The faint glow of the cigarette flickered in the darkness of the pipe.
Behind him, the men exchanged glances.
No words.
Just intent.
They picked up stones… steel pipes… whatever they had.
Then—
They rushed forward.
---
Footsteps thundered through the narrow passage, echoing off metal walls. Their eyes locked onto that tiny burning point—the cigarette.
Closer.
Closer.
One of them raised his pipe high.
"Now!"
They swung down with all their strength—
Clang!!
A deafening metallic sound exploded in the tunnel.
"AHH—!"
Several of them screamed instantly, their hands going numb, bones nearly cracking from the impact. The force rebounded straight through their arms.
"What the—?!"
One of them dropped his weapon, confused, reaching out to feel the wall.
Cold.
Metal.
His hand brushed the cigarette—wedged into a crack.
Realization hit.
His face twisted.
"It's a—"
---
A blinding light snapped on.
From the side.
Right into their eyes.
They froze.
Li Qinwu stood there calmly, flashlight in his left hand… pistol already raised in his right.
The muzzle pointed straight at them.
No hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Gunfire ripped through the pipe.
Screams echoed—then cut short.
Silence returned.
---
Back in his hideout, Li Qinwu moved as if nothing had happened.
He lit incense.
Set candles.
Placed them neatly beside the shrine.
Then he poured a small bottle of cooking oil—about 150 ml—into the shrine.
The system responded instantly.
Holy oil production started.
Twelve hours.
He nodded slightly.
Even though this planet hadn't shown signs of Chaos yet… in this universe, Chaos was everywhere. Invisible. Patient.
Preparation meant survival.
---
After that, he trained.
Push-ups.
Squats.
Running in place with weight.
Over and over.
Sweat soaked his body, breath growing heavier with each repetition until finally—
He stopped.
Panting.
Exhausted.
He checked his stats.
Stamina… increased.
Energy… increased.
A small improvement—but in this world, even one point could mean the difference between life and death.
---
He wiped himself down, opened the food bucket, and forced down a few mouthfuls of that tasteless paste.
Then he collapsed onto the bed.
Sleep came quickly.
---
When he woke up again, the room felt different.
Quiet.
He walked over to the shrine.
The incense had burned out.
The candles were gone.
And in their place—
Holy oil.
He picked it up carefully and stored it away.
Then, without wasting time, he lit another incense stick, added more oil, and restarted production.
Always preparing.
Always stacking advantages.
---
This time, when he stepped outside… it wasn't for survival.
It was for profit.
---
At the black market shop, he didn't waste time.
"Shotgun. Fifty rounds. Helmet. Five detonators. Two smoke grenades."
The Nepalese merchant smiled faintly and gestured.
Moments later, everything was brought out.
"Five hundred."
Li Qinwu paid.
He inspected the shotgun.
Crude.
Heavy.
Made from thick water pipes.
No rifling. No precision.
But at close range?
Devastating.
---
He strapped on the helmet next.
Cheap, pressed fiber.
Low durability.
Almost useless against real weapons—but good enough for gang fights.
---
"Where's the reactor?" he asked.
The merchant's smile deepened.
Ah… so his customer was going hunting.
A simple map was handed over.
At the same time—
Ding. New map detected: Reactor.
The description flashed through his mind.
Underground.
Tight spaces.
Dark corridors.
A chemical plant turned battlefield.
---
"One more thing," the merchant added.
"Be careful. The Chemical Gang controls… things."
"Chemical dogs."
Drugged.
Broken minds.
Unpredictable.
Li Qinwu nodded once.
Then left.
---
He followed the map through winding tunnels.
The path twisted like a maze.
Then—
A countdown appeared.
Deploying… Reactor…
His vision blurred.
The world shifted.
---
When it cleared, he was inside.
A massive structure.
Five levels.
Metal everywhere.
And at the center—
A towering reactor, stretching from top to bottom like a steel spine.
---
Li Qinwu didn't move immediately.
He listened.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Laughter.
All below.
First floor.
---
He was on the fifth.
Quietly, carefully, he began to descend.
Step by step.
Silent.
Controlled.
---
By the time he reached the second floor, voices became clear.
"If we take the reactor…"
"…we control everything…"
"…crush the Fertilizer Gang…"
He crouched near the stairs and looked down.
A group.
Eleven men.
Gathered around a burning barrel.
Roasting meat.
Laughing.
High.
Completely unaware.
---
Li Qinwu's eyes scanned them once.
Weapons—crude.
Formation—tight.
Perfect.
---
He pulled out two detonators.
Lit them.
Counted silently.
Then—
He tossed them into the center of the group.
---
The men didn't even react.
Too high.
Too slow.
---
BOOM!!!
The explosion tore through the floor.
Metal screamed.
Dust filled the air.
Bodies were thrown apart.
Seven died instantly.
The rest writhed—bleeding, broken… dying seconds later.
Only one remained.
Screaming.
Crawling.
---
Li Qinwu walked down calmly.
The man looked up, eyes full of madness.
"You're dead… Mother will—!"
Boom.
The shotgun roared.
Silence.
---
He began looting.
Then paused.
A syringe.
Unusual.
He checked it.
A grin spread across his face.
Valuable.
Very valuable.
Medicine base material.
This… was worth more than the bounty.
---
He searched all the bodies.
Eleven syringes.
One gas bomb.
Not bad.
Not bad at all.
---
He crouched, pulling out his knife.
Time to collect proof.
The tattoos.
---
Then—
A sound.
Heavy.
Slow.
Thump…
Thump…
The walls trembled.
Metal groaned.
Something massive was coming.
---
BOOM!!
A wall shattered.
Debris exploded outward.
And through it—
A monster stepped in.
---
Huge.
Grotesque.
Over two meters tall.
Just as wide.
Layers of fat… nailed with metal plates.
A pig-faced mask.
Breathing heavily.
Violent.
Unstable.
---
A Chemical Pig.
---
It roared.
A sound full of rage and madness.
Then charged.
---
Li Qinwu's scalp tingled instantly.
No hesitation.
He turned—
And ran.
---
Behind him, the monster followed.
Fast.
Too fast.
Each step shook the structure.
Closer.
Closer.
---
Li Qinwu's heart pounded.
If this continues… I'm dead.