Want Some Honey?

"Your situation is more complex. You don't show clear mutation signs yet, nor have you awakened a beast soul. But I see your strength is considerable. You could develop as a close-combat warrior. Aside from intelligence, you need large improvements in the other three attributes. You already have a basic black iron sword. I suggest you consider buying a pair of Breeze Boots for 5 gold coins. They grant +2% movement speed"

As Gu Bo spoke, cloth shoes appeared in his palm. He handed them to Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao took the shoes, discarding his scavenged sneakers. Donning the boots, he immediately felt lighter on his feet.

Yang Xiao had spent all his 5 crystal coins, while each of the four members, including Chen Fei, had spent 3 crystal coins, leaving them with 2 crystal coins remaining.

Thinking of his tattered jeans, Yang Xiao said, "Lend me your remaining 2 crystal coins. Old Gu, do you have any armor that boosts defense?"

Gu Bo smiled. "I do, but the cheapest cost 10 crystal coins. You can't afford it."

"How about extending a credit of 2 crystal coins?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't offer credit at this store, under any circumstances!"

Yang Xiao felt a bit frustrated, knowing that Gu Bo was firm in his decisions. He reluctantly gave up and placed the bodies of the two mutant ants on the counter. "Old Gu, another question. Can we eat these mutant ants?"

"Of course, you can eat them. Deep-frying them makes them quite delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Plus, the meat of mutant creatures can aid in expediting your genetic mutations."

"Alright, these two are for you, free." Yang Xiao left the store.

Behind him, Gu Bo said, "How can I take your things? That's improper!"

...

Yang Xiao wore the pair of boots with +2% movement speed. Although his speed didn't increase significantly, he could feel that his footsteps had become much lighter.

Yang Xiao used to be a gaming addict and now he realized that after the Earth's cataclysm, everything seemed to have turned into a game. Concepts like genetic mutations, the four major attributes of the genetic data system, genetic fragments, synthesizing potions, and the attribute enhancements of weapons and equipment all bore a striking resemblance to the games he used to play.

What was happening in this world? Had it really become a game?

Returning to camp, Huang Wen and others had roasted over a dozen ants. The burnt, crispy smell filled the air. But they seemed unsure whether and how to eat them.

"Boss, you're back! Just in time. The ants should be ready. Would you like to taste them first?"

Yang Xiao smiled. They wanted him as a guinea pig.

Grilled ants were somewhat similar to well-steamed crabs. Even though the outer shell was charred, it remained incredibly tough. Huang Wen and the others tried for a long time with a watermelon knife, but they couldn't even cut through the ants' shells.

Yang Xiao grabbed an ant and crushed it easily in his hands.

Huang Wen and the other girls looked at him admiringly. "Boss is so strong!"

Prying the ant open revealed white meat and a fragrance. Yang Xiao tore off a piece, tasting it. Not bad, like chicken.

"It's good, you can eat them. See, I'm not dead." He waved the cracked ant.

The others smiled awkwardly. "We want to eat them too, Boss. But the shells are too hard, even for steel pipes. How can we?"

"Oh, I see. It's quite simple. Just put the grilled ants in front of me." Yang Xiao had them put roasted ants before him. With his black sword, he sliced them cleanly in half, exposing the meat inside.

Yang Xiao made dozens of consecutive cuts, splitting open all the ants. Immediately, Huang Wen and the others took over, and they all shared the meal together. Someone had brought salt and soy sauce, and they scooped out the meat from inside the ant shells, and dipped it in soy sauce, making it even more delicious.

The fist-sized ants didn't actually have much meat inside, so Huang Wen and the others quickly finished eating over a dozen of them. They then continued grilling more ants over the fire. The entire team was in high spirits as if they were hosting a barbecue party, without a trace of the fear of the post-apocalyptic world.

With Yang Xiao and the others setting an example, Xiao Zhe and Xu Hua, along with their team of over twenty people, also entered the thick fog to begin searching for mutant creatures.

In the beginning, they encountered some isolated mutant ants and other mutated small insects. Under the leadership of Xiao Zhe and Xu Hua, everyone was able to efficiently kill these mutant creatures.

As Xiao Zhe and the others continued their search, the thick fog kept retreating.

Everyone noticed a peculiar characteristic of this fog. Whenever someone passed through it, the fog would recede and not return, resembling the way a map was revealed in a computer game.

After more than half an hour, Xiao Zhe and the others had pushed the thick fog back several dozen meters within the playground.

Seeing Yang Xiao's team and Xiao Zhe's team killing and eating mutants, with the added bonus that the corpses of these creatures were edible, others began forming groups to search the fog. 

Initially, it was those who had undergone significant physical mutations and possessed superhuman abilities who entered the fog. Gradually, even those who hadn't completed their mutations joined in. Some individuals were fortunate enough to find the overlooked corpses of mutant creatures, and a few even stumbled upon genetic fragments.

What horrified everyone was that the over three hundred people who had stayed in the camp just more than fifty meters away from the Gene Store last night had all met their demise. Furthermore, they had all turned into lifeless skeletons.

Two-thirds of the playground was searched, fog retreating, as the layout became visible. 

Suddenly, the team led by Xiao Zhe at the front let out a cry of alarm, and then they could be seen running back towards the Gene Store in terror.

Someone shouted, "D*mn, there are huge bees!"

As a result, the entire playground, with over a thousand people, rushed back in a panicked frenzy.

Tragedy struck as at least dozens of people unfortunate enough to stumble and fall were trampled to death by the crowd.

Several more individuals seemed to have been stung by bees and were lying on the ground, writhing in agony.

Yang Xiao stood within the camp, and as he looked up, he could see hundreds of bee-sized creatures with wings, blotting out the sky, buzzing ominously as they pursued everyone on the playground.

After a moment, the vast majority of people had fled to the safety of the camp within fifty meters of the Gene Store. The hornets pursued them until they reached the edge of the orange light, where they refrained from entering further and instead hovered around the perimeter.

Unlike the mutant ants, the mutant bees were faster, more toxic, and more damaging. Mutated individuals could withstand a sting or two, but ordinary people without mutations couldn't bear it and collapsed after just one bee sting.

"These mutated bees are incredibly fast. Their genetic fragments must contribute to agility attributes, right? Well, it's been a while since I had honey. I'm starting to miss it!" 

Yang Xiao stood and asked Chubby, "Want some honey?"