On his way, Qin Siyang pulled out a portion of thousand-legged mushrooms he'd grabbed from the cafeteria on Friday, munching on them as he walked—his lunch for the day. In the cafeteria, mushrooms were a rare delicacy; their meaty texture and distinct fungal flavor made them tasty even with the simplest stir-fry. But Qin Siyang had no appetite to savor it. His mind was fully occupied with figuring out how to keep growing stronger.
By the time he reached Exit 89757, the afternoon was well underway. Lucky for him, his body—enhanced the previous day—boasted extraordinary stamina. He'd been walking for nearly six hours straight since leaving home, yet showed no signs of tiredness. Still, he knew this peak state wouldn't last; he could already feel his pace slowing down from its initial sprint. This made him hesitant about pushing further to Exit 38324.
"Adding another two hours round trip isn't smart." Catching sight of the Exit 89757 sign, he let out a relieved breath. "Finally made it."
This time, he didn't head straight for the exit—his goal wasn't the Sequence Ability users lingering there. To avoid drawing attention, he took a narrow side alley, planning to check the trash cans first. Having searched for god remains near two exits already, he'd developed a rough sense of where the trash cans were usually placed.
Sure enough, after cutting through one block, he spotted three trash cans stuffed full of god remains. Deep purple tentacles wriggled sluggishly along the can edges, clinging to the metal as if still alive. Qin Siyang's heart thumped wildly. He scanned the area meticulously—no one around, not even a cleaner.
Chance, or trap? He strolled casually, his mind racing to analyze the scene. The trash cans were in disarray, with no signs of being deliberately tidied. Glancing at the filth on the ground, he noticed only a set of striped shoe prints trampling back and forth near the cans—likely from a single cleaner making rounds.
Hidden surveillance? Unlikely. Exit 89757 had far fewer Sequence Ability users than Exit 54320, so its trash cans were surely less of a priority. If the massive trash station at Exit 54320 only had two plainclothes guards, Exit 89757 couldn't possibly have more advanced monitoring. No one in sight meant no surveillance.
In other words, news of the missing god remains from Exit 114514's trash can the night before had only spread to Exit 54320, not beyond. He'd originally planned to check Exit 38324, convinced it would hold a feast of unprecedented scale. But with his body already hinting at fatigue, he doubted he could make the journey.
Exit 89757's trash cans would have to do. He knew his reasoning wasn't foolproof, but fortune favored the bold. To grow stronger, risks were unavoidable. Playing it safe would only make him miss life-changing opportunities. Qin Siyang hadn't been reborn to repeat his previous life as a lowly drudge—at the very least, he intended to use his God-Eater Sequence to escape the safe zone's edge and gain financial freedom. So he needed to get stronger, and fast.
Having made up his mind, he rushed to the trash cans, eager to gorge himself before anyone arrived. The god remains here were three to four times the amount he'd eaten yesterday. He had to hurry—lingering like he did the day before, chewing slowly and pausing for water, would take too long and raise suspicions. But eating quickly meant he couldn't keep his clothes clean; bloodstains would spell disaster.
Before digging in, he carefully stripped off all his coats and hung them on a nearby streetlight. The lamp's metal casing had a few built-in hooks—Qin Siyang had no idea what they were for, but they served perfectly to keep his clothes blood-free. Shirtless, he stepped toward the trash cans. Near the safe zone exit, the air was far colder than elsewhere; frigid winds poured in whenever the exit opened, swirling through the streets and raising goosebumps across his skin. But safety came first—he'd endure the cold to protect his disguise.
Staring at the assortment of god remains, he shivered—not from cold, but excitement. Swallowing hard, he muttered, "Let's go!" Whether it was practice making perfect, or his enhanced physique boosting his swallowing power, he ate far faster than yesterday. No more choking; he grabbed remains with both hands, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed in one go. His hands barely stopped moving, and in just over ten minutes, he'd nearly finished all the remains in the three cans.
As he ate, his body kept strengthening. By the time he was almost done, he no longer shivered despite being shirtless—his muscles hummed with raw power. "It's working instantly?!" Qin Siyang smiled in satisfaction, glancing down at his newly defined pectoral and abdominal muscles.
Just then, the information in his mind shifted:
[Sequence: God-Eater – Advanced]
[Grow stronger by digesting gods]
[Current Sequence Level: 2, Greedy Brute]
[Skill: Blood Feast. Description: Can digest raw god flesh.]
[Skill: Brutality. Description: For 10 minutes, triple own strength, agility, and physical toughness; feel no pain during duration.]
He'd leveled up! Qin Siyang's eyes widened, staring at the status panel in disbelief. His new skill, Brutality, boosted his combat power drastically—tripling his stats and making him pain-immune. Could he join a god-hunting team now?
He recalled a post on the Godslayer Camp forum about the Warrior Sequence, which had a Reinforcement skill that doubled strength and toughness for five minutes—hailed as "broken among low-level Sequence users." His Brutality outclassed it in every way. Was he now the apex of low-level Sequence users?
With such a powerful skill, should he join a team or go solo? His mind raced, but no answers came. Suddenly, he realized the critical truth: his top priority wasn't revealing he was a Sequence Ability user, but hiding his God-Eater Sequence. To do that, he needed to visit the internet café again to find a plausible Sequence to disguise himself as. If anyone found out about God-Eater, he couldn't fathom the threats he'd face.
But that would have to wait until next week, when he got his part-time salary from the library. For now, he'd stay an ordinary student. He'd deal with the future later. Having advanced his Sequence today, he knew when to stop. Greedily pushing to Exit 38324 was too risky—it was only three stops away. If word got out here, guards there might set a trap and catch him red-handed.
He'd call it a day. After finishing the last dozen or so remains, he'd head home. Just as he reached for the final pieces, he heard footsteps. Someone was coming? Terrible timing! But the steps sounded unsteady, stumbling.
Turning, he saw a drunkard staggering toward the trash cans in the distance. The man didn't seem to notice him, humming an off-key tune that only amplified Qin Siyang's anxiety. "If this drunk finds the empty cans, they'll seal the area in no time!"
He didn't have time to wipe the blood off his body. Pausing for a split second, he stuffed the remaining dozen remains into his schoolbag, pulled on his clothes, and sprinted away. After advancing his Sequence, his body had undergone another transformation—his top speed was so fast the street railings blurred past him.
Qin Siyang prayed silently: Don't let them set up a blockade before I get away!
The drunkard, clutching a wine bottle, stumbled to the trash cans and scratched his head. "Did I just see someone here? Where'd they go... Could they be a Sequence Ability user, same as me?" He tossed the bottle into the can, the clink echoing sharply. "Huh? The cans are empty?"