After disposing of the mutated wolfdog, Lin Chen dragged its corpse to the stairwell and quickly cleaned up the bloodstains in the hallway.
His parents were still pale with fear, huddled on the sofa, staring at him as if he were a stranger.
"Xiao Chen... just now..." Lin Jianguo's voice trembled, unable to finish. He had never seen his son so calm and decisive, let alone wield a steel pipe to kill a ferocious beast.
Lin Chen sat across from them, his tone gentle but firm: "Dad, Mom, the world has changed. Those things outside are no longer ordinary animals. From now on, I will protect you."
He didn't explain the attribute panel—no one would believe such a thing right now. Instead, he held up his arm, letting the faint blue interface appear before his eyes.
Host: Lin Chen
Physique: 6 → 7
Spirit: 7
Talent: All Attribute Insight
Skills: None
Status: Healthy
"Just now, when I killed that beast, my physique increased by 1 point." Lin Chen looked at his parents, his eyes sincere, "This is the power I awakened. The more beasts I kill, the stronger I will become."
Wang Xiulan covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face: "My child... you've grown up."
She had always thought her son was still a child who needed protection, but now he stood before her, shielding her from danger.
Lin Jianguo took a deep breath, his gaze gradually hardening: "No matter what happens, our family will stay together. Xiao Chen, we believe in you."
With his parents' trust, a warm current flowed through Lin Chen's body. He knew this was the motivation to keep moving forward.
At that moment, a sharp scream came from the floor below, followed by the sound of shattering glass and beastly roars.
Another mutated beast had appeared.
Lin Chen stood up, picked up the steel pipe again, and looked at his parents: "Stay here, lock the door, and don't make a sound. I'll go deal with it."
"No! You can't go alone!" Wang Xiulan grabbed his hand, her eyes filled with worry.
"Mom, I'm strong enough now." Lin Chen patted her hand gently, "Trust me, I'll be back soon."
He opened the door carefully, listening to the movement downstairs. The attribute panel quickly locked onto the target.
[Mutated Wild Boar: Physique 18, Speed 8, Skill: Charge, Weakness: Eyes, Neck]
Slower than the wolfdog, but stronger and more aggressive. Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, calculating the optimal attack strategy.
He walked down the stairs step by step, the sound of the wild boar's snorting growing closer.
In the corridor on the next floor, a massive mutated wild boar was ramming a family's door, its tusks glinting coldly.
A woman and child huddled inside, crying in fear.
Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He would not let history repeat itself—he would not watch anyone else die before his eyes.
He gripped the steel pipe tightly, took a deep breath, and charged forward silently.
The mutated wild boar noticed him, turned around, let out a low growl, and lowered its head to charge.
"Come on!" Lin Chen shouted, dodging to the side at the last moment, and swung the steel pipe hard at the wild boar's right eye!
"Roar!"
The wild boar let out a painful roar, its eye bursting, blood spurting forth. It went mad, swinging its head wildly, trying to strike Lin Chen.
Lin Chen nimbly dodged its attacks, waiting for an opening. When the wild boar staggered from blood loss, he jumped up and smashed the steel pipe into its neck with all his strength!
"Crunch!"
The sound of cervical vertebrae breaking echoed in the corridor. The mutated wild boar fell to the ground, twitching a few times before dying.
Lin Chen panted heavily, looking at the attribute panel again.
Host: Lin Chen
Physique: 7 → 9
Spirit: 7 → 8
Talent: All Attribute Insight
Skills: None
Status: Slightly Fatigued
Two points of physique and one point of spirit—killing a stronger beast yielded greater rewards.
He looked at the still-trembling door and said in a calm voice: "It's safe now. You can come out."
The door opened a crack, and the woman and child looked at him with gratitude and fear.
"Thank you... thank you so much!" The woman bowed deeply to him, tears in her eyes.
Lin Chen nodded, turned, and walked back upstairs. He knew this was only the beginning. In this new world, only by growing stronger could he protect his family—and more people.