Chapter 2 – Mini Form

Volume 3: Rising Winds and Clouds

Zhang Xiao looked at the Kid Army, who seemed frozen in terror, and then at the strange man and the Mutant Dog slowly walking toward him. He suddenly shuddered!

"No, no, Lord! This kid was just joking with you. We live in a society ruled by law, after all. How could we possibly charge an illegal toll?"

As an adult, Zhang Xiao had more experience-or at least faster reflexes-than the group of kids, and he immediately addressed the stranger.

The situation was crystal clear. That Big Dog was definitely the stranger's "subordinate" or a summoned creature. Since the start of the Apocalypse, many strange things had appeared, and Class Holders with pets or War Pets were a common sight!

However, the War Pet in front of him was a bit too powerful!

In the presence of the strong, no amount of groveling was considered excessive!

The stranger was, of course, Wen Yu. Looking at the trembling children and the naked adult male before him, he naturally knew what they were thinking. He couldn't help but feel a bit playful.

"Are you sure? I actually have some Magic Crystals."

The members of the Kid Army shook their heads like rattles.

"We're sure! We really don't need them!"

Seeing the fear and suppressed expressions of the people in front of him, Wen Yu suddenly felt the fun drain away.

They were too weak. Even a casual joke from him filled them with fear and trepidation!

A gap in strength also meant a gap in status!

This was especially true in the Apocalypse!

He turned his head to carefully observe his surroundings.

The already dilapidated and desolate Old City District had become even more ruined, with Mutant Beast footprints everywhere.

Most of the low-lying bungalows had collapsed, and with the wild growth of Mutant Plants, what used to be the outskirts was now strictly the boundary between the city and the Mountain Forest.

Only a dump like this could become the territory of a bunch of kids!

Looking back at the Mountain Forest behind him, a flash of complexity crossed Wen Yu's eyes.

It had been nearly twenty days since he left Chaihe Town!

When he left, he, One-Eye, and Xing were all at Peak Level 3.

Wen Yu's plan was to enter the Mountain Forest first to raise his and his Soul Pets' levels to Level 4.

The result was a success, of course, but the process…

There had been a slight deviation!

One-Eye was too strong!

He was so strong that his leaking pressure alone was enough to alert the Mutant Beasts in the Mountain Forest, causing them to flee far away from him!

Consequently, during the first few days, they didn't encounter a single Mutant Creature in the vast Mountain Forest!

However, Xing didn't have this problem!

In Xing's mini form, the range of its pressure shrunk by dozens of times!

It wasn't until Xing pointed out the reason that Wen Yu finally realized what was happening!

By the time the man and his two pets had all advanced to Level 4, nearly twenty days had passed!

And the first person he met upon coming out was a naked grown man!

Wen Yu could swear he just wanted to say hello; he hadn't expected this Class Holder to be so cowardly!

Glancing at the surrounding Kid Army and the naked man again, Wen Yu pondered for a moment and then waved his hand at One-Eye.

One-Eye immediately understood Wen Yu's meaning. He loosened his jaw, and the carcass of the Mutant Boar hit the ground with a heavy thud!

Then, to the stunned expressions of Zhang Xiao and the Kid Army, Wen Yu reached his hand directly into the Mutant Boar's head!

As if the two existed in different dimensions, Wen Yu felt around inside the Mutant Boar's head for a moment before pulling out a Magic Crystal.

A Level 2 Magic Crystal!

The Magic Crystal traced a beautiful arc through the air, landing directly into the arms of the boy leading the group.

"That's the toll. Also, I'd like to ask you for some information!"

…

A grand barbecue party broke out at the Kid Army's Camp!

The so-called Camp was actually just a low-slung, single-story house. The difference was that this particular house had a massive underground space.

According to Zheng Ye, while there were occasionally Mutant Beasts like rats underground, it was still much safer than being on the surface!

One had to remember that this place was close to the Mountain Forest; there was never a shortage of Mutant Beasts looking to come out of the woods for a change of pace in their diet!

Zheng Ye was the leader of this Kid Army-a Peak Level 1 Warrior!

And that underground space served as the resting place for these children!

Zhang Xiao had already put his Protective Suit back on, which at least served to cover his little brother that had been fluttering in the wind.

Wen Yu looked at Zheng Ye, who was sitting to the side tearing into a large piece of wild boar meat, and couldn't help but say with a smile, "Eat slower. No one's going to steal it from you."

In response, Wen Yu received a massive eye-roll from Zheng Ye.

After their brief interaction, Zheng Ye could tell that Wen Yu wasn't a bad person. At the very least, he didn't harbor any hostility toward their group of kids!

Furthermore, Wen Yu's words were actually a bit incorrect.

The wild boar was huge and there was plenty to eat-provided One-Eye and Star weren't there!

One-Eye and Star were each holding a slab of bloody wild boar meat, gnawing away with pure joy!

What left everyone dumbfounded was that as soon as Wen Yu had called out earlier, the Big Dog's body had immediately undergone a transformation!

Its originally ten-meter-tall frame had shrunk continuously until it turned into a normal-sized, grayish-brown mutt before finally stopping!

This was a result of their time in the Mountain Forest.

During the early stages of Wen Yu's entry into the Mountain Forest, after he noticed the issues caused by One-Eye's size, he had directly asked Star for a way to change body size!

This could be considered a talent of powerful Mutant Beasts. They had two forms: one was the normal combat form, which for Star was the state of being a nearly ten-meter-tall Giant Dragon!

Well, he would be even larger after reaching Level 4!

The other form was an energy-saving mode!

Wen Yu preferred to call it 'Mini Form,' or perhaps 'Pretender Form'!

In this state, the power within the body would be stored away. While in Mini Form, the body only required a small amount of food each day to sustain its energy consumption!

Under Star's enthusiastic tutelage, the highly gifted One-Eye had mastered this technique by the time he reached Level 4!

Of course, Star and Wen Yu had put in no small amount of effort to help One-Eye advance to Level 4!

According to Wen Yu's estimates, even without Star's teaching, One-Eye would have automatically realized this method upon reaching Level 5!

One had to keep in mind that Simba, who had left the deepest impression on Wen Yu in his past life, still hadn't mastered this technique even at Level 5.

This also answered a question Wen Yu had originally harbored: as the strength of Mutant Beasts increased and their sizes grew larger, they would consume more and more food. Sooner or later, they would starve themselves to death due to a lack of food.

However, the Mini Form solved this problem perfectly!

"By the way, Uncle, what level Mutant Beast is that dog of yours?"

Looking at Zheng Ye's seemingly innocent eyes, Wen Yu immediately gave the boy's forehead a heavy flick.

"Don't be so calculating at such a young age."

Wen Yu paused for a moment, looked at the teary-eyed Zheng Ye, and said very seriously, "Also, call me Big Brother!"