Ch 168: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Shen Yunxuan sprinted faster than she ever had in her life, running with all her might. Several zombies were chasing her from behind. What kind of terrible luck was this?!

She spotted a store with a broken window by the roadside and quickly climbed inside. She grabbed a few nearby boxes and stacked them against the window to block the entrance. She was completely exhausted—if she didn’t find shelter soon, she was going to die in the streets.

Just as she finished barricading the window, she heard a low, raspy sound behind her. Her body stiffened as she turned around. A legless zombie was pinned under an overturned cabinet, desperately clawing its way toward her, as if it would tear itself apart just to take a bite.

Now that she was actually facing it, Shen Yunxuan found that she wasn’t scared anymore.

This store only had one zombie inside, making it a relatively safe hiding spot—if she could deal with it.

She rummaged through her large bag and put on the thickest clothes she had, then layered a rubber raincoat over them and slipped on a pair of rain boots, maximizing her protection against any potential bites.

Next, she put on a gas mask, activated the recording function on her phone, and clipped a Bluetooth camera onto her collar to capture everything she saw.

Once she was fully prepared, she pulled out a crowbar and swung it down hard on the zombie’s head.

Just like in the movies, its skull caved in, and its body stopped moving. The sight was nauseating, but at least it was effective.

She cautiously poked the zombie’s head with the crowbar and asked the system in her mind, “Do zombies have crystal cores in their brains? Can I absorb them to gain abilities or something?”

The system replied, “No. The host’s level is too low and can only travel to lower-tier worlds. As you gain experience and level up, you will be able to access higher-tier worlds where supernatural abilities, cultivation techniques, mystical arts, and advanced weapons exist.”

Shen Yunxuan paused, but she wasn’t too disappointed.

Outside, the zombies that had been chasing her had lost track of her and were now aimlessly wandering the streets.

For now, she was safe. She decided to search the store.

It was a phone shop. Broken display cases and scattered debris covered the floor, with dozens of smartphones lying around. Some had cracked screens, some were stained with blood, but quite a few were still in perfect condition.

Wearing gloves, she carefully picked out the intact phones and tossed them into a plastic bag. Then she searched under the counters and found unopened boxes of brand-new phones, adding them all to her large bag.

If she returned to her world right away, could she sell these secondhand on Xianyu? That should be low risk, right? People sold all sorts of things on Xianyu.

Her mind opened to new possibilities. Maybe coming to an apocalyptic world wasn’t so bad—she could go on a free shopping spree in abandoned stores.

In an apocalypse, people looted food first. That meant valuables like gold, silver, luxury goods, cosmetics, and electronics were still sitting untouched. If she took those back, she could sell them online and make a fortune.

She moved to the window and scanned the street outside.

This looked like a shopping district. She was hiding in a phone store, and across the street, she saw a coffee shop, an eyewear store, and a clothing boutique.

Then, in the reflection of a tilted car’s side mirror, she noticed something exciting.

The store right next to her was a gold jewelry shop—one of the most well-known brands in the industry.

Shen Yunxuan’s heart pounded.

Hadn’t she just been thinking about trading for gold? Now, a golden opportunity was right in front of her. It would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

She asked the system, “Since my level is low, does that mean my stay in other worlds is short?”

The system replied, “Yes. Initially, as the host levels up, the duration of your stay in other worlds will gradually increase. However, once it reaches one month, the duration will become randomized.”

Shen Yunxuan now had a clear understanding.

Since she hadn’t leveled up yet, her time limit here should be the same as in the interstellar world—about two hours.

That meant she had already used up thirty minutes. She needed to move fast.

She set a small alarm clock, placed it far from her hiding spot, and then moved some boxes away from the window. She picked a direction and threw the alarm clock as far as she could.

Two minutes later, the alarm blared loudly. The zombies nearby immediately staggered toward the noise, moving away from her hiding spot.

She quickly removed the barricade, sprinted to the gold store, and began sweeping jewelry into her bag as fast as possible.

At that moment, she felt like a bank robber in a movie.

Necklaces, bracelets, rings—she grabbed everything. There were even gold figurines like a golden ruyi scepter, a gold cabbage, and a golden staff. Once her bag was full, she tried opening a door in the back, likely leading to the storage room.

But even after using the crowbar, the door wouldn’t budge.

She decided not to waste time. No point in lingering—better to leave now before the zombies noticed her.

She rushed out and slipped into the eyewear store next door.

Anything was better than nothing.

She recalled that high-end prescription glasses could cost thousands of yuan per pair, and branded lenses could be even more expensive. She didn’t know much about glasses, but since she was already here, she might as well take some.

She grabbed another large bag and swept in various frames and lenses, along with several boxes of contact lenses.

Behind the counter, there was a stockroom filled with more supplies. She opened the cabinets and saw shelves full of expensive lenses, glasses, and contact lenses.

Her bag was quickly filled to the brim.

Shen Yunxuan took out the items she had brought back from the interstellar world and squeezed them into her storage bag, fitting everything inside the compartment in her backpack.

She was drenched in sweat. Checking the time, she realized that an hour had already passed.

Now she had to decide—should she find a place to hide and wait out the rest of her time, or should she keep searching for more valuables?

Shen Yunxuan peeked out onto the street. The alarm had long stopped ringing, but the zombies hadn’t returned to the area. It seemed like a good chance to take a risk.

Since the lower-level worlds weren’t too dangerous at first, she figured she should be bold. That way, she could accumulate resources to prepare for more difficult and dangerous worlds in the future.

If she chose to hide now, what would happen when she truly faced a life-and-death situation? If she didn’t have the means to protect herself, it would be over for her. She might not even live as long as Zhang Yang did in her previous life.

Having made up her mind, she prepared to move. Another thing she was considering was how to get a higher evaluation score and earn more dimension coins.

Last time, she got a lot of points for bringing back knowledge books that were more advanced than her original world’s, as well as for learning new things from that world.

What kind of knowledge could she gain from the apocalypse? Zombie attributes and classification? The structure of survivor bases?

As she pondered, she pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked out into the distance. Suddenly, she saw a truck approaching. It was a large vehicle, and in the back, two rows of people sat holding guns. They were dressed in well-fitted gear, and there were both men and women.

They didn’t look like bandits; they seemed more like base warriors or mercenaries.

Of course, appearances weren’t always reliable. She knew that just because they looked decent didn’t mean they could be trusted. But since she had been reborn and bound to the system, facing this kind of adventure was inevitable. She had to develop an adventurous spirit and be willing to take calculated risks.

Besides, she glanced at her watch—she only had fifty minutes left before she would return. Even if things went south, she just had to stall long enough to escape safely.

Having made up her mind, she took off her gas mask and replaced it with a hat, windproof goggles, and an N95 mask. Her face was still completely covered, but at least she didn’t look as intimidating as before.

She also grabbed a backpack and put in a bag of bread, a pack of instant noodles, and a bottle of water.

By this time, the truck had drawn close. Shen Yunxuan stood at the store entrance, gripping her dagger tightly, and waved her arm in the air. If they raised their guns at her without hesitation, she could still retreat into the shop and flee.

The woman in the passenger seat spotted her first and turned to the driver. “Captain, there’s someone in that shop ahead. Should we check it out?”

The captain glanced at Shen Yunxuan, then at the seven or eight zombies ahead. “Hong Jie, go test her. If there’s no issue, bring her back to the base.”

He stopped the truck right in front of Shen Yunxuan, then got out and rushed toward the zombies. Two others in the truck bed jumped down to assist him, and in just moments, they had cleared all the zombies.

Shen Yunxuan’s eyes widened.

This was real apocalyptic combat!

It was fierce, brutal, and violent!

It felt like stepping into a bloody action movie, completely different from when she had used a crowbar to take down a single zombie. Her face turned pale.

Hong Jie studied her for a moment, then sneered, “What? Scared? That’s surprising. The apocalypse has been going on for three years—there are still little bunnies like you?”

Shen Yunxuan quickly steadied herself. “No, it’s just… I used to be with my family. My two younger brothers always fought while I stayed back. I’ve never done it myself. But I’m really good at cooking. Could you take me to your base?”

Hong Jie raised an eyebrow. “And where’s your family now?”

Shen Yunxuan lowered her voice, “They went out one day and never came back. I assume… they didn’t make it. We had a plan—if anyone was left alone, they were supposed to go to the nearest base. If they’re alive, they’ll come looking for me there.”

It wasn’t the best place to chat. Hong Jie checked her backpack and had her remove her gloves. Seeing her smooth, unblemished hands, free of any scars or calluses from fighting, it was clear she had been well protected. As for whether she had any injuries, they would check once they got to the base.

Hong Jie nodded. “Get in the truck bed. Someone at the base will arrange things for you. Sit tight.”

Shen Yunxuan quickly thanked her and climbed into the back, then turned to thank the others.

As the truck started moving again, the other people eyed her raincoat curiously. “You’re wearing such a thick raincoat—doesn’t it make it hard to move?”

Shen Yunxuan felt a bit awkward. “I was just worried about getting bitten by a zombie.”

Since she didn’t have much time left, she didn’t bother with small talk. Instead, she asked, “Do any of you have a survival manual or something? I haven’t really interacted with outsiders much. I want to understand how things work before I reach the base so I won’t be a burden.”

One of them laughed. “You mean the survival guide? That thing’s like an instruction manual—nobody actually reads it. Who carries that around? The base has rules and guidelines posted on the walls. You’ll see them when you get there.”

Shen Yunxuan wasn’t sure how far the base was, so she took out the food from her bag and handed it to them. “Can you tell me about it? Anything you can think of. I’m really nervous and a bit scared.”

They had been out on a zombie-clearing mission and hadn’t eaten anything. Now, seeing the food, their eyes lit up. One of them, whose hands were clean, took the bread and immediately divided it into small pieces, sharing it with the group.

With food in their mouths, they became much more talkative. After all, they were only sharing common knowledge—it wasn’t like she was asking for base secrets. And honestly, looking at this soft-spoken, delicate girl, it was hard to imagine she could be a threat.

One person sighed, “It’s been three years since the apocalypse started. The soil is getting worse. The base recently reported that crop yields are dropping. No idea what we’ll do in the future.”

Another said, “Zombies seem to be getting stronger. The research lab says it’s because of the acid rain last month—it accelerated their evolution. That rain must have been carrying a virus.”

“I heard the Beijing base developed some kind of energy biscuit. Eating just one piece keeps you full for an entire day.”

“You’ve never fought a zombie? Then yeah, it makes sense you’re dressed like that. Even a scratch from their nails can infect you…”

Shen Yunxuan listened carefully. This counted as learning about the apocalypse, right?

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆