Chapter 131: Natural Selection, Deep Sea Monster

Chapter 131: Natural Selection, Deep Sea Monster

In the courtyard, Chen Hu was arranging fishing hooks. When he looked up and noticed the smile on Chen Chu's face, he couldn't help but be curious. "Bro, what are you smiling about?"

Chen Chu casually replied, "Nothing much, just had something good to eat on the way back. By the way, how was your catch today?"

As he quickly changed the subject, Chen Hu, who had recently gotten hooked on fishing, brightened up with excitement. "I caught another big fish today, 1.3 meters long and weighing 38 kilograms."

"That's impressive." Chen Chu was somewhat surprised. "How much did you sell it for?"

"I didn't sell this one. I'm keeping it for us to eat on your birthday in a couple days." Chen Hu chuckled.

"Well, let's eat it in a couple of days then." Chen Chu suddenly paused for a moment before asking, "Ah Hu, do you want to try mutated beast meat?"

The fish from Chen Hu’s catches were slightly mutated, but they couldn’t be counted as mutated beasts. The meat quality was only slightly better than normal fish.

"Of course!" Chen Hu's eyes lit up, but then he hesitated. "But Bro, mutant beast meat is expensive, and they say ordinary people shouldn't take eating it lightly."

"It's okay. After the new year, the school’s organizing a big sweep to clear out the mutant beasts in the nearby mountains. I’ll be participating, so I can bring back some mutated beasts with milder flesh."

With Chen Chu's current strength, ordinary mutated beasts were almost nothing before him. That purge mission was a prime opportunity for him to harvest contribution points.

The next two days passed by in a flash, without any major events happening. As the New Year approached, holiday decorations went up everywhere, and the festive atmosphere became stronger. Various television stations also began to broadcast highlights of the upcoming New Year's Eve programs.

Soon, it was January 13th, Chen Chu's birthday. Zhang Xiaolan had taken the day off for the occasion, and went to the market early in the morning to get a lot of vegetables as sides for the big fish Chen Hu had caught. The whole family was busy, including Chen Chu, who was responsible for the vegetables.

Chen Chu's family wasn’t very large. His father had had only one cousin, and most of their elders had died in the chaotic beginning of the New Era.

After the Federation was established, Chen Chu's father and his cousin had been raised by their only surviving grandmother, who had passed away many years ago.

As for Zhang Xiaolan, she had only an uncle left in the countryside from her side’s older generations. Her parents had passed away several years ago, both dying of illness.

Since the start of the New Era, the incidence of illness had increased significantly worldwide. Sometimes, even a severe cold could lead to the deterioration of organ functions and death.

This situation had caused great panic in society during the first two years of the New Era, but eventually, scientists had gradually discovered some patterns.

These complications were more likely to occur in people with weak physiques, or who were already seriously ill. There were usually symptoms before the onset of the illness, and once these symptoms appeared, it was crucial to go to the hospital promptly for immunity boosts.

The root cause was related to transcendent energy. Although ordinary people couldn't cultivate, their bodies still absorbed and expelled trace amounts of the energy as if it was oxygen. Under certain conditions, the influence of the transcendent energy could trigger slight mutations in the human body, such as improved physique and enhanced immune systems.

However, there were also times where the mutations went in the opposite direction, leading to death.

The medical community had no way to solve this situation completely, so they could only try to detect and prevent it as early as possible. Just like with the mutated beasts, it was the process of natural selection. Life unable to adapt to the New Era would eventually go extinct.

Thankfully, the number of deaths from these mutations was low enough that they weren’t causing an unbearable strain on the human population. It was simply one of the factors contributing to slow population growth.

The kitchen table was filled with over a dozen dishes. After excitedly pouring a cup of rice wine for Chen Chu and Zhang Xiaolan, Chen Hu stood up cheerfully and said, "Brother, I wish you a happy birthday, and may you become the strongest martial arts cultivator soon."

Zhang Xiaolan also held up her wine glass, her gaze tender. "Ah Chu, Mom also wishes you smooth sailing on your future path, success in your studies, and safety."

Receiving the blessings of the only two family members he had in this world, Chen Chu also stood up, smiling as he raised his glass. "Thank you, Ah Hu, Mom. I'm very happy today. Don't worry, I will study and cultivate diligently to make our Chen family better and better."

With that, he emptied his cup of rice wine in one gulp. Originally, Chen Hu had wanted to buy white wine, but Zhang Xiaolan had sternly refused, as underage people weren’t allowed to drink alcohol.

"Alright, let's eat. Everyone has been busy all morning making this."

The Fiery Beast let out a ferocious roar, as its vitality started to boil, and a terrifying aura erupted to engulf its body. Its tail suddenly swung, and the sea exploded.

Boom!

The Fiery Beast tore through the seawater like a black arrow, arriving in front of the monster almost double its size in a blink.

Just then, the mouths on the tentacles emitted infant-like cries.

Ah... Boom!

The invisible low-frequency vibrations turned into tangible sound waves, their power skyrocketing as the water ahead of it shattered and exploded.

The intense shock was enough to stagger even the Fiery Beast. Then, with a bang, its body burst through the water and shot out to the side.

In the instant the Fiery Beast had moved, the monster’s two sharp claws swept past where it had just been. They emitted a black light, leaving eight pitch-black cracks that lingered in the water where the claws passed.

Hundreds of meters away, the Fiery Beast watched this scene with a rare serious expression in its eyes.

This monster was powerful, bizarre, and extremely cunning. First, it had provoked the Fiery Beast with invisible vibrations to lure it into a counterattack, then surged its power to transform the vibrations into a concentrated shockwave the moment the beast came into proximity.

Most opponents would have been severely injured or even killed by such a tactic. Even if they survived it, there were still the sharp and bizarre claws to contend with.

But you’re not the only one with such capabilities.

The beast’s cold pupils contracted slightly, and the fiery energy within its body circulated. In an instant, its muscles swelled, especially its hind legs and tail...

Boom!

The water behind the Fiery Beast exploded as it lunged forward, forming a vacuum wave that burst out dozens of meters.

With its extraordinary speed, the Fiery Beast almost teleported across a distance of two hundred meters, turning into a black beam of light and flashing through the deep sea.

Under its terrifying speed, even the monster, which had just had the upper hand, showed a look of surprise. The giant claws instinctively crossed to block in front of its head.

Behind it, the tentacles that opened like a flower emitted even more screams.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Under the terrifying sonic shock, the Fiery Beast’s entire exoskeleton vibrated, and the surrounding water shattered and exploded.

Roar!

Ignoring the terrifying shockwaves, the Fiery Beast let out a ferocious roar as it came directly in front of the monster. Its claws raised high, and the boundless power within it converged.

Boom!

With its hundredfold strength, the Fiery Beast unleashed a move akin to the Raging Elephant Stomp. The condensed power erupted like it had materialized, causing the water ahead to explode to the point of leaving behind a pitch-black vacuum.

Under such terrifying power, the monster's claws were instantly shattered. While it had tilted far enough to avoid its head getting struck, the same couldn’t be said for its body.

Boom!

Large pieces of the monster's heavy scales shattered, its chest collapsed, and its huge body was pushed back dozens of meters by the impact, causing the surrounding water to run wild. In one blow, it was mortally injured.