Su Changxing didn't sleep too deeply; instead, he was in a state of shallow sleep. In this state, he could vaguely perceive the surrounding conditions during his sleep.
This was also a skill that Su Changxing had unknowingly developed in the past. Back then, he felt very insecure when he slept and often remained in a half-awake state.
When Su Changxing was very young, his parents mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind a substantial inheritance, and he was adopted by an aunt whom he was not familiar with at all.
At first, the family treated little Changxing reasonably well, perhaps because of the inheritance, but over time, he sensed that the way they looked at him was very peculiar, and they didn't interact with him much on a daily basis.
Su Changxing was very clever from a young age. He knew that if a person with a terminal illness died, no one would find it strange, and the inheritance would naturally fall into the adopter's hands.
······
Su Changxing suddenly opened his eyes from his slumber as footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door.
The footsteps were heavy, pacing back and forth.
This was likely a Zombie. It seemed to sense Su Changxing's presence and was trying to find his location.
Su Changxing quietly picked up his phone to check the time.
4:50.
It was still very early.
He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a big gulp of water, feeling the coolness spreading down from his throat as his mind gradually cleared.
Su Changxing glanced at the number of survivors on his phone.
[Survivor Count: 9 billion]
Sure enough, another half a billion people had died, but the death rate was obviously slowing down, from half a billion people dying in the first few hours to the same number dying over the course of a night.
The first batch of people who died were either the unfortunate ones or those who couldn't adapt to this Doomsday World at all: the elderly, children, and disabled people······
Su Changxing originally belonged to this category of people too, but he managed to endure it.
It was still early now, and the Zombies might still be in a speed-enhanced state. To be safe, Su Changxing decided to wait until the sun fully rose before going out.
Su Changxing opened the forum and a hot post caught his attention.
Xiaofeng Canyue: Last night, I looked out the window and saw a Mysterious Shop lit up downstairs. I swear I had never seen that shop before, and this morning it's gone again.
Reply 1: The poster must be hallucinating; how could there be a lit-up shop? There's not a single bit of light where I am at night.
Reply 2: Sounds so creepy, could it be something like a Ghost Soul?
Reply 3: Even if it's true, I wouldn't be too surprised because being thrown here in the first place is already an unreasonable situation.
Reply 4: Actually, I think I saw it too. I wonder if I'm in the same place as the poster; I previously thought I was hallucinating.
Reply 5: What a coincidence, I saw it too.
······
From the replies, Su Changxing learned that many people saw such a Mysterious Shop that didn't fit in with the surroundings, making it unlikely that they saw the same shop in one location.
This indicated that it wasn't a special case, but rather a common phenomenon.
Could it be similar to a discount shop, a Points Shop? It's reasonable to have shops with normal prices if there are discount shops.
No one had reportedly entered the shop on the forum so far, but Su Changxing was sure someone had already been in, just that no one had come forward to say so.
Of course, all of this was still just Su Changxing's speculation; to know for sure, he would have to see it for himself.
The footsteps pacing outside kept echoing.
As the sun rose, the dilapidated city gradually welcomed light, with rays seeping through the door cracks.
A Zombie in a ragged, bright red overcoat was pacing the hallway, seemingly searching for something.
"Bang~"
The door behind the Zombie was kicked open heavily.
Su Changxing appeared behind it, wielding a Steel Saber, and before the Zombie could turn around, he slashed it across the head.
Blood splattered as the Steel Saber embedded into the skull, and the Zombie was killed by Xu Changxing in one strike.
[Killed a Zombie, gained 10 Points]
"What a powerful force."
Su Changxing didn't spend much effort slaying the Zombie; Power of 4 was stronger than he imagined, comparable to some top strength athletes.
What he currently lacked was combat technique, but against these straightforward Zombies, simple hacks sufficed.
After that, Su Changxing began searching this floor for supplies, seeing if there was anything useful. Even if he couldn't use something, he could sell it for Points.
Every room was chaotic, with cabinets and drawers opened, seemingly ransacked already.
Opening a drawer revealed a dusty glass with an unfamiliar cartoon character on it.
Opening another drawer uncovered a yellowed notebook, seemingly a work log, filled with handwritten reports over hundreds of pages.
······
After searching two rooms, Su Changxing couldn't find anything useful, but he patiently moved from room to room, hoping to discover something valuable.
Under a table in a corner, Su Changxing found a functional but battery-dead phone; the brand was unfamiliar.
He also found a private diary in a tightly closed cabinet.
April 4
The company's performance is getting worse; I suspect it's going bankrupt. Haha, why do I feel a sense of schadenfreude? If the company goes bankrupt, won't I become a homeless drifter too?
April 12
The boss gave us an unknown pill, claiming it could make us maintain a more efficient, long-lasting working state.
How could I possibly take such a strange thing?
April 15
Colleagues who took the pills started working overtime like robots; is this the beginning of the so-called "007"?
How ironic, I bet this world is about to end.
April 16
I was fired for refusing to take the drug. It feels good, at least it's a relief; maybe being a drifter isn't a bad choice.
The diary ends here, with no year, just dates, suggesting the owner didn't habitually write diaries, only doing so when they felt inspired.
Su Changxing could sense that the world was already in an extremely oppressive state before the apocalypse broke out, with company employees having to take drugs to keep up with society's pace.
Meanwhile, there was already a large number of homeless people in society.
Such a cliché Doomsday World, or perhaps the apocalypse was spawned under such conditions.
This is a True World; most likely, that's it, Su Changxing made this judgment from various details.
He also luckily scavenged two bags of possibly expired chocolate cookies.
Shelf life: Two years
Expiration date: March 3, 2980.
Since he didn't know what time period this world was in now, he couldn't judge if they were expired.
He didn't dare to eat these two bags of chocolate cookies either; getting a stomach ache in such an environment was extremely dangerous, and with the presence of discount shops, he shouldn't lack food in the short term.
Su Changxing planned to sell these two bags of "local specialties" on the forum in exchange for Points and immediately made a post.
Lucky Child: Scavenged two bags of chocolate cookies, 50 Points per bag, first come, first served.
[Image]
During this period, food was very scarce for everyone, and hardly anyone would sell food, let alone exchange it for Points, which were temporarily of no use.
The post received a lot of replies as soon as it was published.
Starry Sea: Boss, you're awesome, already having extra food to sell. Unfortunately, I only have 20 Points so far.
Inaction: Please trade with me, I happen to have 100 Points.
Little Clever: Where do you all get so many Points from? I only have 10 Points so far.
24k Big Sweet Potato: Friendly reminder, killing a Zombie nets 10 Points.
······
Su Changxing immediately traded with Inaction, exchanging two bags of chocolate cookies for 100 Points.
Inaction repeatedly thanked Su Changxing for his generosity and kindness as if he had gained an enormous advantage, which left Su Changxing slightly embarrassed since he knew he was the one truly benefiting.
Su Changxing hesitated for a moment but still reminded: These two bags of cookies are likely long expired, so they might cause stomach issues. Please be cautious, my friend.
Inaction: Thank you for the reminder, Lucky Boss, but I haven't eaten anything so far. Having an upset stomach is better than starving to death.
After finishing his search, Su Changxing prepared to leave. Although staying here was relatively safe for a short period, it was definitely not a long-term solution.
Not having a backpack, Su Changxing simply finished the last bit of water in the bottle, feeling a slight fullness in his stomach, as if he couldn't finish what he started.
He picked up his Steel Saber and headed towards the stairwell, planning to clean one floor at a time. This approach was cautious, and as long as he didn't face more than two Zombies at once, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
As he got closer to the next floor, Su Changxing could already hear the unconscious growls of Zombies, deep and hoarse, seemingly filled with immense pain.
As expected, there were still Zombies on this floor.