The evening breeze swept in, carrying a faint scent of blood.
The surroundings were unusually quiet, making Su Changxing feel a bit uneasy. He looked around, seeing abandoned cars scattered about and open, deserted shops. He saw no other people, but there were some zombie corpses on the ground.
"Has the area been cleared? Did those people who made the noise come through here?"
He didn't immediately approach the Mysterious Shop but cautiously observed the vicinity. Finding nothing, he concluded that those people had already left.
Su Changxing crouched low and jogged through the vehicles toward the shop, continuing to survey the area and confirming that there was indeed no one around. As he approached the shop, he sped up, disappearing into the light.
Soon, four shadowy figures armed with weapons appeared at the entrance of the Mysterious Shop.
Standing in the middle, the short-haired man holding a wooden stick had a glint in his eyes and laughed, "That kid is carrying a backpack; looks like he has plenty of good stuff on him."
The young man with yellow hair complimented, "No wonder you're Brother Hei. To come up with a 'wait and catch' strategy like this."
Another man with a headscarf chimed in, "Anyone who can roam around alone at night must have some skills. We should still be cautious."
The young man with yellow hair dismissively said, "Are you saying the four of us are afraid of him? One hit each and he'll meet God."
The short-haired man straightened his expression and said,
"It's just that the shop's supplies are too little; not enough for us brothers to eat for five days. We just want some of his supplies, I'm sure he won't object."
The young man with yellow hair laughed, "Haha, he'll be thankful for our mercy."
······
"Is it zombies?"
Su Changxing frowned. As he entered the Mysterious Shop, he glanced back as if he saw several figures in the distance.
The environment of this Mysterious Shop was exactly like the previous one: a square, gray-white room, a silver metal ball, with a comfortably warm temperature inside.
The only difference was the number at the bottom left of the blue screen, A0171, whereas the previous Mysterious Shop was A0173.
"This means each Mysterious Shop has a corresponding number, and nearby, there's still an A0172."
Su Changxing analyzed, his eyes scanning the blue screen. As expected, the food and water were all exchanged, proving someone had indeed been here before.
There were no weapons visible either. Either this shop didn't restock weapons, or they were already taken. He leaned towards the latter.
Looking upwards.
The A0171 shop indeed had rare items, but they weren't attribute enhancements, rather another kind.
[Climbing Skill (Rare, Quantity 2), 900 Points]
Skill?
Su Changxing was stunned, didn't expect such a thing. He could guess that this was an item for one to learn climbing, akin to a skill book in a game.
"This is quite scientific."
He scoffed, clicking on the description of the Climbing Skill item.
[Climbing Skill: Allows you to learn the climbing skill. Use once to gain Climbing Proficiency, twice for Climbing Specialization, and four times for Climbing Mastery. It is both a skill and a path.]
Both a skill and a path?
What does 'path' refer to?
Su Changxing furrowed his brows. The last sentence seemed puzzling, though the skill itself was indeed good and would be very useful in this Doomsday World.
He didn't hesitate and decisively exchanged for both Climbing Skills. Only what's grasped in his own hands is truly his. As for the Speed Enhancement points, he could figure that out later.
Su Changxing once again saw a white light fly from the metal ball toward him, and then he felt a bit of realization, as his mind filled with extensive knowledge and experience about climbing.
At the same time, his body underwent changes, not getting stronger, but gaining muscle memory.
[Gained skill Climbing Proficiency]
[Skill upgrade, Climbing Specialization]
"It's somewhat beyond imagination, is this science, magic, or something else?"
Su Changxing pondered deeply. This was even more astonishing than directly enhancing his body before, equivalent to directly adding memories and experiences to a person.
[Total Points: 170]
Spending 1800 Points, Su Changxing had gone back to square one and couldn't help lamenting that points, like money, are very transient, disappearing without notice.
Su Changxing browsed through the item list again. Initially thinking there was nothing useful, he unexpectedly found a syringe injector and impulsively spent 5 Points to buy it, placing it in the inner compartment of his backpack.
Darkness fell over him as Su Changxing left the bright shop and returned to the dark street, seeing four armed individuals waiting outside for him, causing his heart to tighten. He silently cursed his negligence.
"Do you need something?"
Su Changxing lifted the Steel Saber with one hand, holding it in front of him, his whole body tense and ready to fight.
The short-haired man directly in front of Su Changxing saw the Steel Saber and his heart sank.
He hadn't clearly seen what the kid was holding before in the dim light, and didn't expect it to be a Steel Saber of quite good quality.
While they were still using wooden sticks to fight zombies, this kid was already using a Steel Saber.
Various thoughts raced through his mind, the short-haired man changed his expression slightly and politely said:
"We mean no harm, just asking for some supplies for survival. Give us some of the food and water from your bag, then you can leave."
The young man with yellow hair chimed in, "Give us some toll, and you can safely leave. Isn't that a good deal?"
Su Changxing didn't respond immediately, instead silently assessing them, not considering whether to agree to their demands, but pondering if he should strike to kill.
Given the chance, he could absolutely kill one with a single strike.
These people seemed to be former street thugs, but they only held wooden sticks, and their strength and speed seemed inferior to his.
A value of 3 was normal human level. What is considered a normal person? Over ninety percent of humans are considered normal. There may be some fluctuation, but all within a certain range.
Both his Power and Speed reached four.
Even surrounded, he wasn't at an absolute disadvantage.
"No······"
Before Su Changxing could say anything, the short-haired man in front suddenly charged at him, raising a wooden stick while shouting, "Disarm him first."
From the first moment he saw Su Changxing, he didn't plan to "resolve peacefully". This student-looking young man with slender arms looked like he'd never fought before. So what if he had a Steel Saber?
Besides, he coveted the weapon. With the Steel Saber, his combat effectiveness would greatly increase. Without it, he might have considered a "peaceful solution."
Su Changxing wouldn't have expected that the cause of their assault was the Steel Saber in his hand, but even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
Human nature is inherently greedy.