12. Monster Hunter: Rice

After Chen Shang repeatedly declined, the priest finally gave up on asking him to stay for dinner at the church. It wasn't so much that his sister's cooking was a hundred times better—though that was true—but mainly because the church's clergy member was, in fact, a mutant exposed to radiation, his skin ulcerated all over; sharing a meal with him was enough to spoil anyone's appetite.

Before leaving, Chen Shang casually asked the priest, "By the way, have you heard of Jin Yuchuang?"

"I have. Just a celebrity, nothing more," the priest scoffed.

With feigned sorrow, Chen Shang sighed, "Yesterday I saw his fans on Tweebo calling A-Meng a 'female tank.' I wonder if it's true."

"What? They dared call A-Meng a tank? Those lunatics! Forgiveness is the Lord's business—I'll send them to meet Him myself!"

Muttering curses, the priest stormed back to his room and launched the "24-Hour Automated Posting Duel" software.

Settling into his newly acquired second-hand pickup, Chen Shang watched contentedly as his Collapse Points climbed to 21.

—Time to pull for a weapon when I get home!

He turned the ignition; the truck's engine sang to life.

Next, Chen Shang made a call to Black Calis.

"What is it, kid?"

"I just bought a car. Can you remote-control it for me?" Chen Shang asked.

"What, you got no hands to hold the wheel? Want me to drive you straight to the crematorium?" Black Calis snapped with her usual lack of decorum. "You’ve been bossing me around for days, always saying ‘the big one’s coming.’ So when exactly is this ‘big one’ arriving?"

"It’s… coming soon, probably," Chen Shang sprawled in the driver's seat, sounding weary. "I don't have a license. Help me drive remotely."

"And you think I have a license?" Black Calis retorted.

"You don’t?" Chen Shang replied, dead serious.

"...Oh, actually, I do. For remote-operating armored tanks," Black Calis realized after a pause.

"Perfect!" Chen Shang instructed, "I'll send you the remote control code. Let’s go!"

...

After leaving his pickup at a repair shop, Chen Shang hurried home.

Sitting on his bed, he opened the "Collapse Core" system interface.

His points were increasing faster than ever; before long, he was up to 23.

He clicked on the [Mystery Weapon Pack] in the system shop, swallowing nervously.

What kind of weapon would he draw? A nuclear greatsword? An assault rifle with auto-aim hacks? Or maybe a transformation device?

Suppressing his excitement, Chen Shang pressed "Redeem."

The next moment, a giant spinning wheel appeared before his eyes, divided into fourteen segments, each labeled with a different weapon.

"Greatsword, longsword, axe, heavy crossbow, hunting horn..."

Chen Shang recited each weapon name under his breath.

"Wait, do we even have these weapons in our game?"

The wheel spun rapidly, the pointer finally landing on "Light Crossbow."

Immediately, his phone vibrated and a text popped up:

"Kamikaze Express: Your order has been picked up by Courier 1919 and will be delivered soon. Estimated arrival: ten minutes. Download our app to track your package."

Staring at the message, Chen Shang was momentarily stunned—not by the prowess of Collapse Core, but by the courier company's name.

"What the—Kamikaze Express?!"

Startled, he rushed outside and waited at the door.

Kamikaze Express was a famous courier service in Nightfall City, renowned for its "lightning deliveries," high courier mortality rate, and their "artisan spirit" when handling damaged packages.

Their delivery method was simple: the courier boarded a mini-plane with just enough fuel for a one-way trip, racing toward the customer at suicide-bomber speeds.

Legend had it, Kamikaze Express was the brainchild of some cherry-blossom country guy on the dev team, who claimed it was a national trait and beamed with pride. The rest of the team, however, felt he should be promptly and humanely put down.

In a few minutes, Chen Shang heard a faint plane engine. He looked up to see a small aircraft, trailing flames, disintegrating in midair.

At the same time, a man in a flight suit leapt from the plane, clutching a rectangular parcel, parachute blooming behind him as he drifted down.

Soon, the courier landed unsteadily before Chen Shang, unclipped his chute, checked his watch, and handed over the package.

"Your delivery. Please sign. It arrived on schedule—if convenient, a five-star review would be appreciated."

"Th-thank you," Chen Shang stammered, signing his name and hurrying back inside—better not to attract his neighbors' attention.

Just then, the courier called after him, "Excuse me! This is cash on delivery, totalling nine thousand nine hundred twenty-three yuan and thirty-two cents."

"What?!"

It took Chen Shang five seconds to process, then he cursed out Collapse Core: "Are you nuts?! Couldn’t you pick a cheaper courier for me?!"

In the end, he had no choice but to call Black Calis for help, borrowing ten thousand yuan amid her piercing laughter.

The only thing of value he had left was the Night Emblem, but that was only recognized on the black market.

Back in his room, Chen Shang examined the package. There were no sender details or address—an anonymous delivery.

In Nightfall City, anonymous packages were common—not just for shady deals, but also for seeking revenge or online feuds; some people would mail bombs or radioactive waste.

"But since this came from Collapse Core, I doubt they’d screw me over," Chen Shang thought, pressing a hand to his chest. He’d spent a fortune and twenty points—surely it wasn’t just a bomb.

Unwrapping the rectangular package, he uncovered a portable metal case beneath layers of foam.

Opening it, he found an assemble-it-yourself crossbow.

Though called a "light crossbow," it looked more like an elongated rifle.

The sleek, jet-black design, the faintly chilly metal, the supple leather grip—everything exuded quality.

Aside from the trigger at the rear grip, there was also a handle mid-barrel for two-handed use. Atop the barrel was a small sight, not a bowstring.

Honestly, Chen Shang was disappointed with this draw.

In Nightfall City, the age of melee weapons wasn’t over—but only battle fanatics, cyborgs, and radiation mutants could wield them effectively.

For someone like him, with all stats at 1, a ranged weapon made much more sense.

But why waste ten thousand yuan and twenty points on this thing? Why not just buy a handgun on the black market—compact, reliable! What was the point of this "light crossbow"?

Just as he was about to put it away, he noticed a folded slip of paper—a manual:

"Thank you for purchasing a weapon from Velvet Alchemy Workshop! I am [Data Deleted], the prettiest apprentice of Master [Data Deleted]!"

"You might be wondering, why not just buy a handgun instead of this crossbow?"

"But don’t be discouraged! This light crossbow is multifunctional, my proudest maiden work! Its name: Accumulated-Energy Black Wolf Crossbow."

"The rear grip has four ring-arranged buttons, clockwise from the top: X, A, B, Y. The foregrip has two buttons, left and right: ZL and ZR."

"Here are the special skills—practice them until you commit them to muscle memory before combat:

Auto-aim: ZL
Dodge Roll: B
Six-round Burst: Roll forward + A
Charged Cannon: Roll forward then hold A
Grappling Claw: ZL + ZR
Grapple Recovery: Press ZL + B when launched
Ammo Switch: ZL + A or Y. In addition to standard rounds, there are flash, incendiary, sleep, scatter, paralysis, and power rounds.
Smoke Grenade: ZL + Y
Dragonkiller Cannon: Hold ZL + X for three seconds
Chainsaw Mode: With insufficient charge, press X + A together
SHOW·TIME!: With full charge, press X + A together"

Reading the endless combo list, Chen Shang was at a loss for words.

He packed the weapon back into its case and called Black Calis:

"You still there?"

"Tonight at eleven, hack into Jin Yuchuang’s official account for me, and do as I say."

"Yes, exactly what you’re thinking—the big one is coming."