Chapter 54 - 47: This Little Rat Is Really...

"I can gain so many points at once!"

"Looks like 20,000 points won’t be that hard after all." Chen Jue looked at the new notification, then glanced at the long progress bar for [Hidden Weapon Throwing].

He had thought he would be stuck at the Lv5 Master Level for half a year or more, so finding a shortcut to level up so quickly was a pleasant surprise.

However, after one of their own was nailed to death, the pack of rats grew wary.

He waited for nearly five minutes until, finally, a squeaking noise came from the direction of the trash can.

Chen Jue squinted, observing. He saw that it was the same slightly larger and bolder scout rat from before.

The rat crept up to its dead, broken-tailed companion. It surveyed the area, squeaking as if calling out to its fallen comrade, while simultaneously providing cover for the "Dining Gang" hiding in the shadows behind the trash can.

But not even two seconds later, another deadly iron nail shot through the air.

With a PFFT, this bold scout rat was also headshot with a nail, dying beside the trash can.

Chen Jue, still holding his throwing pose, once again gained +100 [Hidden Weapon Throwing] Skill Level.

’They probably won’t come out again, will they?’

Chen Jue remained where he was, continuing to observe.

He figured he would have to find a new spot or come back later.

But to his surprise, there was another one with a death wish!

Another whiskered head peeked out from behind the trash can, likely sent to scout out the situation.

Unfortunately, this second scout rat hadn’t gotten the memo. It had just exposed half its body in the dim light at the end of the alley.

With a PFFT, it was struck by a nail flying through the air. Its claws scraped wildly, sending the plastic trash can CLATTERING. After flailing for a moment, its health bar hit zero.

[Hidden Weapon Throwing] Skill Level +100 again!

’Not bad. This trip wasn’t a waste!’

Chen Jue smiled, feeling immensely satisfied.

This real-life jungling was way more fun than playing games with a party.

Besides, he was doing a public service by getting rid of "pests," and the sense of accomplishment was significant.

...

After waiting about five more minutes with no new rats appearing, Chen Jue temporarily left the dark alley.

Catching three of their members in a row had likely intimidated the rest of the Dining Gang.

Chen Jue first took a stroll down Laxi Street and bought a lemonade from Honey Snow Ice City to quench his thirst.

The street food there was heavily seasoned, which always left his mouth feeling dry afterward.

Worried about regaining weight, Chen Jue even ordered his lemonade without any sugar.

’It’s not a high-calorie drink like milk tea, but I still have to be careful,’ Chen Jue thought. ’I should get myself a good thermos to keep on hand.’

’That way, I can take a few sips whenever and stay hydrated.’

He didn’t used to care much about his health. He’d usually just buy bottled water or sodas from convenience stores and small markets, and would occasionally join in on the afternoon tea breaks his coworkers organized.

Ever since his panel awakened, he had started paying much more attention to these small daily habits.

Got hemorrhoids? Eat less rich, greasy food, and especially avoid anything numbing and spicy.

Got gallstones? Eat at regular times, and never skip breakfast.

As for his thinning hair, there was no immediate solution. Chen Jue could only focus on personal hygiene, making sure to wash his hair and change his pillowcases and duvet covers frequently.

He had an oily Constitution, and after a busy day, he’d be greasy from head to toe, which made it easy for dust mites and bacteria to breed in his bedding.

...

After finishing his lemonade and watching a stage performance for a bit, about half an hour passed before Chen Jue slipped back into the dark alley.

A sanitation worker must have come through to clean up. The large bins for food waste were all empty, and even the "triple-squeak" crime scene had been cleared away.

Without any leftovers to scavenge, the remaining members of the Dining Gang naturally wouldn’t risk coming out again.

’There should be a large garbage transfer station around here, right?’ Chen Jue thought. He went to look and, sure enough, spotted a green garbage truck.

It was a specialized vehicle for collecting food waste, currently emptying the smaller trash cans outside the food court. The process was fully automated: a mechanical arm extended, clamped onto a standard bin, then lifted and emptied it in one clean, efficient motion.

Seeing this, Chen Jue rushed to the parking lot, got his car, and started following the food waste truck.

After following it for over ten minutes, he hadn’t reached a transfer station. Instead, he discovered several dark, sewage-strewn corners that served as small garbage collection points for the nearby university town’s food streets.

He marked their locations on his GPS and continued following the truck.

About twenty minutes later, he finally reached the destination.

Before him was the centralized waste treatment plant of the Binjiang Industrial Park, surrounded by fences and high walls. Inside was a massive waste processing facility.

Food waste, rich in oils and organic matter, was sorted at these plants and converted into valuable resources like fertilizer, animal feed, and even fuel for biogas power generation.

Chen Jue saw he couldn’t get inside and figured a professional facility like this would have strict sanitation standards. There was little chance he’d find any rats or cockroaches in the vicinity.

He had no choice but to drive back to the collection points he’d marked earlier and sweep through them one by one.

’This was a jungling expedition, after all!’

’Who just farms a single jungle camp over and over?’

’The income is terrible!’

’You have to wait for the mobs to respawn on cooldown, right?’

’Smart roaming, switching between bushes to ambush players... no, to gank rats—that’s a required course for any qualified jungler.’