Dan Heng and March 7th didn't even have time to be surprised by the strength Caelus had just displayed, because the remaining Antimatter Legion soldiers were already shrieking and charging toward them.
However, they had barely taken a few steps before several more sharp, whistling sounds cut through the air.
A few more disposable chopsticks streaked down the corridor, embedding themselves precisely in the heads of the soldiers. The Legionaries froze in place as cracks spread across their skulls, then toppled rigidly to the ground, their life-force extinguished.
Caelus lowered his throwing arm, his gaze fixed on the remains of the fallen soldiers.
There were no experience orbs, like those that dropped from slain mobs in MC.
This observation made him frown slightly. In MC, killing monsters would drop gleaming green experience orbs, an essential resource for enchanting and repairing equipment. But these Antimatter Legion soldiers left nothing behind, just a clean floor.
Was it a problem with the chopsticks, or did these unfamiliar monsters simply not drop anything?
Caelus thought for two seconds and made a decision: he had to try a different method of killing.
Experience was far too important in the MC system; a huge part of his progression was tied to it. If these things really didn't drop any, he needed to know as soon as possible so he could figure out a new plan.
Caelus pulled the baseball bat from his inventory. Gripping it in one hand, he charged forward.
March 7th was standing a few meters behind Dan Heng, her bowstring fully drawn. A figure suddenly flashed past in her peripheral vision. She turned her head just in time to see Caelus already several steps ahead.
"Caelus! It's dangerous! Just stay back!"
Her shout was drowned out by the clang of metal.
Caelus didn't turn back. In a few strides, he was beside Dan Heng just as an Antimatter Legion soldier lunged at them, claws outstretched. Caelus planted his feet, his waist and hips powering his shoulders and arms. The tip of the baseball bat drew a vicious arc through the air.
With a heavy, sickening thud, the bat connected squarely with the soldier's chest.
A sharp cracking sound echoed out. The Antimatter Legion soldier was launched off its feet, tumbling twice in mid-air before slamming heavily into the alloy wall at the end of the corridor. The massive impact smashed a person-sized crater into the wall, sending dust and debris raining down.
The bowstring slipped from March 7th's fingers. Her bow drooped, her mouth hanging open, unable to form words.
Caelus himself froze for a second, holding his post-swing pose with both hands still on the bat's handle. He looked sideways at the crater in the wall, then down at the baseball bat in his hands.
He knew he was strong. The buff called [Steve] provided an absurd boost, converting the entire mass of his inventory into physical power, but he hadn't expected it to be this ridiculous in a real fight!
Then again, the more ridiculous, the better!
After all, who wouldn't want to play this game called 'reality online' with cheat codes enabled?
But what truly concerned him wasn't his own strength.
His gaze quickly locked onto the Antimatter Legion soldier embedded in the wall. It was completely dead, its body slowly disintegrating. And as the cracks spread, several gleaming green orbs of light separated from its body, floating gently to the ground and emitting a soft glow.
He would recognize that sight anywhere. They were without a doubt the experience orbs from MC!
Caelus let out a breath, his grip on the bat loosening slightly.
So, the issue before was the disposable chopsticks. It was probably because the chopsticks, as projectiles, didn't conform to MC's rules, so the source of the damage wasn't attributed to him.
Now that he knew experience orbs existed, everything was simple!
He flexed his wrist and turned to face the other Antimatter Legion soldiers still pouring into the corridor, his feet once again moving.
The ensuing battle became an extremely simple yet brutally efficient, assembly-line operation.
Dan Heng stood at the front with his spear. Every time a soldier lunged, he would sidestep and parry, his spear catching the enemy's claws and deflecting its attack with ease.
And in that brief moment the soldier was off-balance, Caelus would have already circled around to its side or back. He'd leap into the air, baseball bat held high over his head, and bring it down viciously on the soldier's skull.
Every swing was accompanied by a dull crack and a spray of debris.
March 7th stood at the rear, drawing her bow several times. But before she could ever line up a shot, Caelus's bat would have already fallen.
She silently lowered her bow, watching Caelus run back and forth with a complicated look on her face.
It's almost like she's not even needed... but why does he have to jump every time he hits a soldier? That's so weird.
The last soldier was forced back half a step by Dan Heng's spear. Before it could regain its footing, Caelus's bat swung in from the side, sending it flying. Several more green orbs appeared on the ground. Caelus immediately walked over and, as if spotting a dollar bill on the street, stomped on them.
The experience orbs flowed up Caelus's leg and were absorbed into his body. An experience bar subsequently appeared at the bottom of his vision.
A moment later, the corridor was completely silent.
"We finally got them all! Nice work, Caelus!"
March 7th wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. Even though she had been providing covering fire from the back the whole time, continuously drawing her bow and aiming to avoid hitting Caelus's rear end was still tiring work. Her arms were already aching.
"It was nothing."
March 7th grinned and held up a hand. Caelus looked at it, then very cooperatively raised his free left hand and gave her a high-five with a crisp smack.
Dan Heng didn't approach immediately. He walked the length of the corridor, prodding the remains of the soldiers with the tip of his spear to confirm they were all inactive before retracting his weapon and rejoining the other two.
He stopped in front of Caelus. After a two-second silence, he asked a question he had already asked once before.
"You really don't remember anything?"
There was no accusation in his tone, but his gaze remained fixed on Caelus. The craters from the baseball bat, the cracked alloy walls, the one-shotted Antimatter Legion soldiers—a person with this kind of power could not possibly be an ordinary person. And Caelus's earlier story about being woken up by two strange women on the space station sounded far too bizarre.
Caelus met his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
"I really don't remember anything."
His tone was calm. There was no evasion, no further explanation.
Dan Heng held his gaze, then looked away. He didn't press the matter, simply giving a slight nod and gesturing for them to move on.
The three continued down the corridor.
As they passed the scattered remains of the Antimatter Legion, Dan Heng and March 7th's steps didn't falter. They walked right past them, assuming a specialized team from the station would come to clean up the mess later.
But the footsteps behind them suddenly stopped.
March 7th turned around to see Caelus had stopped again.
He was squatting beside the corpse of an Antimatter Legion soldier, using his baseball bat to methodically tap at its joints. The sound of cracking bone echoed in the hallway as he picked up the dislodged parts piece by piece and stuffed them into his inventory.
Then came the second corpse, and the third.
He broke each one down into pieces, then squatted down to rummage through the remains, stuffing all the fragments and debris indiscriminately into his bag.
March 7th's expression shifted from confusion to bewilderment, and from bewilderment to a strange, hard-to-describe expression.
"Cae... Caelus... what are you doing?"
Caelus didn't look up, his hands never stopping. While stuffing a piece of broken carapace into his inventory, he replied, "Gathering materials! The drops from monsters can be used to craft new gear. Isn't that standard procedure?"
His tone was completely matter-of-fact, as if stating a self-evident truth.
The corner of March 7th's mouth twitched.
"...This isn't a game," she muttered under her breath, not sure if Caelus even heard her.
She turned and shot a look at Dan Heng, who was waiting up ahead.
The meaning in her eyes was crystal clear: See? I told you there's something wrong with his head.
Dan Heng raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He shook his head silently, waiting until the rustling sounds of Caelus stuffing his bag finally stopped before speaking.
"Let's go!"