Sighing in frustration, Mo Chen looked around his room—or rather, his cave. The first thing he noted was that the spiritual energy in the air had somewhat diminished. Moreover, he no longer had to focus as much to perceive it, which led him to believe that absorbing even a small amount had increased his affinity toward it.
Focusing elsewhere, he picked up his spear and stepped outside.
Today, he would hunt for meat.
---
Throughout his life, Mo Chen had experienced countless battles. This was mainly due to the fact that both his parents were army generals, and that his mindset had been somewhat… abnormal since birth.
For better or worse, he had killed enough enemy soldiers to earn a ridiculous amount of contribution points, allowing him to purchase the best nanomachine model available for both public and military use.
These nanomachines had many incredible features.
They increased body regeneration speed by nearly ten times.
They optimized digestion to the point where bodily waste was almost nonexistent.
His brain function increased by nearly four times.
His physical strength was pushed far beyond human limits.
Of course, there were dozens of other features, but those were irrelevant.
Now combine that inhuman power with his battlefield experience…
Even juggernauts, a type of super alien that is around 10 times stronger then an average human, had once been nothing more than fresh prey for him.
So one would be greatly surprised to see him struggling against mere lion-sized wolf-like creatures.
---
Dodging a claw slash coming from behind, Mo Chen twisted his body unnaturally, feeling the wind brush past his ribs as the attack barely missed.
Without hesitation, he drove his wooden spear forward.
For some reason, the spear, despite its crude make, slid into the creature's flesh far more easily than expected, piercing deep into the shoulder of one of the beasts. The creature howled, its body jerking violently.
The moment his arm extended, a second wolf seized the opening.
Its jaws clamped down on his right waist.
A dull crunch echoed.
Yet instead of tearing flesh apart, its teeth met resistance.
The wolf paused, seemingly confused as to why its teeth dint pierce the puny human's skin.
Mo Chen grinned.
"Too bad."
Taking advantage of that single moment of hesitation, he released the spear and slammed his fist downward with all his strength.
The impact cracked against the wolf's skull like a hammer hitting wet stone.
The force alone caused the creature's grip to loosen, though not before it managed to tear off a small chunk of flesh from his side.
Pain flared.
Mo Chen's grin widened.
Without hesitation, he drove both his thumbs into the beast's eyes.
A wet, popping sound followed.
The wolf shrieked and thrashed violently, its body convulsing as blood poured from its ruined sockets.
But the fight was far from over.
The first wolf, still impaled, had already recovered enough to act.
With a furious snarl, it launched itself at him.
Mo Chen barely had time to react before he was slammed to the ground, the impact forcing air out of his lungs.
The beast opened its jaws wide, aiming for his head.
Mo Chen shoved his arm into its mouth.
The wolf gagged.
Its teeth scraped against his reinforced skin, unable to pierce deep enough.
"go kill yourself bitch," he muttered.
He twisted his body and kicked it away, rolling to his feet in one smooth motion.
The wolf backed off, circling him slowly, the spear still lodged deep in its shoulder. Blood dripped steadily onto the ground.
The other wolf had collapsed, either unconscious or dead.
Mo Chen exhaled slowly.
"There's a hierarchy among these wolves…"
The previous ones had fled after a brief exchange.
These?
They were stronger. Smarter. More aggressive.
One had eaten his finger.
Another had nearly split him open.
His body was now covered in bruises, cuts, and a deep gash running across his torso.
He cracked his aching knuckles.
"Ah… I might have broken a couple ribs and fingers."
He stood straight.
"Welp… I should finish this now."
The wolf lunged.
"Expected."
Mo Chen stepped back anticipating the trajectory of the maw
But the bite never came.
Instead, a beam of condensed blood shot out from the beast's mouth.
It tore through the air like a lance.
Mo Chen barely managed to shift his body.
The beam pierced straight through his shoulder.
"Ouch."
He blinked.
"That hurt."
Then he laughed madly as the wolf collapsed.
Its chest still moved weakly, but its body had gone limp.
A gamble.
And it lost.
Mo Chen walked forward calmly, retrieved his spear, and ended both beasts without hesitation.
---
Dragging the corpses back to the cave proved easier than expected. Despite their size, they were surprisingly light.
"Efficient design," he muttered.
Inside the cave, the familiar scent of rot lingered, but it no longer bothered him.
He grabbed his tools, crude knives made from stone and fragments of metal he had scavenged, and began the process.
---
The first cut was always the most important.
Mo Chen knelt beside the carcass and pressed his blade into the abdomen.
The skin resisted slightly.
Then gave way.
A warm, metallic smell filled the air as blood began to seep out.
He widened the incision slowly, carefully avoiding puncturing internal organs.
Years of battlefield experience had taught him precision.
His fingers slid inside the opening.
"Ahhh, i almost forgot the feeling of warm blood on my body" he said as he licked his bloody finger before pulling.
With a wet tearing sound, the first organ came loose.
"Messy."
He placed it aside.
One by one, he removed the organs, separating what looked usable from what didn't.
The liver was large and dark.
The intestines, long, coiled, and unpleasant.
He worked methodically, ignoring the blood coating his hands, the smell thickening with every passing minute.
---
Peeling the skin came next.
He made careful cuts along the limbs, then began pulling.
The hide resisted at first, clinging stubbornly to the muscle beneath.
Then it began to separate.
With a sound like fabric tearing.
"Good quality," he noted. "Could be useful."
The muscles beneath were dense, far denser than normal animals, yet at the same time light in weight.
He carved out strips of meat, placing them in neat piles.
By the time he was halfway done, his entire body was covered in blood.
His hands had long since gone numb to the texture.
---
After a couple hours he reached the chest.
Breaking through the ribcage took effort.
He wedged his blade between the bones, applying pressure until the ribs split.
He pried them apart and reached inside.
His hand closed around something.
He paused.
Then slowly pulled it out.
---
A small, irregularly shaped stone.
Mo Chen stared at it, blood dripping from his fingers.
"…Interesting."