Chapter 25: The End of Recuperation

Three days later.

Early in the morning, Han Ning stood as usual by the small planting area near the balcony in the living room. Thanks to his relentless efforts, his "Rapid Growth" skill had successfully advanced to the intermediate level yesterday.

Han Ning reached out toward two potato plants growing side by side. A verdant green glow enveloped both seedlings simultaneously. What once required separate activations could now cover two targets at once. Like a catalyst, the stems and leaves of the potato plants thickened and swelled at a visible rate. The leaves unfurled, and their growth speed increased by at least thirty percent compared to the primary level. The pumpkin vine beside them had also climbed all over the trellis, with several tender yellow flowers blooming among the lush green leaves.

"The harvest can be advanced by a few more days." Seeing this vibrant scene, Han Ning nodded with satisfaction. With these fruits and vegetables, he could be self-sufficient if he ever faced an emergency where outside food supplies ran dry, ensuring he wouldn't starve.

After finishing the daily "spa" for his plants, Han Ning sat shirtless on the somewhat grimy sofa. The gruesome scratch on his left shoulder had scabbed over, its edges tinged with a pale pink. Although the surface appeared to have healed, he could still feel a faint, deep-seated ache in the muscle whenever he exerted force.

He placed his palm lightly over the injury, circulating the spiritual energy within his body as it flowed along his spine and through the meridians of his arm, slowly gathering in his palm.

[Rejuvenation Technique (98/100)]

"Almost leveled up. I hope the intermediate Rejuvenation Technique can completely repair these underlying injuries."

With a thought, a verdant green light gushed from his palm, continuously seeping into the scar. A faint tingling sensation followed...

[Rejuvenation proficiency +1, currently 99/100]
...
[Rejuvenation proficiency +1, currently 100/100, skill level increased!]
[Primary Rejuvenation → Intermediate Rejuvenation]

The moment his proficiency hit the maximum, the green light in Han Ning’s palm suddenly contracted before violently expanding. What was once just a patch of light covering the wound now formed a small, green cocoon, encasing his entire left shoulder.

*Whoosh.*

Not only that, but as Han Ning continued to channel his energy, the cocoon burst, transforming into dozens of green threads that burrowed deep into the shoulder muscles from every direction. The residual micro-injuries and the sharp stabs felt deep within the bone joints dissolved rapidly under the probing touch of these threads.

The deep-seated soreness vanished instantly.

"Refreshing!" Feeling the strength in his arm return to normal, Han Ning swung it vigorously. It moved like a well-oiled machine—smooth, fluid, and without any obstruction.

[Spiritual Energy: 12/20]

"The intermediate Rejuvenation Technique has significantly improved its healing effect." A flash of joy crossed Han Ning’s eyes. As for exactly how much better it was compared to the primary level, he couldn't say for sure without a point of comparison.

Just then, he felt a familiar sensation of friction against his feet. Xuebing was affectionately rubbing its head, covered in fine gray-white scales, against Han Ning’s calf.

"Woo..."

"Hungry?" As its master, Han Ning could tell exactly what the little guy was thinking.

"Ao!"

Han Ning smiled and went to the storage room to retrieve the portion of food he had pre-allocated for Xuebing. It contained a pack of compressed biscuits, 1.5 kilograms of raw rice, four 250ml cartons of milk, 1 kilogram of near-rotting beef and mutton, and five or six potatoes.

Under normal circumstances, Xuebing needed at least two meals a day at this standard, plus a late-night snack after returning from outings. At this rate, he estimated the household's remaining supplies would be completely wiped out by Xuebing in a few days.

A glutton is a glutton, but after three days of feasting, the little creature had steadily grown beyond the one-meter mark. Its limbs were longer and sturdier. A row of small, sharp bone spikes had sprouted along the midline of its tail, and its vertical yellow pupils shimmered with intelligence. It resembled both a crocodile and a lizard, but its limbs were much longer than those of an ordinary crocodile, and its spinal structure was unique, allowing it to stand upright like a human.

Additionally, the "Animal Companion" skill had naturally broken through during the constant interactions between the two over the past three days. The most obvious effect of the intermediate-level skill was the expansion of his sensory range, which had increased from the original 600 meters to 800 meters. Furthermore, the clarity of his perception and his ability to grasp Xuebing’s emotions and the details of the surrounding environment had all been enhanced.

For the past three days, Han Ning had barely stepped out, relying on Xuebing to act as his underwater scout. Under his command, Xuebing had mapped out the water conditions within an 800-meter radius of the apartment building. With the help of the underwater "radar map" transmitted back by Xuebing, a relatively clear topographic map of the surroundings had formed in Han Ning’s mind.

Toward the White Egret Port, slightly to the east and about 700 meters from the residential complex gate, was a relatively desolate park area with lower building density. The water there was deeper, and more importantly, the frequency and density of crocodile-lizard activity on that route were the lowest of the four cardinal directions. Although there were sporadic roaming individuals, they rarely moved in packs. Han Ning suspected that because the park had neither humans nor shops—and thus no food for the creatures—their numbers were lower.

"Food is running out too fast. Now that my injury is healed, it’s time to go out."

He walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain. The rain was still pouring, and the sky was as gloomy as twilight. Murky floodwater surged through the city ruins, carrying all sorts of debris. A few gray-white crocodile-lizards were swimming slowly in the distance, their heads slicing through the water and leaving ripples in their wake.

"The temperature seems to have dropped quite a bit..." He could clearly feel the chill.

"Xuebing," Han Ning called out.

"Hiss-woo!" Xuebing scurried to its master’s leg, its vertical pupils shimmering with excitement and anticipation.

"We’re going hunting today." Han Ning patted its cold head.

...

After breakfast, Han Ning acted quickly. He put on a thick windbreaker and waterproof trousers, then donned a raincoat over the top. He tucked a kitchen knife into his belt; while it wasn't enough to take on a large crocodile-lizard, it would serve for cutting food or handling minor troubles.

He packed a few blocks of compressed biscuits, beef jerky, two bottles of water, simple first-aid bandages, disinfectant, and a small bag of thawed, rotting chicken legs into his backpack. Finally, he picked up a coil of sturdy nylon rope he had bought for mountaineering years ago and had never used.

"Let's go!"

Fully prepared, he led Xuebing toward the security door. When they reached the fifth floor, Xuebing slipped out through the hallway window. Moving like a gecko or a dragon, it crawled along the protrusions of the exterior wall before leaping into the water.

Han Ning, meanwhile, continued down the stairs. Passing the fourth floor, the two subordinates of Liu Feng guarding the door gave him a friendly smile. Han Ning nodded slightly and reached the second-floor stairwell. At this point, the floodwater had already reached the entrance of the second-floor stairs; time was running out.