Universal Shelter: I have a gold entry at each level! - Chapter 6

Chapter 006: Mino – I Am a Mutant

“Who is Bloodbeard?” Mu Liang asked expressionlessly.

Mino’s face was too dirty to show any emotion, but her voice was heavy. “Bloodbeard is a bandit leader in this area. He often raids small camps and settlements or ambushes travelers on the road.”

“Heh, you two better let me go.”

The man holding the bone knife—one of Bloodbeard’s scouts—noticed their hesitation and immediately became arrogant.

“If you don’t, when my boss attacks your camp, you two are dead for sure!”

From experience, he knew that just mentioning Bloodbeard’s name was usually enough to scare people into submission.

Mu Liang’s eyes narrowed. “Wait… you just said ‘when they attack our camp’?”

The bandit scout froze. “Uh… I-I… did I say that?” He stammered, realizing his mistake.

“So, you four were scouting for them, weren’t you?” Mu Liang’s voice turned cold.

“No! We were just out hunting!” The scout panicked and shook his head frantically.

If Bloodbeard found out he had leaked information about the raid, he would be tied up and dragged to death on the ground.

“When is the attack happening?”

Mu Liang picked up a bone knife from the ground and pressed it against the scout’s chin. His voice remained unnervingly calm.

“I’ll only ask once. If I don’t like your answer, this knife will go straight through your chin and into your brain.”

“I-I-I…”

The bandit scout stared at Mu Liang in terror. One look at those eyes, and he knew—this man wasn’t bluffing.

Mu Liang smirked. “So, you’d rather take your loyalty to Bloodbeard to the grave?”

The knife pressed forward.

“No! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

The bandit scout’s head was forced back as he shouted in fear.

“I don’t know exactly when Bloodbeard will attack your camp! He only decided to do it and sent us to scout the area.”

“You really don’t know the timing?” Mu Liang’s voice grew colder.

“I swear! But usually, it wouldn’t take more than three days.”

Desperate to survive, the bandit even revealed internal gang protocols.

Mu Liang continued his questioning. Just as the scout finally relaxed, thinking he might be spared—

“Crack!”

With a sudden twist, Mu Liang snapped his neck.

The body collapsed limply to the ground.

“Bloodbeard has set his sights on our camp…”

Mino’s small hands gripped Mu Liang’s arm. Her voice trembled. “Mu Liang, what should I do?”

“How many people are in your camp? And how many of them are women, children, or the elderly?” Mu Liang asked.

Mino thought for a moment before pressing her lips together. “Around three hundred people… but half of them are women, kids, or old folks.”

“Tell them to run. They’re no match for a bandit crew.” Mu Liang shook his head.

From the interrogation, he knew that Bloodbeard had over five hundred men—hardened raiders.

A camp with three hundred people, half of whom were non-combatants, wouldn’t stand a chance.

Even if by some miracle they won, barely anyone would survive.

“Run? But… where would we even go?” Mino asked blankly.

“That’s not my problem,” Mu Liang replied. “Tell your camp leader what’s happening. Figuring out the next step is their job.”

He crouched down and began searching the bandit scout’s body.

Mino bit her lip and asked urgently, “But… will they even believe me?”

“Probably not.”

Mu Liang thought for a moment before answering.

After all, a random nobody from the camp suddenly claiming that bandits were about to attack—who would take that seriously?

Maybe they’d believe her at first. But if the bandits didn’t show up immediately, people would start doubting.

“Even if they don’t believe me, I still have to try.”

Mino clenched her jaw. The camp was her home. She couldn’t just stand by and watch it get destroyed.

“Alright, leave it to me.”

Mu Liang interrupted her determination with a calm voice.

He had already come up with a plan. He would talk to the camp leader himself—at night.

In the past, sneaking in would’ve been tricky.

But now, with Mimetic Camouflage, meeting the leader undetected would be easy.

“Mu Liang, you have a plan?” Mino asked excitedly.

“Yeah, I have an idea.”

Mu Liang finished searching the scout’s clothes. All he found was a small piece of dried meat.

Then he moved on to the bandit who had been coughing up blood—he was barely clinging to life.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Mino asked, stepping closer.

“You?” Mu Liang glanced at her. “Just think about whether you want to leave with me the day after tomorrow.”

“I will! I’m coming with you!”

Mino’s face lit up with a smile.

With the camp in danger, she had no reason to stay.

“What’s with those rabbit ears on your head?”

Mu Liang finally asked, noticing her long ears twitching.

No wonder she always wore a headscarf—she was hiding them.

“Hehe… I’m a mutant. The rabbit ears are my mutation.”

Mino giggled awkwardly and tugged at her long ears.

“What abilities do you have?” Mu Liang asked curiously.

“I can hear really far away.”

Mino tilted her head and spoke softly. “And I can run faster and jump higher.”

“Rabbit traits.”

Mu Liang nodded in understanding.

No wonder she had managed to survive on her own, hunting small lizards.

Living alone in the wasteland took more than just luck.

“I’ll go search the other two bodies!”

Mino bounced off excitedly to loot the corpses.

Mu Liang shook his head and continued searching.

“Tch… they’re all broke.”

All he found was another small piece of dried meat.

“Whoa! A beast core!”

Mino’s excited voice rang out. “Mu Liang, come here! I found something good!”

Mu Liang glanced down at his own empty hands. Was this just her luck?

Walking over, he took the item Mino handed him—a thumb-sized, white, diamond-shaped crystal.

“Ding! Energy source detected. Would you like to convert it into Evolution Points?”

—

Translator’s Note:

• Mutants (异变者): Likely refers to humans who have undergone genetic mutations in this post-apocalyptic world, gaining animal-like traits.
• Beast Core (凶兽晶石): Possibly a crystal containing energy, useful for upgrades or abilities.