Volume One: The Apocalypse Descends. Chapter 23: Turning Up the Heat, A Collaborative Battle Among Family.

Although the scene was somewhat repulsive, the situation was favorable for Xiang Chenguang’s group, who possessed long-range weapons, allowing them to calmly pick off the monster insects one by one.

Xiang Chenguang stared at the spider monsters and giant centipedes clinging to the wall on the west side of the road and said, "Plan your targets yourself. See how many psionic points you can harvest without alerting the other insects."

The creatures huddled in the shade of the trees were mostly monster mites and giant cockroaches. Due to their size and habits, the spider monsters and giant centipedes mostly clung to the walls of the buildings on the west side of the road, where the walls were shielded from direct sunlight.

Xiang Xiaoxiao held her steel-ball crossbow, carefully observing the distribution of the monsters.

Thanks to Xiang Chenguang’s slaughter earlier that morning, a boundary had been established at the east entrance of Fuqian Street. Along the stretch of street leading toward Lihe Bridge, the first forty meters or so were free of spider monsters and giant centipedes; they had subconsciously steered clear of that killing field.

The closest insects to them were about ten meters away, outside a clothing store. In the shade created in front of its entrance, five or six monster mites were huddled together, resting on the ground.

A bit further away, about five meters from them, three more monster mites were huddled together in the shade of a landscaping tree.

After considering for a moment, Xiang Xiaoxiao retreated a short distance, putting herself about twenty meters away from the cluster of five or six mites outside the clothing store. She took aim at the mite facing their direction and pulled the trigger.

The mite’s head was blown open while it slept. Its limbs twitched reflexively for a few moments before it died silently.

This tiny disturbance only caused the other mites to shift slightly before they settled down again.

In this manner, relying on the fact that the steel-ball crossbow only made a faint sound when being cocked and fired, and taking advantage of the insects resting away from the sun, Xiang Xiaoxiao easily shot and killed all five mites.

Having never harvested psionic points so easily before, Xiang Xiaoxiao suppressed her excitement and moved forward a few meters. Maintaining a distance of about twenty meters from the three mites under the tree, she cocked her crossbow again.

After easily gaining another 30 psionic points, Xiang Xiaoxiao could no longer contain her joy. She trotted over to Xiang Chenguang and the others, who were keeping watch for threats from the sky and the insect swarm, and said, "I leveled up! Which attribute should I add my new attribute point to?"

Looking at Xiang Xiaoxiao, whose face was glowing with delight, Xiang Chenguang asked, "What are your three base attributes right now?"

Xiang Xiaoxiao replied, "Spirit 7, Constitution 6, Agility 5."

Xiang Chenguang looked at her in surprise. "Your initial Spirit attribute is actually 7?"

The initial three attributes of a normal adult are generally between 5 and 6. His own initial Spirit attribute, as well as Xiang Dongliang's, was 6. He hadn't expected his little sister's initial Spirit attribute to be as high as 7.

Initial attribute points above 6 are not easy to come by.

Take Xiang Dongliang, for example. He was a veteran who had worked in the county’s armed forces department after his discharge, maintaining a habit of physical exercise for decades, yet his initial Constitution attribute only reached 7.

Xiang Xiaoxiao avoided his inquisitive gaze, feeling a bit guilty. "So, which attribute should I add it to? Should I keep adding to Constitution?"

Though he found her reaction strange, Xiang Chenguang didn't dwell on it. He suggested, "A Constitution of 6 is barely enough for now. The Agility attribute not only affects reaction speed but also influences physical flexibility, body control, and dynamic vision. Since you primarily use long-range attacks, you should boost your Agility; it will make your shooting more stable and accurate."

Xiang Xiaoxiao nodded and added the new attribute point to Agility.

Unlike the obvious boost in strength she felt when adding to Constitution, adding to Agility didn't produce a noticeable physical sensation, other than feeling as though her body had become lighter.

After finishing off those eight monster mites, it would no longer be possible to hunt without alerting the other insects.

Currently, the closest ones to them were three giant cockroaches huddled under the shade of a milk tea shop’s awning.

These hardy insects wouldn't die immediately even if their heads were blown off; they could still jump around for a while.

Furthermore, giant cockroaches have vision. Once a disturbance occurred, the remaining ones would immediately lock onto Xiang Chenguang’s group. It was time for a tough fight.

Xiang Dongliang readied his shield, and He Wan stood beside him with her steel spear, prepared to strike.

Only Xiang Chenguang remained, planting his tri-棱 staff on the ground, standing loosely without any intention of joining the fray.

It was time to increase the intensity for them. Unless his family members were in danger of being injured, Xiang Chenguang had no intention of interfering in the upcoming battles.

Xiang Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, aimed her crossbow at the head of one of the giant cockroaches in the shade, and initiated the attack.

Following a soft thud, a circular hole appeared in the head of one of the cockroaches on the ground. Even so, it lunged up from the ground, its limbs flailing under the influence of its terminal nerves, alerting the other two giant cockroaches.

They quickly locked onto the four humans forming a formation on the street and launched a charge.

The giant cockroaches moved very quickly. Covering dozens of meters in just a few seconds, they were upon the group, leaving Xiang Xiaoxiao only enough time to cock her crossbow once.

The effect of the Agility boost was immediate; this time, she hit the fast-moving cockroach.

However, the small hole in its body had little effect on the tenacious giant cockroach, merely causing it to pause for a moment before it continued charging at them.

Xiang Dongliang lowered his center of gravity, holding his shield to block the cockroach's impact. From behind him, He Wan lunged forward, thrusting her steel spear straight ahead.

But giant cockroaches were not monster mites; they had vision and faster reaction times. He Wan’s thrust, aimed at the creature’s head, missed its vitals. The steel spear, not particularly sharp, only penetrated about two or three inches after piercing the cockroach's carapace.

At that moment, the other giant cockroach, which had been slowed down by the steel ball, also lunged forward. Xiang Dongliang used his riot shield to withstand its impact once again.

Then came the crisp sound of a bowstring. Xiang Xiaoxiao fired another steel ball from the rear, blowing the head off the giant cockroach that He Wan had pinned down.

Meanwhile, Xiang Dongliang swung his riot fork with his right hand. With his shield equipped and a Constitution of 8, the sweep of his staff knocked the other giant cockroach onto its back.

He Wan thrust her spear downward again, piercing through the cockroach’s head at an angle before it could flip over.

However, the noise of the giant cockroaches slamming into the shield had alerted many other insects.

Four monster mites hiding in the shade of a tree forty or fifty meters away jumped up and scurried toward them, following the sound.

About fifty meters away, a spider monster on a wall and a giant centipede coiled on an air conditioning unit on the second floor were also awakened by the commotion and began quickly closing in on their position.