Chapter 32: Lu Kailin

There is an upper limit to the amount of Blood Crystal Marrow each God-Chosen can absorb daily, which depends on individual tolerance, typically falling within the range of 5 to 15 units.

Of course, this limit applies only to Blood Crystal Marrow as a material.

If one were like Li Ye, capable of hunting a large number of Fiend-Demons, there would be no such concerns regarding the Milky Bone fragments they drop, as the energy contained within them is often much gentler than that found in Blood Crystal Marrow.

Li Ye looked around and sighed in disappointment.

Most of his harvest over the past few days consisted of inferior Blood Crystal Marrow; there were very few Tier 1 shards, to say nothing of Tier 2.

Who could have predicted that the Xenomorph he intended to keep for harvesting crystals would end up becoming a new sentient being?

Walking through the streets toward the western urban area of Jiangning, Li Ye sensed the range of his "Candlelight Guidance" ability. After days of development and application, it had expanded from the 20-meter range he possessed upon first entering Tier 2 to 22 meters, and his fine-tuned abilities, such as optical camouflage, had become even more effortless to control.

As for the restriction mentioned by the Xenomorph—that he was free to kill only in the Southern District—Li Ye had completely cast it aside.

"Intelligence" is sometimes a double-edged sword. Since it had become a sentient being, at least until he killed that Fallen God, the Xenomorph would certainly not jump out to stop him.

...

It was at this very moment, in the Western District, inside a factory building in the logistics support area of the Jiangning Zoo.

"Old Lu, didn't those big bosses in the zoo leave anything to eat yesterday?"

A tall, thin man sat weakly in the corner of the factory. The withered apple-shaped muscles on his cheeks and his protruding cheekbones were clear signs of his starvation. He looked hopefully at the middle-aged man who had just walked into the factory.

The middle-aged man wore thick, dark blue work clothes, with a small smear of blood on his right hand—it was unclear whether it was his own or someone else's.

Lu Kailin looked at the weak man with hesitation, then shook his head as he usually did.

The hope in the man's eyes flickered and vanished like a snuffed-out candle, and he suddenly let out a miserable laugh.

"Hahaha, how does it feel to be full? To think I, Ding Shun'an, treated you like a brother—is this how you treat me?"

The factory was not large, and there were others present; Ding Shun'an’s wailing quickly drew the attention of many.

Lu Kailin’s eyes darted around, and he whispered, trying to stop him: "Shun'an, calm down! I am your brother. If there were meat to eat, how could I not give you some? Have you forgotten that I owe my life to you?"

Hearing this, Ding Shun'an took a deep breath and closed his eyes, resting the back of his head against the wall as if to steady his emotions.

Many people gathered around. Most were weak, though none quite as wretched as the tall, thin man leaning against the wall.

Ding Shun'an suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, lowered his gaze, and looked at his so-called brother from before the apocalypse with contempt.

"I used to think Xue Ning and the others left you because of a difference in values, but now I see your true colors are so ugly and pathetic!"

Lu Kailin reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his expression turning dark.

"What’s going on? Did you find food?"

A sturdy man, standing well over 1.9 meters tall, pushed through the crowd and stood out, looking at the two locked in a stalemate with an unfriendly expression.

"Brother Gang, Lu Kailin must have hidden food outside."

The man leaning against the wall spoke with a fading voice, yet his words were clear.

The man in the thick work clothes became anxious, retorting, "Bullshit! I go out to find food for everyone, and this is how you repay me, by splashing dirty water on me? If I didn't find any, I didn't find any. Those beasts in the predator enclosure don't even leave skin behind, so what could be left? The herbivore area is covered in large piles of dung—what, you want to eat that too?"

Lu Kailin’s tone was fierce, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Ding Shun'an, leaning against the wall, gave a light chuckle and said: "Did you forget? If venison isn't cooked thoroughly, it has a faint grassy smell, and your body is covered in it..."

After saying this, he tremblingly raised his hand and pointed to a pocket on Lu Kailin’s work clothes.

Work uniforms for Jiangning Zoo keepers have many pockets, designed to hold recording tools or snacks for rewarding the animals. And right at the mouth of the pocket Ding Shun'an pointed to, there was a smear of blood, identical to the one on Lu Kailin’s right hand!

The crowd began to point at Lu Kailin.

"How did Old Lu become this kind of person? Even though Brother Gang is a bit strict, he’s basically protecting everyone."

"I knew back then he wasn't a good person; otherwise, a virtuous woman like Sijia wouldn't have insisted on divorcing him."

"Exactly. Even a child as well-behaved as Xue Ning wouldn't get close to him. This kind of person deserves it!"

The sturdy Wang Gang didn't wait for Lu Kailin to refute; he walked directly up to him.

"Alright, Master Lu, open your pocket and let everyone see."

Lu Kailin nodded calmly, honestly placing his left hand near the pocket, preparing to open it.

It was at this moment that his expression suddenly turned ferocious. He clenched his right hand, which had been at his side, into a fist and punched toward the waist of the sturdy man in front of him.

Wang Gang was shocked and enraged. Ignoring the fist about to strike his waist, he lashed out with a kick.

"Screw your mother, you dare hit me?!"

Relying on his sturdy frame of over 1.9 meters, the kick was fast and fierce. Before Lu Kailin’s full-force punch could land, it was easily caught by Wang Gang, and the follow-up kick sent him sprawling.

No sooner had Lu Kailin hit the ground than he scrambled up, staring at Wang Gang with cold eyes.

"Oh ho."

Wang Gang let out a surprised sound, then immediately stepped forward, swinging his sandbag-sized fists wildly.

No technique, just pure strength!

Lu Kailin wanted to fight back but was forced to retreat, shielding his head. Wang Gang hooked his leg, and Lu Kailin fell heavily to the ground once more.

With a pained grunt, before he could rise again, Wang Gang mounted him and continued to rain clumsy, heavy blows upon his head.

"Bang... bang!"

The commotion was loud, but Wang Gang felt a surge of doubt as he swung his fists. Although Lu Kailin wasn't exactly weak, this was the first time he had seen someone take so many of his punches so steadily.

Perhaps fearing that his absolute authority would be undermined in front of everyone, Wang Gang’s punches grew heavier, falling like raindrops on Lu Kailin.

Lu Kailin continued to defend himself desperately, while beneath his thick clothing—unseen by anyone—a tattoo-like pattern on his right arm began to glow.

"Thump, thump... thump, thump!"

Outside the factory, a series of heavy impacts against the ground suddenly echoed into the building. Piercing through the red mist, they were followed by the sound of heavy, labored breathing, as if from a massive creature!

Lu Kailin, who had been taking the beating, curled his lips in a strange, eerie grin, looking at Wang Gang, who was still pinning him down, with a look of provocation.

This was the ace up his sleeve that allowed him to hunt for food in a zoo surrounded by Xenomorphs!