Damn it! Let's smash the darkness together!

Xu Shu secured the prison district's iron gates, approached the front alone, pressed the emergency switch, opened the heavy security door, and looked outside.

The sky was bright outside, with the fresh fragrance of moist earth after rain permeating the air. Over the derelict city, only the red diffused morning light quietly shone, bringing tranquility and peace.

Xu Shu stepped out, picked up a piece of broken tile from the ground, and suddenly hurled it into the distance.

"Whoosh~"

The tile traced a beautiful parabola in the air, landing in front of a tilted building about sixty meters away at the street corner.

Suddenly, the ground cracked with a snap, and a five-meter-long shark burst out from beneath the earth.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

It devoured the soil and stones where the tile had landed, chewed them up, then spit them out with puffs, human-like as it looked around, finally fixing its gaze on Xu Shu at the prison entrance.

Strangely, it didn't chase after him but lay down on the spot like a hunting dog, quietly staring in his direction.

It seemed reluctant to approach the prison.

"That little shark is quite clever, actually knows to lie in wait for its prey."

Staring back at the shark, which in no way matched the descriptor 'little,' Xu Shu spit out a curse and without lingering, turned and walked away.

"Crunch!"

As the prison's security door closed, the shark also burrowed back into the ground, apparently believing the people inside would eventually come out.

Behind the unseen door, Xu Shu had silently opened the Tai Chu Scroll.

He didn't know the exact level of that shark.

But on the Wasteland, it's a rule—only Transcendents can battle monsters.

So it could be roughly understood, humans become Transcendents just to be capable of contending with the weakest monsters.

— Xu Shu interpreted it that a First Rank Transcendent is roughly equal to a First Rank monster and so forth.

"My Curse Seal is of Legendary Quality, and it is also the rare dual-profession type. In novels, this kind would be as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. I'm the type they talk about when they mention slaying enemies above one's level!

"Though I can't quantify it, it goes without saying, under equal conditions my theoretical strength should indeed be a bit stronger than legends below.

"However, in real combat, factors like timing, terrain, and combat experience play a part—it isn't simple as whose attributes are higher."

"Those so-called favored ones of the heavens, there are many who have capsized in the gutter."

"Caution is always best, and besides, I don't know what rank that little shark is, so I choose—

"Tai Chu Scroll, activate the Campaign Mode!"

"Heh, playing games with me? Today, I'm going to peel off your mask and see how many faces you really have!"

Xu Shu sneered as he flipped through the Tai Chu Scroll, immediately enveloped by fog, with rapid flashes in his vision.

[Scanning current status...]

[Scan complete]

[You stand at the prison gate, with boundless enthusiasm in your heart, having now become a special dual-profession Transcendent among the Transcendents, Alien Species·Warrior! You are currently a First Rank, Level 1.]

[You do not know the precise location of this prison, but you know what comes next—you must begin a slaughter.]

[After probing, you discover that a terrestrial shark lurks sixty meters away under the street corner—you choose: ?]

[You rush out directly, extremely fast! If not for the terrestrial shark hiding underground, it would have definitely been ambushed by you.]

[The terrestrial shark jumps out from the earth, you don't dodge, relying on your mighty Warrior physique to forcefully clash with it! Meeting on a narrow path, the brave ones win!]

[The terrestrial shark's angles are extremely tricky, you fail to dodge, and in an instant, your legs below the knees are bitten off.]

[You lie on the ground, starting to batter it with a series of punches to its gaping mouth, stopping it from devouring you, your punches powerful enough to knock its teeth out.]

[You shatter over a thousand teeth, but the shark has six thousand teeth. You bleed too much and ultimately, it triumphs, beginning to gnaw at you bit by bit, seemingly enjoying the screams before your death.]

[Your rugged flesh meant it took half an hour for the terrestrial shark to grind you into mince, your loud screams attracted several nearby monsters from their caves to spectate, emitting strange hissing sounds, as if mocking you.]

[You're dead, this campaign is over, calculating...]

[Assessment: Overestimating your own abilities, who gave you the courage? Are you alright? It's somewhat funny.]

[You obtain an item: True Clown (Common)]

[True Clown (Common): After using this item, you are an absolute clown, just standing there will make people burst into unstoppable laughter.]

[Today's opening count: 2/3]

*

"Sss~ha!"

Xu Shu's first strike was far from ideal.

He took deep breaths forcefully, his face pale as iron, easing the phantom pain from being torn apart in his memory.

After dying so many times, Xu Shu wasn't as reactive to death anymore, still incredibly painful, but not making his brain tremble.

"Died horribly, but it wasn't altogether fruitless. I've realized that I can battle it head-on without being instantly killed and can inflict significant damage.

"Its overall attributes might be somewhat stronger than mine, and it has the advantage of size—direct combat leaves me with no chance of winning, but in actual combat, I don't need to take it head-on."

Although the first simulation ended quickly, Xu Shu wasn't discouraged, as he was merely testing the waters with the shark.

Now, he had obtained some initial information he needed.

Moments later, he adjusted his condition and opened the Tai Chu Scroll again, resolutely choosing to continue his journey.

"You have chosen to start anew."

"After opening the door, you gathered many stones from the ground, throwing one to lure out the Land Shark, which once again broke through the surface. This time, however, it faced stones hurtling towards it like cannonballs."

"It seems you have realized that the hands heaven blessed you with were not meant for slapping glue. You have learned humanity's natural skill: throwing!"

"Your accuracy was mediocre. Within ten seconds, you threw four stones, hitting two and missing two, one shattering the Land Shark's left eye, and another breaking its spine—such astonishing attacking power from the Warrior."

"The Land Shark suffered a heavy loss and burrowed back into the ground, continuously roaring at you, perhaps cursing. Fortunately, you couldn't understand."

"With the Land Shark hiding underground, you're at a loss on how to proceed. You choose...?"

"You decide to keep picking up bricks and smashing them on the ground—the ruins are filled with such bricks. With your remarkable stamina, you blocked the entrance to the Land Shark's hole with numerous bricks, shaping it into a vague form of a grave, using your 'Master Builder Skills.' What a cheeky move."

"As the Land Shark burrowed from another side, waiting for you to throw a brick, it would dive back underground, engaging you in guerrilla warfare. Remembering the Whac-A-Mole game you played, you tirelessly battled it, unable to keep up with its speed, and didn't hit it again."

"On a whim, you used the Exotic Species·Black Widow Curse Seal's Spit Silk, shooting out a spider web to trap it. However, due to the distance, your Spit Silk only reached five meters."

"You realized the Land Shark always kept more than fifty meters from the jail, so you came up with a bold idea. You walked to the edge, drew it near and suddenly spat silk. When it got caught in the web, you seized the opportunity to hit it with a stone, cracking its skull and nearly blinding its other eye. It roared and freed itself from the web, and you resumed your mole-hitting game."

"You battled for half an hour, but the Land Shark, not being very smart, was nearly played to death by you and still eagerly challenged you—victory was within sight!"

"Alas, your ruckus eventually attracted three human-headed griffins, unlike the Land Shark, they didn't hesitate to approach the jail, cutting off your escape route. Now you were in trouble!"

"You took on three opponents alone, severely injuring the particularly brave griffin that recklessly tried to block you, but you were killed in battle."

"The remaining two griffins then devoured you, the injured griffin, and the Land Shark, which had come out to see the spectacle, enjoying a hearty meal."

"You died, and this journey had ended, settling scores..."

"Evaluation: Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. What a splendid drama! It is a pity that you're just short one move! However, given that the Land Shark and the stubborn griffins are with you on Huangquan Road, you aren't alone."

"You've learned the skill: Stone Throwing (Normal)"

"Stone Throwing (Normal): Your accuracy in throwing stones has improved, and you can further enhance your proficiency and accuracy through relentless practice."

"Number of today's openings: 1/3"

—

"Damn, still some experts left!"

Xu Shu, rubbing his temples, cursed angrily.

Those three human-headed griffins got lucky. Those things are not only grotesque but also filthy at heart, consuming even their kind, truly worse than beasts.

However, though he didn't manage to personally finish off the Land Shark in the two journeys, Xu Shu felt it was enough. He had gathered quite a bit of information.

First, he had already become preliminarily skilled in using his own abilities and possessed enough lethal power to kill his opponent, the Warrior type—known for their strong power and defense but relatively slow speed.

Second, on both expeditions, other monsters had arrived around half an hour later, indicating that if they fought quickly and decisively, they could retreat unscathed.

Most crucially, before Xu Shu had died, he had seen the method by which two Griffins hunted a land shark, revealing its weakness: its heart!

In the simulation just now, it had been the two Griffins working together—one grabbing the shark and flipping it over, while the other clawed its heart out, instantly killing it.

This small shark's back skin had a high defensive power, but its belly was relatively soft and couldn't withstand strong attacks.

"Find a way to make it turn over and expose its belly to me, and we must control the battle duration—fight quickly and decisively; otherwise, if other monsters come, I'm finished!"

Xu Shu stood up thoughtfully.

There was one chance left, no need for simulation. After two firsthand battles, he had thoroughly understood the shark's habits, methods, speed, strength, etc., and was confident enough to kill it.

One hundred percent!

Beep~beep~beep~

The safety door slowly opened, and Xu Shu walked straight to where the land shark was lurking.

If one listened closely, one could hear the faint hissing of breathing from beneath the ground.

Xu Shu stood about 50 meters away, holding a nearly two-meter-long thick rebar he had pulled out of the rubble.

Crack!

As a rock hit the entrance, the land shark appeared as expected, burrowing out ferociously and squinting at Xu Shu.

It didn't know it had already fought him twice in a certain future timeline.

However, the subtle aura emanating from Xu Shu made the land shark bow its body, entering a hunting stance. Its mutated fins, almost claw-like, scraped the ground while its small eyes narrowed humanely.

Such monsters, mutated from original animals, still retained some basic biological characteristics when faced with danger. Just like sharks in the ocean, the land shark sized up the risk of the hunt before attacking.

The situation was the same now.

After observing Xu Shu for a while, the land shark seemed to vaguely make a stronger judgment and then adopted an offensive stance.

Thirty-seventy split!

Just then, in its tiny eyes, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

Before it, the human stretched out his hand and, as if by magic from the empty air, produced a mask and wore it, striking a bizarre pose.

After one glance, the land shark's tense body began to violently tremble, and it uncontrollably emitted a mocking 'Ku-chi, ku-chi' laughter.

"Ku-ku-ku! Ku-ku-ku! Ku-ku-ku!"

It seemed to recall something amusing, shaking uncontrollably all over with laughter, rolling around on the ground, unable to stop!