Chapter 0024: Finally Eating Meat

Actually, it's not just the overweight guy who has such doubts—Cheng Chao and the others also want to ask, "Brother Di, are you really a superhero?" But they didn't dare to ask, as they weren't as thick-skinned as the overweight guy. If they angered Di Ping, they might end up seriously hurt, like the dead snake lying on the ground. If it could still be called a snake, it was so torn that it looked more like a torn burlap sack.

Di Ping examined it closely but found no valuable information. He picked up the fallen sword and sliced open the giant snake's head, retrieving a red date-sized, delicate, jade-like orb. This crystal core was larger than any he'd encountered before. Previously, Di Ping didn't have an investigation technique, so he didn't know what level the mutated dog was, but it seemed that this mutated snake was stronger, given Di Ping's earlier condition.

"Damn!"

Di Ping cursed under his breath, taking a step back, his face full of disbelief.

At this moment, a fist-sized green soul energy suddenly rose from the giant snake's body and rushed into Di Ping's body.

The curse was because Di Ping hadn't expected the snake to still be alive after such an intense battle. He had thought the snake should have died already, so the sudden surge of life energy startled him.

"Beep… Soul energy detected. Unable to store. Consuming energy to enhance host's body."

Once again, energy surged inside Di Ping. This time, however, he felt very little enhancement. The flow of energy through his body was weak, and the increase in strength was minimal, practically insignificant. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Brother Di, how should we handle this giant snake?"

Cheng Chao asked as Di Ping stored the crystal core and looked at the snake's corpse.

Di Ping grabbed the snake's tail, took a few steps forward, and with a swift motion, he easily hurled the snake like a rope. It flew about thirty meters, slamming into a tree by the roadside and hanging there, swaying in the breeze.

"Leave it here to intimidate the mutated animals!" Di Ping patted his hands and said with a smile.

The group was stunned. Although they'd already seen Di Ping's strength earlier, witnessing him throw the giant snake so easily still took them by surprise.

"Let's go! We still need to move the gas tanks!"

Di Ping noticed that the others hadn't followed, so he turned back and called out. He could see the admiration in their eyes. Despite everything he'd been through, he still enjoyed the admiration of others. After all, at the core, he was still a young man in his mid-20s.

"Okay, coming!"

The others snapped out of their shock and quickly followed Di Ping back to the shop.

Soon, they emerged again, this time with two gas tanks tied together by ropes, one in each of Di Ping's hands, seemingly weightless. Behind him, only Lao Luo carried the remaining one, while Cheng Chao supported Li Sheng, and the overweight guy, now looking much better, was walking on his own, his steps noticeably lighter.

Under the concerned gaze of Yu Shujie, Di Ping and his group returned to their house, laid Li Sheng on the sofa, then moved the gas tanks into the kitchen. Lao Luo, being familiar with the setup, quickly hooked up the gas stove. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—they could finally eat a hot meal.

Di Ping went to the bathroom to wash off his dirty clothes. The water was running low, so he didn't waste it and simply wiped himself down. To his surprise, all his injuries had healed, even the previously broken ribs were pain-free.

Feeling the surge of power within his body, Di Ping couldn't help but reflect. Though he had sustained serious injuries and almost died, the gains had been significant. He had always thought he would only unlock his potential once the tavern was built, but it had been activated much earlier than expected, and it had reached the B level.

He had been playing this game for quite some time and knew that D and C-level heroes were relatively easy to obtain, while B-level ones were harder. A-level and higher (S and SS) heroes were rare and difficult to obtain, especially through mere refreshing, so most of his S-level heroes were bought with money.

But he wasn't sure if this potential system worked the same way in the real world. He still didn't know where B-level potential stood in terms of rarity, so he could only take things step by step.

Although Di Ping was a bit disappointed that his potential was only B-level, he understood that the differences between potential levels were significant. Higher levels meant a better starting point and greater increases with each upgrade. For instance, D-level upgrades added 1 point, C added 1.5, and B added 2, with the difference growing as you moved up to SS-levels where the increase was 4. This meant that his future development would be greatly influenced by his potential level, and a B-level potential was far from ideal.

However, the biggest gain today was the acquisition of two new skills. One was a talent skill, which he hadn't fully examined yet, and the other was the Investigation skill, which he had already found extremely useful. He felt this skill would be immensely helpful to him in the future.

After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Di Ping returned to the living room, where the group had gathered. The overweight guy was animatedly recounting the battle with the giant snake.

"Didn't you get thrown into the grass by one hit?" Li Sheng interrupted weakly, unable to listen to the exaggerated tale anymore.

"Shut up, you face-stiffened idiot! Are you trying to drive me crazy?" The overweight guy blushed and glared at Li Sheng, gritting his teeth.

Li Sheng, however, remained calm and unbothered. "You can choke on it."

Yu Shujie couldn't help but laugh at Li Sheng's comment, and everyone else joined in. The atmosphere lightened as they all shared a moment of laughter.

"Di Ge!" Cheng Chao, who had been sitting by the window, quickly stood up as soon as he saw Di Ping.

Upon hearing the call, the others stood as well, including Li Sheng, who was half-lying on the sofa. Their eyes were full of respect, genuine admiration without any pretense.

"Alright, sit down! It's fine at home. No need for formalities," Di Ping waved his hand, not wanting to feel too uncomfortable. Then he turned to Li Sheng, who was trying to sit up. "Lie down, you don't have the bulk of Fatty. Stay still."

"Di Ge! I didn't do anything to offend you!" The overweight guy, also caught in the crossfire, protested innocently.

"I was praising you, idiot! That extra weight acts like armor; otherwise, you'd be like Li Sheng, lying around!" Di Ping teased with a laugh.

"Hey, you've got a point! This is an advantage, right? Should I teach you how to gain weight so you don't end up like Li Sheng today?" The overweight guy seemed to take Di Ping's words seriously, flashing a smile as he tried to offer advice to Li Sheng.

Li Sheng rolled his eyes but didn't respond, choosing instead to lie back down.

"Li Sheng, how do you feel? Is there any pain in your internal organs?" Di Ping asked with concern as he noticed the faint look of pain on Li Sheng's face.

"I'm not sure, but it hurts in my chest when I breathe sometimes," Li Sheng answered weakly, not daring to speak loudly.

"It's possible you've injured something. We don't have any doctors here," Di Ping glanced at the others, who also shook their heads. "Try to stay still, and we'll try to find a doctor this afternoon."

"Thank you, Di Ge," Li Sheng struggled to sit up, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"We're brothers. Don't be so formal," Di Ping smiled as he gently pushed Li Sheng back down onto the sofa.

With the gas now hooked up, Yu Shujie prepared a simple meal, and this time, there was meat—stewed lamb with carrots, filling the room with a fragrant aroma. Everyone ate eagerly, savoring the meat, which had been absent for several days. Even the talkative little one was too busy chewing to speak.

Di Ping felt that, as his physical capabilities increased, his need for energy would also grow. Normal food was no longer enough to fill him, and meat would become his primary source of sustenance for the foreseeable future.

After the intense battles in the morning, he was mentally exhausted, particularly after the fight with the giant snake, where he had almost died. But now, with food in his stomach, his body relaxed, and the overwhelming strength he felt earlier was slowly fading. He felt a surge of laziness and knew it was time to rest.

"I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up at two," Di Ping instructed Yu Shujie, who was cleaning the table, before heading to his room.

He lay down, intending to review his newly acquired skills, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep, with no dreams. It wasn't until Yu Shujie knocked on his door that he woke up, feeling fully refreshed. The exhaustion had completely disappeared, and the surge of power returned, filling him with a satisfying energy.

He quickly got up, washed his face, and went to join the others. They were already gathered in the living room, talking casually. As soon as he entered, they all stood and made room for him. Yu Shujie brought him a cup of tea, and the aroma was refreshing.

"Di Ge, what should we do next?" Cheng Chao asked softly.

"We'll clear out the building over there, gather food and water," Di Ping said without looking up, still sipping his tea.

This was part of the plan—there were only two buildings in this community, and once they cleared those, they would move on to the villas. After securing the area, Di Ping would feel safe enough to manifest the structures in his system. He didn't want his secret to be exposed to too many people.