Chapter 15: Achieving a Milestone

Squelch!
The sharp entrenching tool sliced into the earth wyrm’s body, and disgusting slime oozed from the wound.
The earth wyrm writhed in pain, immediately attempting to burrow underground. The compacted soil before it broke apart as easily as tofu.
With the screaming woman now pulled out from inside it by Shen He, the creature moved with newfound agility.
In the blink of an eye, it had already tunneled half a meter down.
Seeing this, Shen He wrapped his arms around the wyrm, using the entrenching tool as leverage, and pulled with all his might.
A tug-of-war unfolded between the two.
The earth wyrm struggled and drilled deeper into the soil, its speed much slower than before, but still inexorably descending.
Soon, Shen He’s body was pressed close to the ground; if this continued, he would either have to let go, allowing the wyrm to escape, or stubbornly hold on and be dragged underground himself.
Once beneath the earth, Shen He would be at the creature’s mercy.
He gritted his teeth, flashing a grin, “Damn thing, you want to see who’s stronger, huh?”
Panel, add points!
With a thought, Shen He allocated 1.1 of his remaining 2.1 free attribute points to strength, and the remaining 1 point to stamina.
He held nothing back.
In the next instant, Shen He felt a surge of immense power within him, forcibly pulling the earth wyrm out of the ground.
The force was so great that the wyrm was lifted off the earth, sending Shen He tumbling backward with it.
The over-two-meter-long earth wyrm crashed onto the smoking car.
The vehicle, teetering on the edge of a blaze, erupted in flames, engulfing the earth wyrm.
Sensing imminent danger, Shen He rolled away like a lazy donkey, dodging the explosive fire, landing atop the severed earth wyrm limb he had cut earlier.
Then, with a powerful kick, he sent the meter-long chunk flying into the inferno.
As the limb soared through the air, Shen He noticed its wound already beginning to heal slowly.
There was no denying the creature’s terrifying vitality.
Had Shen He moved a moment slower and allowed it to escape underground,

It wouldn’t be long before the earth wyrm was as good as new.
Watching the roaring flames, Shen He gave a thumbs-up to the blood-stained young man, saying, “Great car—burns fast.”
The young man, whose trousers were stained with blood, snapped out of his daze, gazing at his now nearly incinerated car, nearly in tears.
It was brand-new!
Sob, sob~
Standing before the blazing car, Shen He saw lines of small text float before his eyes.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for slaying a Tier-3 earth wyrm. You have gained +3 free attribute points.]
[Achievement activated: Challenge Beyond Your Level!]
[…]
At that moment, footsteps hurried toward the edge of the crater.
Shen He barely glanced at the floating text, turning to see several firefighters in orange uniforms peering down.
Spotting the burning car and the dozen or so people nearby, mostly unharmed, the firefighters sighed in relief.
One called out loudly, “Don’t move down there! We’re coming down now!”
With that, ropes were tossed down from above, and several firefighters descended simultaneously.
On the other side, a fire truck had arrived; a few firefighters blasted the burning car with water cannons.
Shen He hefted the entrenching tool in his hand. “Hey, buddy, where did you get this shovel? It’s really sturdy!”
If not for its toughness, the first earth wyrm charge would have broken a few of his ribs.
The blood-stained young man forced a smile. “Bought it online. Was planning to go camping today. If you like it, it’s yours.”
Shen He replied, “I really shouldn’t…”
Nevertheless, he folded up the entrenching tool and hooked it onto his belt, striding toward the crater’s edge.
A firefighter asked, “Comrade, are you injured? Do you need help getting up?”
With a carefree wave, Shen He said, “No need. Go help them.”
He grabbed the rope and climbed swiftly up out of the crater, showing no sign of injury.
At the edge, someone reached out to pull him up.
Shen He surveyed the surroundings.
Fire trucks, ambulances, police cars…
Riot vans?

They had shown up too?
Just as he collected himself, a uniformed man stepped forward, saluted, and introduced himself, “Hello, comrade. I’m Chen Zhao from the South City Substation. We just received reports from citizens—something about a monster appearing here…”
He peered down into the crater, finding nothing unusual.
Shen He pointed to the car being extinguished, “Over there! Not a monster, just an oversized earthworm.”
Chen Zhao nodded, “So that’s what it was.”
Suddenly, Shen He’s face twitched, an itch deep in his bones making his body twist involuntarily.
A clear voice called out, “Captain, he’s about to reveal his true form!”
Before the words faded, Chen Zhao slapped her, “Less reading novels, more lifting stretchers. He’s probably got internal injuries.”
Shen He dropped heavily to the ground, grimacing in pain.
Indeed, allocating so many points at once caused some discomfort.
Luckily, the reaction wasn’t severe this time; otherwise, he would have lost all dignity.
By the time the orderlies arrived with a stretcher, Shen He was back on his feet, insisting, “Captain Chen, I’m fine—no stretcher needed.”
He even jumped in place to demonstrate his robust health.
Chen Zhao paused, then waved the stretcher crew away to aid others instead.
He looked Shen He up and down, “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Shen He waved him off, “I feel great. Strong enough to kill a bull.”
Chen Zhao nodded, “Then we’ll prioritize medical resources for others, but I’d still recommend a hospital checkup if you have time.”
“And, I heard you were the first to go down and rescue people this time.”
“I’ll apply for a heroic citizen award for you at the bureau. If it’s approved, I’ll contact you to come collect it.”
Shen He nodded, “No problem.”
Back at the crater, an officer examining the car wreckage called out in surprise, “Captain, there’s a discovery here!”
Chen Zhao immediately jogged over.
Shen He spotted the owner of the voice that had joked about him revealing his true form—a young policewoman, new to the job, bouncing along like a rabbit officer.
He slipped away, shaking the slime from his hands as he walked.
Sticky, like snot—utterly revolting.