"This apartment building is not a cheap rental unit. Although it doesn't use any high-end materials, at least there's no shoddy construction, and the soundproofing is decent."
"During the day, even if in combat mode, unless a particularly sharp noise is made, the range of ghouls attracted is generally limited to two or three floors."
"At night, this number could double, and considering the enhanced perception abilities of the ghouls, it could double again!"
"But regardless of the estimation, ten floors should be the limit, which is also about the same for Awakened ones."
"And based on the inference that the ghouls' lair is underground, the higher the floor, the lower the density of ghouls."
Chu Xiu chose the twenty-first floor to ensure that his hunt doesn't attract the attention of other Awakened ones upstairs, minimizing the number of ghouls he might encounter as much as possible.
Moreover, the location he chose is also of great significance.
This particular house is one of the high-end units in the apartment building, with especially large spaces that can maximize the power of the Bone Bloodthirst Array.
What Chu Xiu values most is the two-meter-long corridor arranged by the home's owner during renovation.
On the left are shoe cabinets and storage boxes, and on the right are the wall and a fish tank. Reinforced by Chu Xiu with miscellaneous items, it has become a perfect vantage point, allowing Chu Xiu to face only one ghoul at a time.
Chu Xiu also brought in a wardrobe, removed some boards to create an opening for the Bone Spear, reinforced with other furniture, and placed it at the end of the corridor, thereby adding a qualified cover.
Then... Cause and Effect Points allocation!
With a thought, Chu Xiu directly spent 54 Cause and Effect Points on the Yin Wind Blade! Almost spending all his Cause and Effect Points!
The higher the level, the harder it is to improve, and Chu Xiu had experimented before that one Cause and Effect Point can only provide 3 to 4 Professional Experience, far from enough to level up!
This is after he had killed many creatures during this period, resulting in an increase in murderous intent, which would have added even less for other professions!
The most cost-effective use of Cause and Effect Points is upgrading skills!
These 54 points of Cause and Effect Points directly upgraded Chu Xiu's Yin Wind Blade by two levels! From entry to skilled, then to minor accomplishment!
[Yin Wind Blade]
[Skill Level: Minor Accomplishment (2/800)]
[Release Consumption: 0.6—4.0]
[Release Time: 0.8s—2.4s]
[Power: 2.0—9.5 (attenuates with distance)]
[Speed: 32m/s—55m/s (attenuates with time)]
[Extreme Distance: 35m—105m]
[Cooldown Time: None]
The current Yin Wind Blade can be quickly released within 0.8 seconds, consuming only 0.6 energy, and directly possessing a power of 2.0!
You must understand, originally with a power of 1.5, it tore a massive gash in the chest of a Black-haired Corpse Ghost! Although 2.0 may still not be enough to cut through bones, it is sufficient to inflict severe damage on a Black-haired Corpse Ghost!
Speed and distance have also improved, making the Yin Wind Blade easier to hit.
The most important thing is that as the energy storage time increases, the power of the Yin Wind Blade can quickly grow, eventually reaching the staggering value of 9.5!
Power of 9.5! Chu Xiu doesn't even dare to imagine how terrifying that is. At that time, if several ghouls are crowded in the corridor, it could probably cut several of them in half at once!
The newly upgraded Yin Wind Blade combined with the Bone Bloodthirst Array, and the +6 Bone Armor, these gave Chu Xiu the confidence to take risks!
Of course, his preparations do not end there.
Earlier in the day, Chu Xiu had already prepared fallback measures.
In the camp, there were many materials collected during the search of various rooms by the people, which might be useful.
Among them, there was a climbing rope as long as sixty meters.
This rope, with a tensile strength of no less than 1600kg, although thirty years had passed, thanks to its high-density nylon material and well-preserved condition, it still possesses decent physical strength.
Chu Xiu made a simple sliding device with it, fixing the top with a nail on the upper floor, with the two ends hanging down—one end connected to a very heavy wooden sofa placed at the balcony edge, and the other end tied into a quickly retractable knot.
If a critical moment truly arises, Chu Xiu can self-detonate the not yet formed Life Soul within the Bone Yin Soul Banner to temporarily stall the enemy, tie the knot around himself, and kick the sofa off the balcony, thus rising rapidly with the force of gravity to escape!
Even if the opponent chases after him, he can force the people in the base to come over as reinforcements, or as cannon fodder.
With all these preparations, he gained the courage to take risks!
After mentally reviewing all the plans to ensure nothing was missed, Chu Xiu took a deep breath and officially began the hunting operation!
With a flick of the wrist, the bone spear as smooth and white as jade appeared in his palm, and Chu Xiu crouched down, moving through the night like a ghost concealed in the shadows.
His attention was highly focused, capturing all the surrounding sounds in his ears. Suddenly, Chu Xiu's expression changed, and as he passed the stairwell, the bone spear in his hand suddenly thrust forward!
Almost at the same time, a Black-haired Corpse Ghost sprang out from the corner!
A pair of scarlet eyes came into view of Chu Xiu.
His heart skipped a beat!
Compared to the daytime, the Black-haired Corpse Ghost at this moment exuded a frenzy, like a high-risk patient in a psychiatric hospital who had lost their sanity; they were as brutal as beasts but even more unafraid of pain, seemingly devoid of all emotions, leaving only a desire for destruction in their crimson eyes!
"Pfft!"
The sharp bone spear pierced the ghoul's chest, yet it was as if it felt nothing, roaring and swinging its claws, directly attacking Chu Xiu's face!
"Crack!"
The sharp claws landed heavily on Chu Xiu's shoulder. If this were the first time he'd encountered a ghoul, this would likely have shattered his shoulder blade!
But at this moment, Chu Xiu merely swayed slightly while his right leg kicked out like a thunderbolt, striking the ghoul's abdomen, sending the monster flying backward with tremendous force.
As it steadied itself, Chu Xiu had already caught up with large strides, a spear thrust through its eye socket, penetrating its skull!
"Splat."
[Slaughtering a living being, Professional Experience +39]
"Oh?"
Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow.
At night, the experience gained from these ghouls increased by about twenty percent.
Though not a significant amount, it was a pleasant surprise.
"However, this extra experience is nothing compared to the enhancement of the ghouls."
Chu Xiu furrowed his brows again.
No matter how much information he had gathered before, it was just a rough estimate. Only after personally engaging did Chu Xiu have a quantitative impression.
He could clearly feel that, compared to the day, this ghoul's power had increased by nearly fifty percent! Moreover, its movements had become more swift, like transforming from an ordinary person into a regularly trained athlete.
"If surrounded by these ghouls, four or five attacking at once would be too much for me."
At this moment, the ghoul's screams had already driven the whole apartment building into madness!
"Da-da-da-da!"
In the darkness, countless hurried footsteps echoed clearly in Chu Xiu's ears, as if countless giant spiders were crawling towards him!