Chapter 131: The Army of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes

The army of blood-sucking mosquitoes officially bared its fangs to the world. Their debut left everyone who witnessed it in awe. Even Lu Sheng elevated his estimation of the mosquitoes' utility by several tiers in his mind.

Before long, the white-furred monsters that had raided the camp were reduced to desiccated corpses littering the ground. Scattered among them were the carcasses of many mosquitoes, some with their abdomens burst open, staining the earth with the blood of the white-furred creatures.

With the battle over, the ground was littered not only with corpses but also with a vast array of items dropped by the monsters. Lu Sheng had already collected the precious Law Stones while he fought. While the remaining loot was plentiful, it held little value in his eyes. He signaled for Li Kuang and the others to come and gather it, instructing them to bring him anything that seemed unique.

Watching the people standing around hesitant, Lu Sheng asked, "What are you staring at me for? If you killed the monsters that dropped these items, just go pick them up."

Lu Sheng touched his face, feeling puzzled. He didn't look like a bandit, so why were these people afraid to even claim their own spoils?

The tension in the crowd instantly dissolved. Moments ago, they had been terrified to touch the loot, even the items dropped by monsters they had personally slain. But now that Lu Sheng had given the word, their hesitations vanished. They surged forward, excited to claim their share.

Lu Sheng watched them with a faint smile, indifferent to whether they might pocket a little extra. If he were to fret over such trivial gains, life would be far too exhausting. He would have nothing to do all day but calculate losses and profits.

His own harvest from this battle was staggering. Setting aside the uncounted items, he held twenty-three Law Stones alone—fifteen attribute-less and eight with specific elemental properties.

Xiong Dabiao and a few others approached Lu Sheng with complex expressions. They seemed to be struggling with something, hovering on the verge of speaking but holding back.

Lu Sheng looked at Xiong Dabiao with amusement. "What is it? If you have something to say, speak up. Don't be so indecisive; aren't you a man?"

Xiong Dabiao took a breath. "Are you... a monster?"

Lu Sheng was momentarily at a loss for words. "What are you talking about? How could I be a monster?"

"But..." Xiong Dabiao stared at him, his expression conflicted.

Lu Sheng thought for a moment and understood. "Everyone has their own secrets, don't they? Why is it necessary to know so much?"

Seeing the cold, detached look on Lu Sheng's face, Xiong Dabiao felt a chill, realizing he had overstepped. The cliché trope of being silenced for knowing too much flashed through his mind. His expression shifted rapidly. He laughed it off, saying, "Haha, Brother Lu, I meant nothing by it. Just curiosity."

Lu Sheng didn't know what was going through Xiong Dabiao's head, but he was glad the man dropped the subject. Digging deeper would yield no answers and might only damage their rapport.

The conversation naturally drifted away from Lu Sheng’s strength. Everyone present understood that probing into the source of his power would lead to nothing good. Xiong Dabiao quickly recovered. "Brother Lu, what should we do next? This world change happened so suddenly; it caught us all off guard."

Lu Sheng pondered and replied, "There’s nothing to worry about. Things are as they are; the only choice is to kill. The appearance of so many monsters isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, our growth in strength is tied to the number of monsters we face."

"If there are enough monsters, our strength will rise that much faster. Doesn't that just provide us with the power to handle the crises to come?"

Xiong Dabiao found this logic sound. His anxiety began to dissipate. They had survived for years in the apocalypse; this was just a greater trial. Back when the end first began, he had managed to survive without any physical enhancements at all, let alone now, when he was vastly stronger.

Slowly, a sense of battle lust rose within Xiong Dabiao. "You're right, Brother Lu. The appearance of these monsters is our opportunity. The Leaderboard only serves to amplify that chance. As long as we work hard to hunt, our strength will soar!"

...

With thousands of people cleaning the battlefield, the dropped items were quickly sorted. As time passed, the sky darkened completely. Bonfires were lit throughout the camp to hold back the encroaching night. The thousands of corpses piled on the ground were left untouched; typically, such remains would automatically refresh after a day, so no one bothered to clear them. Naturally, this excluded edible monsters, but these white-furred creatures were inedible, and having been drained dry by the mosquitoes, they were useless anyway.

Lu Sheng had returned to his quarters, which were quickly rebuilt by others whenever they collapsed. He reviewed his day's gains while contemplating his next move with the blood-sucking mosquitoes.

The mosquitoes were a force of nature. If they grew strong enough, they could potentially wipe out all life on an entire planet. He had 4.3 million points in his account—enough to purchase forty-three Tier 5 spirit fruits or four hundred and thirty Tier 4 ones. This was sufficient to significantly boost the strength of Li Kuang and his team. However, he didn't rush to distribute them; he wanted to browse the shop first to see if there was anything he needed, such as clone-related items, which he was particularly interested in.

He followed a simple principle: satisfy his own needs first before considering his subordinates. He had gained 23 Source Points, representing twenty-three Tier 6 monsters. He also had a list of special items collected by Li Kuang’s team during the cleanup.

Lu Sheng decided to set the mosquito swarm loose first. Since he had already made up his mind, there was no point in wasting time. The longer they were out there, the more they might bring back. With the wilderness teeming with monsters, there were likely more in the vicinity.

Returning to the open air, he released two million mosquitoes, keeping a few hundred thousand for his own defense. He issued a single command: hunt freely while ensuring their own survival, and eliminate every monster they encountered.

The black cloud of mosquitoes blanketed the sky, spreading out in all directions. Some of the patrolling guards in the camp looked up, confused. One said to his companion, "Do you feel like the sky just got a bit darker?"

The other looked up. It was indeed darker, but he quickly dismissed it, acting aloof. "What's so strange about that? Isn't it just clouds covering the moon?"

"I suppose so." The first man agreed, yet he still felt something was off. The 'clouds' seemed to be moving. Just as he was about to voice his doubt, he slapped his forehead. Clouds were supposed to move; there was nothing odd about that. He was glad he hadn't asked aloud, or he would have been thoroughly embarrassed.