Chapter 1: A New Beginning Seeking Red Tickets and Favorites

  The sun has not yet risen, the sky is dimly lit and it's early dawn. On the highway, you can see cars that are no longer operational, some of which still look intact, while others have only a charred black frame left. The ground is stained with dark bloodstains, and scattered around are remnants of corpses and bones. On both sides of the road, the fields are covered with withered yellow grass and straw, stained with the white frost from last night. The entire space is desolate, barren, and eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life.

  A robust man, over 180 centimeters tall, was walking on the highway, his speed not slow at all. On the contrary, due to the large frequency of his strides, his speed was not slower than that of ordinary running. The two large bags on his back seemed to have no impact on him, and he appeared relaxed and effortless as he walked.

  Liang Jing wore a brown leather jacket and didn't feel cold, taking a deep breath and exhaling white mist. The world seemed to be left with only his own breathing sound, and the desolate landscape in front of him was eerily silent. Even the ferocious mutated creatures that roamed at night seemed to have retreated to rest, while those that came out during the day to hunt for food had yet to emerge. The entire world seemed like a dead zone, and Liang Jing felt an unprecedented sense of desolation, tranquility, and loneliness in his heart. If it were someone else standing alone here, they would probably find a corner to curl up in and shiver with fear.

  Liang Jing wouldn't, this is a conviction from the power. For ordinary people, there's no need to go out and take risks; but for him, the "danger" outside is the source of strengthening his power, only by killing monsters can his power increase, and at a faster speed, besides, with Liang Jing's current situation, it's already rare for the outside world to pose a threat to his life, getting injured isn't a problem either, even if he can't win, escaping is still an option.

  As long as he continues like this, his strength will continue to increase and grow stronger. Therefore, when it comes to fighting against mutated monsters that others can't even avoid, Liang Jing is more than happy to take the initiative. As long as he keeps finding and killing mutated monsters, his strength will continue to rise, and his combat experience will become richer. Even Liang Jing himself doesn't dare imagine what kind of existence he'll become in the future. What's the point of taking even more lives? I was a butcher from the start.

  Looking at the different weeds on the side of the road, which were unlike those commonly seen before, the changes in this world had only just begun. All living things could undergo mutations and become different from what they once were, but surviving and returning home was the only thought in Liang Jing's mind.

  "Let's go." Liang Jing had a sturdy canvas bag slung over his shoulder, packed tightly with bundles, and the backpack he wore was bulging with an obvious abundance of items. A short knife hung at his waist, and he muttered to himself silently.

  Embark on a new journey, target victory Steel Ball Factory.

  It's been a day since they parted ways with Yang Yuanyuan, and the canvas bag was only found later. Inside were chunks of steel-backed beast meat. Yes, Liang Jing had originally wanted to take the steel-backed beast's corpse for its fur, but later changed his mind and decided to keep the meat as well. After eating it once, Liang Jing couldn't bear to throw it away. The steel-backed beast was a mutated evolution of domestic dogs, and its meat was not only more tender than that of pre-mutation dogs, but also more fragrant and chewy. Moreover, its larger size made it seem like there was more meat and less bone. Have you ever tried dog meat that's even bigger in chunks than pork?

  As the saying goes: When winter arrives, dog meat becomes plump. Dog meat is at its best during the cold winter months, and it's a great supplement to eat along with mutton. Not only is the meat tender and fragrant, but it's also rich in nutrients and produces a lot of heat, making it an excellent choice for warming up during the cold weather. The mutated beast's meat is even more potent than dog meat before the mutation, making it an indispensable top-grade ingredient in this world where nighttime temperatures drop drastically after the mutation.

  Of course, this is not the main reason why Liang Jing left behind the steel-backed beast meat. The main reason is that the steel-backed beast meat is very beneficial to the body. It has a good effect on supplementing physical energy and strength, and after exhaustion, it can quickly replenish physical strength and energy. Most importantly, it can also increase physical strength, even Liang Jing's current robust physical quality can feel the enhancing effect of steel-backed beast meat on physical strength.

  Although it's not a big deal for Liang Jing, who can kill monsters and get white spiritual light, he feels that throwing it away would be a waste. He decides to clean and chop the meat, removing most of the bones, which are bigger than those of a pig. As a butcher, Liang Jing is skilled at cutting meat, and he uses salt to marinate it. However, he still feels that something is missing, so he adds various seasonings such as Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger to stew the meat. He discovers that the meat is incredibly tough, which makes sense given that it comes from a Steel Spine Beast, a high-level monster. The meat is not easy to eat, unlike pork, and ordinary people might find it unpalatable. Liang Jing continues to stew the meat for a long time, then uses fire to dry and roast it to prevent spoilage. After this process, the meat becomes much tenderer, making it suitable for eating directly or slicing and re-cooking into a delicious dish.

  Carrying several hundred pounds of goods, Liang Jing was still effortlessly light, the night before last, fighting non-stop for a whole night, all aspects of strength were greatly improved, even breaking through the original difficult-to-improve shackles. Body quality data: Liang Jing: Strength: 11 (1), Agility: 11 (1), Constitution: 11 (1), Spirit: 10 (1).

  His physical quality had already reached the sum of 11 ordinary people's abilities, and one night it broke through its shackles and increased by two ordinary people's physical qualities. To know that this was not easy at all, at the beginning, Liang Jing's physical quality improved rapidly under white light, which was due to his body's hunger for over twenty years. Once it reached a certain level of saturation, it would slow down and become a normal speed of gradual improvement, just like when people are hungry and eat their fill, as long as they are still in the growth stage, their physical strength will still slowly improve. Think about how many mutant monsters Liang Jing killed overnight, which can be counted in thousands, constantly absorbing the life source (white spiritual light) of the monsters, but his physical quality did not change and remained at 9 ordinary people's physical qualities, only after absorbing the life source (white spiritual light) of the green elite steel-backed beast and evolving to awaken was he able to break through and grow to 11. It can be imagined how difficult it was.

  Moreover, when Yang Yu Yuan broke through to become an Awakened, his physical quality only increased by that of a normal person's, at least Liang Jing was twice as much as him, and still had the constraint of breaking through.

  Liang Jing is now in a good mood, the environment is better than being locked up in a "small black room" and there is no significant negative impact. After a whole day of rest, his spirit is even better, with both hands clenched, he can feel the powerful strength, which should not be weaker than that of the Green Elite Steel Spine Beast. He has a desire to fight against the Steel Spine Beast again, with his strong power, he is like a beast in human form, always ready for battle and slaughter.

  *sigh*...

  He glanced at the short knife hanging from his waist, a trusted companion that had been with him since the beginning of his battles. The fight against the green elite steel beast had proven its worth, but facing the enemy's tenacious defense was so powerless that it almost cost him his life. However, looking at his current physical data at 11 o'clock, he was close to reaching strength level 15, just four times the total strength of an ordinary person, and he would be able to equip the golden giant sword "Baroque's Sorrow" soon. Liang Jing's heart was filled with anticipation...

  In his heart, Liang Jing's mood became better and better, looking forward to the future more and more. The feeling of parting with Yang Yuanyuan and others had long since disappeared without any attachment in his heart. Mainly because of the awakening of innate abilities, Liang Jing has now become an Awakened...

  It seems like even his body has grown taller by quite a bit.