Chapter 34: Meat for Dinner

"So much meat!"

Although a portion of it was pinned under the large iron ore deposits, he didn't dare dig them up to retrieve the horse meat right now. Even so, the amount exposed on the surface alone was several hundred jin. The horse had been massive, significantly larger than any so-called warhorse on Earth; it must have been a mutated creature. It made sense—if it weren't a mutated beast, it would have been impossible for it to survive in this extreme environment, let alone continue carrying riders over long distances. A beast of that size, even just half of its body, weighed several hundred jin. Once the bones were removed, there would still be around two hundred jin of meat left. If mixed with other ingredients and rationed carefully, it would be enough to last them a long time.

Liu Hen, who couldn't even remember the last time his body had tasted meat, quickly gathered the horse meat from the ground. Perhaps because the meat was categorized as a single type of item, it could all be stored in a single slot of his spatial backpack. One piece counted as one unit, regardless of size; as long as he could lift it, he could store it. Before long, he had collected all the scattered meat.

"Master, there's this piece too," Little Black Stone called out from the cave entrance.

"Good job, Black Stone. I can't believe you dragged the biggest piece all the way here." Liu Hen walked over, praised him, and stored the hundred-jin chunk of meat.

Having received his master's praise for the first time, Little Black Stone beamed. "As long as I didn't cause you any trouble, Master."

"How could you?" Liu Hen smiled. He checked the direction and continued their journey with Little Black Stone in tow.

Given the thunderous sound of hooves earlier and the encounter with that lunatic, he realized that something was happening in this area—it was becoming volatile. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, he decided to leave. He had worried about the lack of food and finding a reliable source, but now, that concern was gone. At least for the short term, he wouldn't have to worry about sustenance.

*The meat pinned under those rocks should stay preserved for a long time in this extreme cold. I suppose the large iron ore I dropped acts as a makeshift freezer.* Liu Hen mused that if he ever ran out of food again, he could return to dig it out. By then, that strange fellow pinned beneath the rocks would surely be dead. As for now, he didn't dare take the risk; the man had given him an incredibly dangerous vibe, feeling less like a creature of flesh and blood.

*Judging by his appearance, he should be human, but that metal arm...* Liu Hen wondered silently, *Could he be a cyborg? Does this world even have cyborgs?*

Because he was unsure of the level of technology in this world, he couldn't be certain. At first, he suspected the man was an esper, but now he leaned toward the possibility of him being a cyborg. Of course, the truth remained unknown, as he hadn't verified it himself.

*Even after deboning, there should be two hundred jin of meat. Even eating just meat, it will last a long time. But I shouldn't waste it like that. Eating meat occasionally is fine, but most of the time it’s better to eat a mixed diet, provided I can create digestible mixtures...*

He thought about researching food combinations, mixing the horse meat with other materials that weren't typically considered food but contained nutrients the human body could absorb. If he were lucky, he might create a new type of food, making the supply last even longer.

"Hoo... hoo..." As they traveled, Liu Hen shook his body to generate warmth. That air cannon attack had drained almost all the heat from his body, and he felt as if he had been frozen solid. *The power of the air cannon was unexpectedly high, but the aftereffects are severe.* Fortunately, it was just hypothermia and not a physical injury. Since the condition was temporary, the feeling of being frozen began to fade as he kept moving, and his body gradually warmed up.

Because of this, he didn't stop to light a fire. He was worried that the light might attract danger, and he couldn't afford to waste time in such an unsafe location. He didn't know if the strange man’s accomplices were nearby, but given the intensity of the hoofbeats, he was certain there were multiple riders.

A tree appeared in his field of vision. Liu Hen immediately pulled out his Universal Pickaxe, walked over, and with a few heavy strikes, harvested the tree into a "Large Log." *I'm glad I have the ability to harvest large logs; otherwise, gathering small wood would be such a waste of time,* he thought.

After clearing the tree, they continued on. Along the way, he harvested every tree he encountered. Large logs were essential fuel for campfires; a single one could keep a fire burning for ten thousand minutes—invaluable. With his enhanced vision, their travel speed was much faster, and he didn't have to fear an ambush.

Finally, after traveling seven or eight kilometers, Liu Hen stopped abruptly. His Warmth-Preserving Suit had finished upgrading. A surge of immense power washed over him. In that moment, he even had the illusion that if he encountered that strange man again, he could knock him out with a single punch. Of course, this was likely just the sensation of suddenly gaining so much strength, as the data didn't lie:

[Warmth-Preserving Suit (Black Iron): The wearer gains 300kg of strength beyond their base level, along with physical constitution capable of withstanding a tenfold burst of that 300kg strength, and sensory perception to match. Set Effect: Air Cannon, Compressed Air Bomb (The more body heat consumed, the greater the power). Due to limited potential, this set can only be upgraded one more time. Upgrade Materials: 100 Copper Ore, 1000 Magic Crystals.]

*Only one more upgrade?* Liu Hen frowned. *I’ll have to work harder to find tree cores.*

Setting aside his future worries, he focused on his current state. His own base strength wasn't very high—at most one hundred kilograms, though the exact figure was unknown. With the Black Iron suit, he had gained an additional three hundred kilograms, bringing his total raw strength to roughly four hundred. Four hundred kilograms of pure force made him feel like a mini-superman.

Beyond the physical and defensive buffs, there was his vision. With the Black Iron suit, he could now see up to 150 meters in the dim night. *This suit is truly magical, like power armor that doesn't need charging.* He noticed that aside from the color turning black, the thickness of the suit had noticeably increased. However, it still maintained a tight-fitting silhouette that perfectly outlined his body. Fortunately, he was wearing tattered outer clothes that masked the suit, so it wasn't immediately obvious to outsiders. Little Black Stone was also wearing the coat he had provided, which similarly concealed his own suit.

*It's too conspicuous if only we wear them. Perhaps I should sell some to others. If everyone wears the clothes I make, my own use of the suit's effects won't stand out so much.* Liu Hen planned silently. Of course, he wouldn't sell the headpieces; he wouldn't provide anyone else with a complete set unless they were part of his inner circle, like Little Black Stone.

*Weapons sold by a merchant might be turned against them by enemies. That will never happen to me.* Even if he were forced by circumstance or extreme profit to sell some, he would only offer the lowest tier, like the "Rotten Wood" grade.

After briefly testing his strength, he refrained from firing off any air cannons and continued on with Little Black Stone. Over an hour later, they reached a mining area. It wasn't a mine shaft but an open-pit mine, where a large quantity of iron ore had been extracted but left behind.

*Danger shouldn't arrive too quickly. The iron ore I mined earlier is gone, so I should stock up and continue upgrading my workbench.* Liu Hen already had a plan. But just as he entered the mining field, four figures appeared in his sight. To his surprise, they were the Wu siblings—though the original group of five was now down to four, and all of them were injured.