Joy and delight filled Stirling. If he lived longer, this enhancing ring would be his biggest trump card.

  But now was not the right moment to delve into this. Stirling gritted his teeth, holding the lantern in his hand, and kept still.

  The ghostly shadow hornet couldn't hurt Stirling anymore, but he still felt a chill. It ran through his body, making his blood feel like it was clotting. His body was too weak, forcing him to abandon the idea of collecting more lifespans right now.

  Soon, Stirling reached the window and placed a broken plank on it. He gazed out the window. When he saw the Enhance prompt, he immediately chose yes. A thick wooden board rushed to cover the empty window. The buzzing room fell silent, returning to normal.

  Stirling took in the scene before him and let out a heavy breath, then slumped to the ground, with a wave of intense fear spreading through his mind.

  If he hadn't reacted with urgency, the entire village would have been at his funeral tomorrow.

  He glanced at the old woman pinned to the wall by the arrow. To his horror, she was only skin and bones; flesh looked dried up, like a mummy preserved for centuries.

  Stirling shuddered with fear, rolling and tumbling backwards on the ground.

  Stirling couldn't help but glance at the lamp in his hand, then placed it on the table with caution.

  Next, Stirling walked to the window, pressed his ear against the wall, eager to hear any sounds outside. Even having found nothing unusual, he returned to his seat at the table, still worried.

  Stirling panicked. Then, a thought struck him. He stood up in haste and headed back to his small room.

  Arriving at the door of the small room, Stirling poked his head out and peered down into the pit below. He found old Larry shrunk by at least one third compared to his clothes. His eyes were wide open, and he curled up in the hole; skin and flesh had almost disappeared. Several sharp wooden spikes pierced his chest, pinning him to the ground.

  Stirling's stomach dropped at the awful sight. A wave of dizziness hit him. Instinctively holding onto the doorframe prevented him from falling.

  If you often kill behind a screen, you know this: the first time you do it out of passion, your brain releases dopamine. This hormone energizes your body and lessens your fear of death.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Once this hormone drops, you will completely fall into a state of hysteria.

  Before Stirling traveled through time, he was an ordinary young man. He had never seen such a scene up close. His brain was starving for oxygen; he had no strength left at all, as if it were soul-destroying.

  It took Stirling a while to memorize that he had migrated to a new world. At least in this place, the police wouldn't pursue him. He regained some composure and leaned against the doorframe, contemplating his current situation.

  This world differed from what Stirling had imagined.

  The people here were odd and robust. Old Larry and his wife moved with amazing strength and agility for their age. This made Stirling wonder if the younger folks in this world were even stronger and faster.

  He saw horrible things he had never heard about before. For example, the ghostly shadow hornets. It wouldn't be surprising if some terrifying silicon-based life form appeared later.

  From all indications, survival here is like a mission impossible. Stirling clenched his fists, his gaze hardening.

  Stirling took a deep breath and reminded himself to resolve the dire situation at hand right away. After that, he turned and walked towards the old woman's corpse hanging in the living room.

  A powerful punch came from the crossbow. The last arrow hit the old woman and kept going, breaking through most of the earthen wall.

  The ghostly hornets mummified the old woman and drained her lifeblood. This made it easy for Stirling to pull her down from the wall.

  Stirling pulled the old woman into his small room. He tossed her into the pit, feeling intense discomfort.

  Stirling muttered and made a cross at the sound of a muffled thud coming from the pit, then searched the house.

  Old Man Larry's house held nothing valuable, and worse still, food was scarce.

  He found a few pieces of the black bread given earlier in the kitchen corner, but he didn't dare eat them.

  But Stirling had a sudden thought and took the bread to the living room after his search.

  Stirling sat at the living room table. He looked at the items there and experimented for over ten minutes.

  First, a small piece of dried meat.

  The source of this dried meat was unknown. After drying, it turned black and gave off a strong, terrible smell.

  But Stirling knew it was edible because he'd seen Old Larry eat it once during a meal.

  The second item he found was a picture book.

  The book actually contained illustrations of some creatures, which surprised Stirling. This album not only marked what was edible but also the specific locations. Old Larry created this album, since the map came from his house.

  The third item was a rusty sickle.

  Old Larry likely carried this sickle while gathering food or herbs. Age rusted it. Stirling was more concerned about its tetanus-inducing properties than its sharpness.

  The fourth item was a green ointment in a small box. Stirling smelled herbs before opening the box. He guessed it was the box that Old Larry used for ointments.

  Stirling found the rest of the items to be a few odds and ends. He thought they had little value, so he paid them little attention. Then came the moment he had long expected.

  Stirling mutters to himself. Then, he takes the black bread in his hands.

  "Curent enhancement consumes 28 days of lifespan. Enhance?"

  Stirling meditated and said yes in his mind. Then, the bread in his hand shone with light.

  When the light dissipated, Stirling discovered that the bread in his hand had changed. A line of instructions appeared next to the bread.

  [Black Death Bread]

  Bread rich in a poisonous aroma — the temptation is irresistible to ordinary people.

  Enraged, Stirling smashed the black bread on the table to pieces with his fist. He wished he had carved into it with his sickle. If he had, he might have got a few safe and edible loaves now.

  Enhanced items cannot be enhanced again. Stirling had already testified to this through experiments. He felt regretful, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he focused on the next line of instructions.

  "Enhancement successful; remaining lifespan: 8 years and 11 days."

  His lifespan had increased back to eight years. So, in that moment, he had gained several months of lifespan from those tiny insects.

  If Stirling could handle the chill from the hornets, he might open the windows at night to gain a longer lifespan.