As Chu Xiu's mind moved, the dried flesh of the child seemed to be burned by an invisible force, starting to melt and seep into the bones. At the same time, the small skeleton spontaneously connected and fused together.
Under the talent of [Perfect Refining], Chu Xiu naturally mastered the method of crafting. Countless pieces of information intertwined in his mind, as if the bones before him had become an extension of his will, capable of being refined into different weapons at his command.
Blade, sword, spear, halberd, hammer...
Without much hesitation, Chu Xiu made what he considered the most reasonable choice.
As his decision settled, the child's skeletal remains vanished, replaced by a 1.5-meter-long bone spear, completely white.
An inch longer, an inch stronger.
A spear has always been the best weapon for humans to hunt large beasts.
In this post-apocalyptic world full of mutant creatures, Chu Xiu believed that nothing in melee weapons could be more suitable than a spear.
[Refining complete, Professional Experience +1]
As the notification sounded, a bone spear appeared before Chu Xiu.
He couldn't wait to inspect his creation.
[Extremely Ragged Hollow Bone Spear]
[Tier: Mortal]
[Quality: Trash]
[Attributes: Solid (0.15), Sharpness (0.2), Weight 0.7kg]
[Evaluation: This may be the most fragile weapon ever created by this secret technique.
[I thought using grandmother's rib as material was already the lowest point of this secret technique. I didn't expect there were more experts.
[A child's corpse decayed for thirty years? You truly are a genius!
[Handle the baby gently, don't crush it.]
Chu Xiu:...
He suddenly felt that the Abyss's item evaluation was quite sarcastic.
However, it was not wrong.
Holding the bone spear in his hand, he could feel its fragile material, not much harder than a Wang Wang senbei. Upon closer examination, he could see countless small cavities inside, as if they had been gnawed by countless grubs.
If it weren't for the perfect refining technique comparable to a top Artifact Refining Master, this bone spear would never have been born.
Luckily, the brilliance of Bone Refining lies in its ability to continuously collect other bones for enhancement.
Chu Xiu walked over to the mother's corpse leaning against the corner of the wall and activated his talent once more.
The flesh blended with the bones, finally merging into the bone spear.
In just a few seconds, a brand new bone spear was born.
[Extremely Ragged Bone Spear +1]
[Enhancement Progress: 3/10]
[Tier: Mortal]
[Quality: Trash]
[Attributes: Solid (0.5), Sharpness (0.65), Weight 1.2kg]
[Evaluation: The addition of fresh bones has filled the gaps in the bone spear, greatly enhancing its strength.
[Yet it is still inferior to grandmother's ribs.
[I seem to hear it wailing:
[Quickly find me more bones!]
After absorbing a new corpse, the bone spear's strength increased significantly. Chu Xiu assessed it and felt it was at least comparable to some fragile wood.
Moreover, the front end was sharpened considerably—enough to pierce human skin without doubt, making it barely a usable weapon.
Meanwhile, he also gained 2 points of professional experience.
"But there's no body left in this room. If I want to continue upgrading, I have to go outside..."
"Hmm, outside..."
Chu Xiu's gaze turned toward the tightly locked iron door in the hall. Judging by the rusty edges, no matter how carefully he opened it, it would surely make a loud noise.
Chu Xiu pressed his ear against the iron door and listened for a while, but detected no movement. However, this doesn't mean there are no mutant creatures in the building.
Perhaps the moment he opens the door, terrifying predators will come rushing.
"Should I try using the balcony?"
The monster that killed the mother and child seemed to have entered and exited through the balcony.
But Chu Xiu quickly abandoned this idea. The balcony of this apartment building wasn't large and was not close to neighbors. The only foothold was a seemingly shaky air conditioner unit exterior, and it was best not to attempt it without the capability to climb walls.
So what to do now?
Risk going out, or stay in this temporarily safe room and wait to see?
Waiting seemed the better choice, but there was neither food nor water here. One day he would have to go out.
Just as Chu Xiu was hesitating, suddenly a clear sound came from his neighbor's room!
"Clang!"
It sounded like porcelain shattering, and along with it, a low female exclamation.
This made Chu Xiu's eyes brighten up!
There's someone! And right next door!
It's highly likely another Awakened transported here with him to partake in the trial. This person must have been trying to hide like him until they made an inadvertent sound, which Chu Xiu then detected.
However, Chu Xiu had no intention of exposing himself. Rather than seeking allies to establish cooperation, he was more interested in using the other party as cannon fodder to explore the path.
Chu Xiu pressed his ear against the iron door, carefully listening to the outer world's movements.
After two minutes, nothing happened.
He made an immediate decision, gripping the door handle with both hands, cautiously using his body to lean against the door panel, and slowly pushed the door open.
"Creek—"
As the sound of rusty friction echoed, Chu Xiu's heart leapt to his throat!
Fortunately, the outside was still quiet.
He calmed himself and continued to push, and once the iron door was open enough to allow a person to pass, Chu Xiu quickly stuck his head out to take a quick look.
Outside was a corridor, and Chu Xiu's room was right in the middle; there were three or four rooms on each side, with some doors open and others locked.
After confirming there was no one, he slipped through the gap and quickly stepped away from his original position, slipping into another open room nearby.
Only after hiding himself again did he breathe a sigh of relief, quietly hiding in the dark to observe.
After another five minutes passed, and still nothing happened, he finally felt completely at ease.
He took a loop around the vacant room without any gain—not even a single corpse.
He wasn't disheartened though, because during the brief time outside, he saw several corpses in the hallway and basically figured out the layout of this floor through the safety diagram on the wall.
This floor was square in layout, very large, with staircases and elevators in the center. There was one on each side, surrounded by corridors and then the rooms, with a total of twenty-seven rooms on one floor.
As long as there were no mutant creatures, with so many rooms, he would surely find something useful.
Thinking of this, Chu Xiu tiptoed outside the room, clearly targeting the corpses he had seen earlier, and quickly activated [Bone Refining].
This was an adult male. As his body dissolved and shrunk, all the essence was absorbed, and the bone spear in Chu Xiu's hand became noticeably sturdier.
Although it didn't upgrade, it added 6 points of enhancement experience and 2 points of professional experience.
Chu Xiu continued to absorb the next corpse, until all five corpses in the hallway were absorbed before he stopped.
By then, the bone spear in his hand had undergone significant changes.
[Ragged Bone Spear +3]
[Enhancement Progress: 2/10]
[Tier: Mortal]
[Quality: Inferior]
[Attributes: Solid (1.0), Sharpness (1.2), Weight 2.2kg]
[Evaluation: After your relentless strengthening, this bone spear finally surpasses grandmother's ribs.
[For your frail power, it is already a usable weapon.
[However, it is long tired of decayed corpses and craves fresh flesh.
[Keep it up young man, with one more step, it can achieve extraordinary power.]