"Impressive attack power... seems like all that food wasn't wasted."
Although this was a Vine he'd deliberately weakened, Snowflake's displayed power far exceeded most young beasts on Earth. Han Ning estimated that in terms of pure explosive strength, this little creature might already rival a healthy twelve or thirteen-year-old human.
"Awoo?"
After biting through the Vine, Snowflake seemed slightly confused. It shook its head, spat out the remaining plant fibers, then looked up at Han Ning with a gently wagging tail—almost like it was seeking praise.
"Go play." Han Ning nudged it lightly with his foot.
"Arf!"
With permission granted, Snowflake resumed its energetic romping around the living room.
Watching the newborn creature and his rapidly dwindling stockpile of carefully hoarded supplies, Han Ning felt both joy and concern.
The joy came from Snowflake's immense potential—once fully grown, it would undoubtedly become a powerful ally.
The concern... was that this little glutton ate far too much. What he'd just fed it was probably just an appetizer. At less than one meter long, it already had this appetite. What would happen when it grew to 1.5 meters, 2 meters... or even 3 meters like its mother?
"Raising you won't be easy..." Han Ning sighed.
...
Night fell.
In the eighth-floor apartment, Snowflake curled up in the makeshift nest Han Ning had made from old clothes, emitting soft purring sounds as it drifted into deep sleep.
Knock knock knock.
A sudden rapping at the door shattered the silence.
"Hsss—"
Snowflake jolted awake instantly, its brass-colored slit pupils fixed intently on the doorway.
"Relax, go back to sleep."
Han Ning patted its back and went to answer the door.
Outside stood Liu Feng, holding a candle in the dim hallway.
"Got time to come down to the fourth floor? We need to discuss next steps."
"Sure, go ahead. I'll be right down." Han Ning nodded.
"Don't take too long."
After watching Liu Feng leave, Han Ning glanced back at Snowflake. After some thought, he decided to leave it behind. He piled up some food to dissuade the creature from following and headed downstairs.
In Liu Feng's apartment, by the coffee table...
Lu Minghu leaned against his chair, pale-faced but alert. When Han Ning entered, he offered a weak smile.
The others were already seated around the dimly lit room, where a few candles created an almost ritualistic atmosphere.
"Everyone's here."
Liu Feng cut straight to the point:
"After today's expedition, we've all seen that the situation outside is far worse than we imagined."
His voice carried a heavy tone:
"Just two Crocodile Lizards nearly cost us lives—and that was with preparation and teamwork. Minghu's injuries will take weeks to heal properly, and we didn't even make it out of the residential area."
"Our original plan was to reach White Egret Port five kilometers away. Now that seems... overly optimistic."
"The areas beyond our complex are even more dangerous, with more monsters. At our current strength, attempting it would be suicide."
The men didn't argue, listening quietly.
Only Zhou Wan raised her eyes and spoke: "Indeed, the risks far exceed our estimates. We need more thorough preparation."
"Exactly."
"Charging in blindly would be suicide, so I want to modify the plan," Liu Feng agreed.
He leaned forward slightly, the bright candlelight flickering in his eyes:
"After killing those monsters, our bodies absorb a peculiar energy that not only heals wounds but also makes us stronger."
"It feels like... like leveling up by killing monsters in a game."
"So you want to... grind levels first?" Chen Yan mused thoughtfully.
"Right!"
"We'll focus around our residential area, hunting isolated or small groups of Crocodile Lizards within familiar territory."
"On one hand, we'll harvest the energy they release upon death to enhance our own strength."
"On the other, we'll eliminate nearby threats while gathering supplies. Right now we're short on everything—water, food, medicine..."
He raised a finger:
"For the first cycle, I propose ten days. Our core mission during this period will be hunting, absorbing energy, and improving ourselves."
"After ten days, we'll reassess the risks of heading to White Egret Port based on everyone's progress and decide our next move."
Liu Feng's gaze swept across each person present,
"Any thoughts?"
Leveling up?
Not a bad idea.
Ever since killing that juvenile Crocodile Lizard, Han Ning had been considering this approach.
But being alone made it impossible to venture out for monster hunting.
Now with teammates, it became much more feasible.
Moreover, he wanted to test whether hunting Crocodile Lizards could help Snowflake achieve Rapid Growth.
After a brief silence, Lu Minghu spoke first:
"I'm fine with it."
"Agreed."
Han Ning and the others voiced their approval one after another.
...
"Pant pant~"
The moment they returned home, Snowflake immediately pounced on him like an excited puppy.
Before preparing dinner, Han Ning routinely checked the crops growing near the balcony corner.
The apple tree was developing normally. With its slow growth cycle, even nourished by Rapid Growth, it had only reached about a meter tall.
Typically, apple trees take three years to bear fruit—a painfully long wait.
"Hmm?"
When Han Ning examined the potato cultivation containers, his expression shifted.
He had planted the most potatoes.
The originally lush green foliage had now yellowed and withered.
Brushing aside the soil revealed clusters of potatoes of varying sizes clinging to the roots.
While not exceptionally large, the quantity was impressive, weighing down the root system.
"Success!" A surge of inexplicable pride welled up in Han Ning's heart.
This was his first tangible harvest in this desperate world.
He carefully dug out each potato, placing them in a clean basin.
"Sixteen pounds total—not bad at all!"
Han Ning grinned, running his fingers over the irregular spherical tubers.
The empty flower pots and gardening soil scavenged from other rooms finally proved useful.
After clearing away the mature potato plants—keeping only the healthiest specimens for seeds—he selected medium-sized potatoes with robust eyes, cut them into sections, and planted them in several soil-filled pots.
It's worth mentioning that these empty flower pots weren't separate entities - Han Ning had broken one side of each and connected several pots together to create a larger internal space.
This way, more potatoes could grow.
Finally, he cast [Rapid Growth] once more.
A faint green light seeped into the soil as the newly planted potato chunks visibly sprouted tender shoots, beginning a new life cycle.
After completing all this, the hunger in his stomach grew even more intense.
Today, Han Ning decided to treat himself.
He used a cassette stove to boil a small pot of water, then peeled, chopped, boiled, and mashed the potatoes.
Meanwhile, he diced a piece of steak that hadn't spoiled yet, quickly pan-fried it in precious cooking oil, and sprinkled on some salt.
Finally, he spread the fragrant mashed potatoes at the bottom of a bowl, topped them with the sizzling steak cubes, and drizzled a bit of the meat juices from the pan.
A steaming, aromatic bowl of potato and beef rice topping was complete.
"So delicious!"
As the mouthwatering aroma of meat-filled rice wafted up, Han Ning began devouring it heartily.