I Can See Experience Points

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: [Zhao Lei’s Mission Report]

While He Xiaotian was busy stuffing his face with meat and chugging... water.

Zhao Lei was carried out by Director Huang and his men, the pig’s head he was clutching to his chest conveniently ignored.

The officers, having no experience with handling anomalous incidents, had no idea if they should move it.

So, they simply ignored it.

In the hospital, Zhao Lei slowly came to.

The first thing he saw was the Pig Grudge’s head. Its ferocious, death-frozen expression, combined with its single eye, nearly scared the piss out of him.

He started screaming, which brought a crowd of people running.

Only then did he discover that the pig’s head on his chest wasn’t alive.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but that was quickly followed by a wave of embarrassment.

Director Huang was old and shrewd; of course he could read the awkward atmosphere in the room.

He called some men over to carry the pig’s head away.

He then explained why they had gone to the slaughterhouse in the first place.

He also told him about the incident with the note.

”We ran our tests. There were no fingerprints on it. The bloodstains in the workshop were cleaned up. Except... except for...” Director Huang couldn’t seem to find the right words to describe the pig’s head.

He tactfully avoided mentioning Zhao Lei lying naked in broad daylight.

He was afraid the agent from the special task force might kill him to shut him up.

”I understand, Director Huang. I need to get back there right away. Just dealing with one Pig Grudge isn’t enough!” Zhao Lei didn’t dwell on the mystery person. Who it was wasn’t important; what mattered was that the Pig Grudge incident at the slaughterhouse was, for the most part, resolved.

But they hadn’t fully inspected the Zhongcheng Slaughterhouse yet. If that fissure still existed, it wouldn’t be long before a second Pig Grudge emerged!

A little over an hour later, Zhao Lei, nursing a headache, sent his mission report to the Academy and the Operations Department.

[Source of the Z County Biting Outbreak: Pig Grudge.]

Characteristics: Unknown. However, based on evidence at the scene, it possessed immense strength and could wield an unidentified melee weapon, most likely a hammer covered in sharp spikes.

Supernatural Abilities: Intense Carnivorous Craving. According to the Z County Police Department’s investigation, most people who consumed meat products from the Zhongcheng Slaughterhouse developed an intense craving for meat. If no edible meat is available, they will suddenly attack and attempt to bite and consume humans.

It can corrupt and infect normal humans, turning them into puppets under its control. These puppets exhibit drastically increased strength and speed and are proficient at slitting throats.

Origin: Unknown. It is highly probable that energy leaking from a Netherworld fissure caused the slaughterhouse’s malevolent aura to congeal, thereby creating this resentful entity. However, I did not find any such fissure after a thorough inspection. I suspect it has already been dealt with by someone else.

[Mysterious Individual: X.]

Characteristics: Immense strength; the Pig Grudge’s puppets were no match for him. His body is extremely durable—a butcher knife imbued with resentful energy created sparks upon striking him. He appears to control fire/heat; steam was generated when he crushed the puppets’ skulls. According to the police forensics team, the puppets’ heads were hollow, as if all matter inside had been vaporized.

Appearance: Dressed entirely in black, wearing a face mask, with the letter ’X’ on his clothing. Approximately 1.8 meters tall. Based on his voice, he is likely a young man between 20 and 25 years of age.

Attitude: Friendly. At the very least, he helped us eliminate the Pig Grudge.

Identity: Unknown. We only exchanged a few words, making it impossible to ascertain his identity. However, we can confirm he is likely a local from Z County. His words indicated that one of his relatives was a victim, which is why he was investigating the source at the Zhongcheng Slaughterhouse.

Assessment: An individual with three distinct abilities. Possesses immense potential.

Recommendation: Recommend recruitment. He could be a great asset in contributing to the peace and safety of our society.

Zhao Lei knew he would get an earful from his superiors when he submitted these two reports, but the fallout probably wouldn’t be too severe.

The report on the Pig Grudge was almost entirely speculation, with next to nothing concrete.

But on the other hand, he had recommended recruiting the mysterious X.

The information on him was fairly complete; at the very least, he had deduced that one of X’s relatives was a victim of the Pig Grudge.

Following that trail, how could they possibly fail to find him?

With a lead like that, the chewing-out probably wouldn’t be too bad.

His only regret was passing out in front of the cold storage area.

Otherwise, he could have witnessed the full extent of the mysterious X’s power firsthand.

But the fact that this guy had enough energy left over after a major battle to clean up the scene and erase all his traces...

...proved just how powerful he was!

This was incredibly frustrating for Zhao Lei.

’Did he really need to be that cautious?’

’It’s not like we were going to eat him or something!’

What Zhao Lei didn’t know was that he still got chewed out something fierce in the end.

Because when the organization followed up on his lead, they came up with absolutely nothing.

The poor guy had no idea that He Xiaotian’s father had been tied up at home the entire time and had never been to a hospital.

So his information was both right and wrong.

Meanwhile, a satisfied He Xiaotian was leaving the all-you-can-eat buffet, conveniently ignoring the five or six waiters collapsed in empty chairs.

And the manager, who looked like he was attending a funeral.

’One person ate eighty percent of the restaurant’s food, leaving nothing for so many other customers. Is his stomach from the 2D world or something?’

’Even with amazing digestion, shouldn’t you have to go to the bathroom to make some more room?’

These and other questions lingered in the minds of the staff.

But on the drive home, He Xiaotian, much like Zhao Lei, was wrestling with a problem of his own.

’What on earth was he going to say?’

’He couldn’t just walk in and say, ”I solved it, Dad’s fine now.”’

’You solved it?’

’How did you solve it?’

’Lying to his mom and the others that he’d brought back some miracle cure from the hospital was even more impossible.’

’His uncle had connections at the hospital; he probably knew more about the real situation than Xiaotian did.’

”Forget it. I’ll just play it by ear.”

On the way, He Xiaotian reflected on his fight with the Pig Grudge.

In a word: green.

’He had no idea how to fight properly; he’d just bulldozed his way to victory through sheer recklessness.’

’If he hadn’t killed those ten butchers for a thousand Experience Points and decisively upgraded his *Fire-refined Golden Body*, he probably would’ve been hammered into a pulp, blow by blow, by the Pig Grudge’s Big Hammer long ago.’

’Stacking the thickest armor wasn’t wrong, and taking the most vicious beating wasn’t wrong either.’

’But he’d completely forgotten how to fight back.’

’He couldn’t just be a punching bag forever!’

’When he got back, the first thing he’d do was scan his cousin’s *Iron Sand Palm*.’

’Then he’d go raid his study for a few more cultivation manuals that suited him.’

’Time to get fully equipped!’

After arriving at his apartment complex and parking the car, He Xiaotian braced himself and headed upstairs to his apartment.

The moment he pushed the door open, he saw his father wolfing down a meal.

”Xiaotian? You’re back! Look at your dad, he’s all better.”

”All... all better?!”

For a moment, He Xiaotian didn’t know how to react. The cover story he’d prepared on his way up died in his throat.

He recovered quickly, however, and immediately put on a surprised and delighted expression.

”Dad, that’s wonderful!”

The father and son embraced, and the whole family couldn’t help but smile.

Watching the scene, He Xiaotian suddenly felt all his aches and pains disappear.

’Risking his life against the Pig Grudge was totally worth it to see this!’