Chapter 31: Armored Beast

Chapter 31: Armored Beast

Chen Hu was still at school when Chen Chu made it home. He dropped his backpack onto the sofa and quickly went upstairs.

Having consumed a meal in the morning, the six-horned salamander, which had grown to seventy centimeters, laid on the ground. It quietly stared at Chen Chu with its black-bean-like eyes.

With great anticipation, Chen Chu took the box from the drawer, opened it, and selected one of the three ironclad beetles, placing it in the salamander’s mouth.

"Let's begin."

Boom!

As soon as Chen Chu confirmed his choice, a violent surge of heat erupted like a mountain torrent in the salamander’s body, as the evolutionary energy that had been accumulating within was finally released. Every cell that the energy swept over rapidly split and compressed, becoming even more powerful. Once the ironclad beetle was absorbed, the avatar’s gene sequences began changing, becoming more robust and flawless.

Crack! Crack!

On the smooth and resilient surface of the avatar's body, layers of pale black keratin emerged like scales, growing at a visible speed.

Within Chen Chu, a similar surge of heat appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Compared to the faint sensation during the first time, however, this round of evolutionary energy was increased by more than tenfold. Wherever it went, the strength of his muscles and bones escalated at a formidable pace.

Like the avatar’s, his entire cellular structure continuously divided and compressed. Even his internal organs were growing more powerful, and each individual enhancement was building on the others for an even greater result.

Phew!

After an hour, Chen Chu opened his eyes with a low exhale. They shone like bright black gemstones, exuding a profound and formidable aura. He smiled as he felt the surging power within; this enhancement had exceeded his expectations.

Excited, he summoned the attribute page.

Level: First Heavenly Realm

Physique: 58

Strength: 60

The avatar certainly looked like a fierce mutated creature. It was hard to imagine that it had started as a salamander no larger than a palm.

The sound of a door opening echoed from downstairs. Seeing the backpack on the sofa, Chen Hu called upstairs, "Hey, you're back, bro!"

Chen Chu shouted back down, "Yeah, had something to take care of and left early today. Go ahead and start cooking. I'll be out for a bit."

"Oh."

Chen Chu casually dismissed Chen Hu and rummaged through the wardrobe, taking out an extra backpack. Then, with a shift of his consciousness, he carefully guided the armored beast to climb inside.

Once the armored beast was fully curled up, Chen Chu finally zipped up the backpack. As he lifted it by the straps, they emitted sounds of strain from the heavy load, the weight of which he could immediately feel in his hands.

Based on the feel, Chen Chu estimated that the armored beast weighed at least eighty kilograms, an astonishing heaviness. Thankfully, this weight was nothing for him, with a physique averaging five times that of an ordinary person.

Carefully cradling the backpack to prevent any damage, Chen Chu headed out. He faced the sun and made his way towards the riverbank several hundred meters away.

According to the usual storyline, releasing mutated beasts should be done at midnight, in a stealthy manner, to create the right atmosphere. And then, when returning in the evening, encountering some unexpected event, like a hero saving someone, would fit the narrative even more.

Lost in his thoughts, Chen Chu arrived at the riverbank in no time, following the embankment down below. He glanced around, finding no one nearby. Excellent.

He carefully placed the backpack on the ground, unzipped it, and with a rustling sound, the black mutated beast slipped through the weeds into the river. Gurgling sounds echoed as it released a few bubbles and swam out along the riverbed. Suddenly, an underwater scene unfolded before Chen Chu's eyes.

Here, the armored beast’s vision was slightly blurry. Sunlight, however, still provided about ten meters of visibility in the two-meter-deep waters. Aquatic plants swayed, and small fish darted around. A several-kilogram large fish appeared, frightening the smaller fish into a frenzy.

The armored beast waited until the moment the fish was swimming in front of it to lunge, swiftly catching it. Its terrifying bite force ripped the fish in half with a crunch.

It chewed on the fish as Chen Chu directed it to follow the small waterway towards the mainstream river, dozens of kilometers away.

Deeper and wider waters meant larger fish and an abundance of resources. Out there, the armored beast could go on a killing spree and feast to its heart's content.

It almost felt like the armored beast was reveling in the freedom of the open sky and vast waters. It had been longing for this moment; not only was the room it had been kept in for too long confined, there was always a shortage of food due to Chen Chu’s limited resources. It could have evolved at least ten days earlier if there had been enough to eat, but now it was out.

There was a faint sense of excitement coming from the armored beast as it swam on.