Chapter Thirty: Give Me More!

“Damn!!”
Seeing the figure in full, this was no murderer as he had imagined—this was an ogre, a monster!
Retreat!
If nothing else, Zhou Shu’s instinct for survival surged instantly.
From his first foray into the virtual battlefield, he’d known to hide behind veterans; so now, he erupted at his fastest speed, sprinting toward the nearby alley.
His mind was clear: the virtual battlefield was just that—virtual. He’d been brave only because he knew he couldn’t die there. He’d treated it as a simulation, a spectacle, just for amusement.
But this was real life. He couldn’t afford recklessness.
With his scrawny arms and legs, he was no match for a man-eating monster!
Zhou Shu’s decisive retreat even startled the “monster.”
But the “monster” quickly recovered.
“Damn it!”
With a mouth full of sharp teeth, it cursed, tossing aside half-eaten organs, tiptoeing two steps to the abandoned building, leaping up to hook the second-floor balcony with its arm, then kicking off the wall to vault higher, landing directly on the second floor.
Like a nimble gorilla, it climbed to the rooftop, then dropped to all fours, chasing after Zhou Shu with feral speed.
Meanwhile, Zhou Shu rounded a corner, tossed his backpack aside—it was dead weight.
Most critically, his Hunter system hadn’t given him any warning!
“Hell, aren’t you supposed to be a super-soldier support system? No enemy detection? No alerts?”
[The system believed this was a normal Earth human, and the threat level was deemed low. However, since you’ve raised the issue, should I mark the target as ‘hostile’? Once marked, the system will issue warnings for similar threats.]
The Hunter system replied in a calm tone.
Zhou Shu darted into a derelict building, its doors removed and walls gaping with holes. His heart pounded, the sprint had left him dizzy, and he steadied himself in a corner, pulling out his phone to call for help. Seeing the Hunter’s response nearly drove him mad.
“They’re eating people and you call that ‘low threat’? What kind of hellish criteria do you use? Mark it! Mark it now!”
[Marked. Warning: Hostile target is approaching at high speed from above!]
“Bang!”
The warning barely flashed before Zhou Shu heard the heavy thud of something landing, and a shadow blocked out the faint moonlight streaming through the doorway.
“…”
“Shit! That was way too fast!”
No time to call for help. He bolted again, but as he took his first stride, his legs went weak, almost sending him sprawling—he had to grab the wall to keep upright.
Clearly, he’d pushed too hard; his physical limits couldn’t take such exertion.

At that moment, the “ogre” was already leaning into the empty doorway.
Zhou Shu instinctively looked over. The creature, which had retained some semblance of humanity just moments ago, had transformed—taller, bulkier, clothes stretched tight, limbs elongated, nails hooked like claws.
“It really is a monster!”
Zhou Shu stared at it, and it searched for him.
When it spotted Zhou Shu crouched in the corner, it flashed a bloodstained grin full of sharp teeth and lunged, claws slashing toward him.
Goosebumps shot up Zhou Shu’s spine. Adrenaline surged. He gritted his teeth and kicked off, using his momentum to roll toward the gaping hole in the wall, shouting in his mind:
“Hunter, boost me!”
There was no time for later plans—his endurance depleted, legs failing, and death looming.
“Max everything!”
Hunter: [Understood.]
Boom—
It felt as though thunder struck inside him. His body flushed with heat. Every gain he’d made in the virtual battlefield suddenly flooded his real form!
Mind!
Strength!
Agility!
Endurance!
Physique!
These effects, earned step by step in the virtual world, fit perfectly; the only discomfort was a sudden warmth, which gave Zhou Shu new courage.
With a forward roll, he escaped danger. He clearly heard the monster’s claws smashing into the wall behind him but ignored the pain from rough bricks scraping his back, scrambling up and sprinting ahead.
This time, his legs felt stronger, his speed faster, his movements smoother.
“Crash~ thump thump thump~”
Something collapsed, then came the sound of the monster running again.
[Warning: Hostile target rapidly approaching from behind!]
“This won’t work—I can’t outrun it!”
Zhou Shu’s thoughts raced, focus heightened, and his vision blurred with the onset of slow-motion perception.
This was likely his first use of “slow-motion vision” in the real world.
With the ability engaged, the surroundings slowed, even though things looked a bit fuzzy—likely because his other stats were still below par.
At least it worked.
He “slowly yet swiftly” scanned his surroundings: a straight path, piles of bricks, shattered windows, a tightly shut broken door, a hole in the wall, and a side alley just a few steps away.
That’s it!
He spun sharply, arms bracing against the wall to pivot, barely avoiding collision.
As he forced his way through, he snuck a glance back—the monster was hot on his heels, teeth gritted as Zhou Shu thought, “No way I can save even 0.1 units of energy now, and Hundred Flowers Complex is right across the street. This man-eating monster must not escape!”
“So right here… I’ll finish it!!”
As Zhou Shu darted nimbly into the alley, the “monster” tried to twist its massive body to follow, but its momentum was too great, its frame too bulky for such agility.
Fortunately, it was strong—it crashed into the wall, sending aged bricks tumbling, then rebounded, running along the wall before landing and giving chase.
It nearly caught up, grabbing at Zhou Shu’s shirt, but Zhou Shu turned sharply again, using the same technique.
“Damn!”
The “monster” realized something was off: this was just a student in uniform, yet he was running so fast—was he some kind of athlete?
Even that wasn’t right; at first, he’d been slow, easily overtaken. Now his speed had inexplicably spiked.
A wave of panic crossed the monster’s face, growing more savage, its head distorting.
Its form twisted, becoming less human, as it accelerated and smashed into the alley wall.
“Food! Evolution! Eat! Ahahaha!”
“Boom~”
This time it left a dent in the wall, gaining extra momentum to complete the turn.
But now, instead of a fleeing figure, it faced…
An iron fist!
“Boom—”
Zhou Shu, clad in a full powered exoskeleton, swung his steel mechanical arm, floodlights illuminating the target, servos roaring at full throttle as he delivered a crushing blow to the ogre’s snarling face.
“Laugh all you want!”
The monster’s charge was fast; Zhou Shu’s steel fist was even faster and heavier. The impact was mutual—both suffered massive damage.
But the monster’s face was smashed sideways by the sudden blow, its body losing balance and tumbling away, while Zhou Shu, as if struck by a car, staggered back two steps despite the exoskeleton armor.
“Clang~ clang~”
“Hiss—”
Metal crashed against concrete, and air hissed as Zhou Shu steadied himself. The suit’s excellent cushioning spared him most of the force—only the aging cement beneath his feet crumbled.