten lowered his head in shame.

“Sorry… I was just focused on chopping wood and didn’t notice.”

“No need to apologize,” Chu Guang looked up, “bird eggs are a good thing.”

A delicacy was coming soon.

……

Chu Guang’s judgment was quickly confirmed.

Under a crooked tree, he found the lifeless black bird.

After letting its blood drain with a knife, plucking off its feathers, Chu Guang threw it into an iron pot set on a brick stove. He stuffed dry branches and dead leaves under the stove and lit them with matches he had bought earlier.

Smoke rose from the cooking.

Before the water boiled, Chu Guang fished out the parboiled bird, strung it on steel rods, and roasted it directly over the fire.

The bird eggs were also being roasted together.

No salt, no seasoning.

But even so, it was much better than the undercooked green wheat porridge.

“This thing… can we eat it?”

Looking at the “mutant” on the grill, Night Ten instinctively felt aversion, but could not help swallowing his saliva as the aroma enticed him.

You could actually eat in this game!

For a foodie, this was an unexpected surprise.

This also made him feel that the hard work this morning was all worth it.

“Once it’s cooked, it’s edible. I’ll let you know what can’t be eaten,” Chu Guang said slowly as he rotated the grill, allowing each side of the food to heat thoroughly.

There were few opportunities to eat game meat in the wasteland.

Even if you occasionally caught edible game, it would spoil quickly due to the lack of preservation methods.

Here, salt was an even scarcer resource than electricity.

Especially for survivors living in inland cities like Clear Spring City, it was unrealistic to use large amounts of salt to cure food.

As for refrigerators, it was said that the Lord Mayor’s castle had one, but Chu Guang had only heard of it and never actually seen one.

Of course, survivors were not completely without means either.

For example, the neighboring survivor settlement. Mr. Brown’s Farm produced a kind of tobacco leaf rich in aromatic compounds like tar and aldehyde ketones. Even without salt, smoking could extend the shelf life of food for a few months.

“Lord Manager, may I ask how much wood we need?”

Waiting for the delicacy to cook was torturous.

To divert his attention from the food, Fang Chang took the initiative to open the conversation.

Upon hearing this question, Chu Guang casually replied.

“As much as you can chop.”

The players looked at each other, not very motivated.

At first, Chu Guang didn’t pay much attention, but then he suddenly thought of something.

They were “players”, that is, “outsiders”.

Unlike himself who had already crossed over here, they could leave at any time and did not have an urgent need to survive.

Even if he told them the importance of stockpiling wood, they would never truly understand what that sentence meant.

Their identities as players determined that their perspectives on issues would differ from his own. Even if they didn’t mind working hard, it would be difficult for them to make continuous efforts without rewards.

With missions, there had to be corresponding rewards.

“Let me think…”

Stroking his chin, Chu Guang fell into contemplation.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

“This afternoon at four o’clock, we’ll tally up today’s accomplishments.”

“For arm-thick trees, one point per meter. For thigh-thick trees, two points per meter-”

However, what Chu Guang did not expect was that before he could finish speaking, the four players holding bowls stood up abruptly.

“Lord Manager, I suddenly don’t feel very hungry.”

“Me neither.”

“There’s still some time before the food is ready, let me go chop a few more trees!”

“I suddenly feel like chopping something!”

Chu Guang: “…?”

He hadn’t even said what the contribution points could be used for yet…