The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu put the reel away and his gaze fell on the Licker's corpse.

He crouched down, placed his hand on the corpse, and activated the decomposition skill.

[Disassemble "Licker (Lv5 Blue)"? Disassembly will take 3 minutes.]

confirm.

A faint light spread from the palm, enveloping the entire corpse. Three minutes later, the corpse vanished into light, leaving behind a few items.

[Received: 5 High-Grade Nutrients]

[Obtained: Mutant Beast Bone (Blue) ×1]

[Decomposition Experience +5]

Su Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

I originally thought that dismantling this monster would only yield nutrients, but I didn't expect to get an extra bone.

[Mutant Beast Bone (Blue)]

[Type: Special Material]

The blue material doesn't specify its intended use, so I'll keep it for now.

Su Mu stuffed the animal bones into his backpack, stood up, and looked in the direction from which the Lickers had rushed out... behind the second building.

He thought about it and decided to go and take a look.

There might be some gains.

Su Mu put his things away, stood up, and glanced around.

At the edge of the distant dense forest, several birds were startled and took flight, flapping their wings and soaring into the sky. A breeze blew from that direction, carrying a faint trace of human presence.

Su Mu glanced in that direction but paid it no mind. He walked around the building and headed towards the back.

........

The edge of a dense forest.

Shen Qingwan and Han Lei's team watched as the Licker charged forward... so fast that they couldn't see it clearly at all, only managing to catch a glimpse of a grayish-white afterimage.

Then, they saw Su Mu draw his gun in the distance.

"A gun?" Sun Lei was taken aback for a moment, but then shook his head. "What's the use of a gun? At this speed, you can't even see it, how are you going to shoot?"

Zhou Xiaojie frowned, silently worrying for Su Mu. Han Lei didn't speak, but his hand trembled slightly through the binoculars... He didn't believe a pistol could handle that level five blue monster.

Shen Qingwan bit her lip hard, her nails digging into her palms. She was thinking the same thing: she had a gun, but the problem was she couldn't hit anything. At that speed, the monster would have already changed position before the bullet even left the barrel.

However, while everyone was still in mourning, Su Mu put his gun away.

Then, a long spear appeared out of thin air in his hand.

"A spear?" Sun Lei's eyes widened. "What's the use of a spear at a time like this? We can't even hit anything with a pistol, and you're going to use a melee weapon for close combat? That's just grasping at straws!"

The others also frowned. Han Lei sighed, having already sentenced Su Mu to death in his heart.

But Shen Qingwan's eyes suddenly changed.

She recalled yesterday when they were searching for the squad that had been attacked by the foreigners, and they passed by the corpses of those cat demons... Each one had been killed with a single blow, the wounds extremely fine and deep, as if they had been pierced through by some sharp weapon.

Now she understood; it was the spear in his hand.

But... Shen Qingwan's heart sank again. It proved the opponent had a certain level of skill with the spear, but could dealing with ordinary cat demons be the same as dealing with this level 5 blue Licker? They had almost been wiped out when fighting a level 2 green monster before. And this Licker was a level 5 blue, with ridiculously high stats.

However, the next moment...

Everyone stared wide-eyed.

Su Mu moved.

They didn't even see how he appeared in front of the Licker. They only saw the spear suddenly thrust upwards, and the Licker, which was three times the size of a normal person, was sent flying into the air!

"He...he flew away?!" Sun Lei's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit a fist.

It wasn't just a simple throw. Su Mu's spear thrust out continuously in the air, so fast that even the afterimages were invisible, but they could still track the trajectory of each strike... flick, stab, point, cut, pierce, turn, and deliver—seven consecutive strikes, flowing smoothly like water.

The licker was completely out of control in mid-air, its limbs flailing wildly and its tongue flicking erratically, but it couldn't touch Su Mu at all. Each time it was pierced by the spear tip, its body trembled violently, and dark red blood exploded in the air.

With his final shot, Su Mu flicked his wrist, sending the Licker's corpse flying nearly ten meters before it crashed into the ruins, raising a cloud of dust.

As for Su Mu himself, the instant the Licker landed, he charged forward again, his spear pointing straight at...

But the monster was already dead.

From beginning to end, the level 5 blue-quality Licker was completely powerless to fight back.

......

A dead silence.

Han Lei's binoculars slipped from his hand and dangled around his neck, dangling back and forth, but he was completely unaware of it.

"Is...is this even human?" Zhou Xiaojie's voice trembled.

No one responded.

Everyone remained silent, staring at the figure standing in the distance with his gun holstered, their minds blank.

After a long silence, Sun Lei finally spoke, his voice dry and hoarse like sandpaper: "He...he killed that Licker all by himself?"

"Level 5," Zhou Xiaojie added, her voice trembling, "blue quality."

"And it was a combo attack that killed him instantly." Han Lei took a deep breath and stuffed the binoculars back into his backpack. "The monster didn't even touch him."

Shen Qingwan didn't speak. She crouched behind the bushes, hugging her knees, her head down, her expression unreadable.

But her heart was beating very fast.

It's not fear, it's... I can't quite put my finger on it.

When she saw Su Mu being charged at by the Lickers through her binoculars, her heart nearly stopped. She thought he was dead. She had even silently mourned for him.

Then she saw him take out a long spear.

Then she saw him send that level 5, blue Licker with 112 points of strength flying like a punching bag.

From beginning to end, the monster was completely powerless to fight back.

Shen Qingwan recalled that when she met Su Mu at the foot of the mountain yesterday, Han Lei asked him if he had any talent.

Now she understands.

He's not without talent. His talent doesn't need to be proven to anyone.

"This guy's strength... is terrifying." Han Lei finally found his voice, his tone filled with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster. "Luckily, we didn't offend him yesterday."

"But..." Sun Lei hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice, "Didn't Vice President Zhao say he was targeting him? He even put a bounty on his coordinates..."

Han Lei's expression changed instantly.

"After we get back, we need to cut ties with Zhao Hongyuan." His voice was deep and unwavering. "We can't afford to offend that man."

The others didn't speak, but they all nodded silently.

Han Lei is right. No matter how strong Zhao Hongyuan is, he's only a level two talent user, and his subordinates are all level two as well. But Su Mu... he can single-handedly kill a level five blue monster.

Offending someone like that is tantamount to courting death.

Moreover, they have already established a preliminary trading relationship with Su Mu... Shen Qingwan exchanged the Ghost Fire blueprint for a Level 2 Breakthrough Talisman. Although it wasn't a big deal, it at least established a connection.

This connection must be carefully maintained.