The air felt a bit stifling.
The sky was covered with thick clouds, and the moon was occasionally obscured, causing the city to plunge into complete darkness from time to time.
In these conditions, visibility was hampered, adding considerable difficulty for Su Changxing, though it was still manageable.
This time, luck was on his side. Su Changxing walked along the street for half an hour and spotted the Mysterious Shop from afar at a fork in the road, feeling a small thrill of excitement while also a bit fatigued.
He had fired nearly a hundred arrows tonight without alerting any Zombie, maintaining a high level of mental concentration.
Looking at the distribution of Zombies around, Su Changxing judged that someone had likely visited this Mysterious Shop, but there hadn’t been any fierce battles, as there were no human corpses on the ground.
There was still some distance, so Su Changxing took off running wildly towards the Mysterious Shop below the internet café. This distance wouldn’t trigger an Undead Tide, and once he was gone, the Zombies surrounding him would naturally disperse.
In the gray-white space, Su Changxing browsed through the items in the Mysterious Shop’s inventory and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rare resources hadn’t been redeemed.
However, it was still Speed Enhancement.
"Is it because Speed Enhancement has the highest probability of appearing, or do I just have an unshakeable bond with speed?"
Su Changxing couldn’t help but quip, "Speed, it is then; having it is better than nothing."
Subsequently, he spent 2,400 Points to redeem the enhancement, and with a flash of white light, his body was fortified again.
Name: Su Changxing
Power: 4 (Stronger than an Ordinary Person)
Speed: 5.6 (Far above an Ordinary Person)
Physique: 3.7 (Stronger than an Ordinary Person)
Perception: 1 (Something even Ordinary People don’t have)
Spirit: 5 (Far above an Ordinary Person)
The first enhancement increased speed by 0.2, and the second enhancement increased speed by 0.1.
"The benefits of enhancement are diminishing; later on, will it not even increase by 0.1?"
Su Changxing pondered the essence of such enhancements, questioning whether an enhancement with less than a 0.1 increase had any effect.
He ran two laps around the silver space and found his speed indeed faster than before, albeit not by much. However, the faster the speed, the more qualitative each increase becomes.
[Total Points: 7888]
After exiting the Mysterious Shop, Su Changxing, who initially felt some fatigue, seemed to have much of it alleviated by his recent enhancement. He glanced at the time, 3:30, and pondered where he could find another Mysterious Shop.
Although Su Changxing’s speed had increased, theoretically allowing him to easily outrun these Zombies, he still planned to clear the path ahead with his bow and arrow bit by bit for safety and stealth.
The night turned like flowing sand, with the streets filled with Zombies that seemed like terminally ill patients, constantly howling.
Light rain began to fall from the sky, soaking the Zombies’ tattered clothes as well as Su Changxing’s black coat, while the puddles reflected the dark, decaying city.
"This world, when it rains, makes reality feel even more surreal."
Su Changxing’s hair was drenched, but he smiled, feeling as though the air’s bloody scent had diminished significantly. Facing the overwhelming numbers of Zombies during his continuous shooting made for a stifling experience, so such changes brought a certain comfort to his spirit.
Walking further down the damp street, he spotted a Mysterious Shop at the street corner.
Just then, he heard footsteps coming from behind him.
"Thump thump thump~"
The sound of boots splashing in water; the person approaching didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding their steps or making a surprise attack, appearing quite arrogant.
"How long have you been following me?"
Su Changxing turned to see a person in boots, holding an ax with a hood concealing their face, standing behind him.
Rainwater dripped from the blade of the ax, drop by drop.
The hooded figure didn’t make any move and simply said to Su Changxing, "Hmm, take a guess."
Su Changxing thought for a moment and reached a conclusion, "The last Mysterious Shop, perhaps? You must have been the one who cleared it out; you killed those people and saw me enter the Mysterious Shop."
The person slid off their hood, revealing a young and arrogant face. Smiling with a slight tilt of their head, they examined Su Changxing and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Zeng Lin, and I’m a member of the Security Bureau. I really appreciate your talents."
Su Changxing furrowed his brow. The look in this person’s eyes made him uncomfortable, conveying a superior sense of conceit. He asked blankly, "What is the Security Bureau?"
Indeed, he had never heard of such a department before.
"It’s normal that you haven’t heard of it. The Security Bureau manages special individuals and also recruits them. In addition..." Zeng Lin paused and smiled, "Forget it, you wouldn’t understand anyway. Hmm, now you’ve been conscripted by us."
Security Bureau?
Su Changxing looked around, confirming no one else was present. A smile slightly cracked his otherwise expressionless face, "So, you’ve conscripted this Mysterious Shop too?"
Zeng Lin nodded naturally, saying, "That’s right, from now on, these items will be allocated by our bureau. Of course, don’t harbor any unrealistic ambitions; compared to me, you’re just a mortal."
During his observation, the young man before him appeared to have nothing exceptional besides his impressive Archery skills, nor did he display any Superpower, making him no match.
"I suspect you’re an impostor."
Su Changxing replied indifferently, abruptly lowering his impression of the Security Bureau.
He placed his hand behind his back, conjured an arrow from thin air, notched it on his bow, aimed, and shot—all in one fluid motion, launching a sudden attack.
"You’re courting death; you simply don’t understand the chasm between a Superpower User and an Ordinary Person."
The muscles on Zeng Lin’s body swelled in an exaggerated manner within an instant as he easily dodged the arrow and rushed towards Su Changxing at extraordinary speed.
Su Changxing gritted his teeth, showing no intention to retreat, lifting his Steel Saber to slash. He could tell Zeng Lin’s speed wasn’t much faster than his.
With the crisp sound of clashing metal, their weapons collided and bounced apart.
Su Changxing felt a massive force transmitted through his Steel Saber, causing him to stagger back two steps, nearly losing his grip.
Zeng Lin’s face showed a peculiar expression. This kid had actually withstood one of his strikes. In this state, both his strength and Speed had significantly increased, enough to crush a Zombie’s skull with a single punch.
A fierce look appeared on his face, "Kid, refusing the toast, only to drink the forfeit; killing you would be a cinch for me."
"You’ve planned well; when you can’t handle it, you intend to rely on my Archery to find Mysterious Shops at night. Do you think I’m just an earnest laborer?"
Su Changxing taunted, assuming a stance of desperation, simultaneously slashing at Zeng Lin.
"You’re courting death."
Zeng Lin put all his might into an ax swing, planning to finish off Su Changxing with this blow.
Feigning a slash, Su Changxing turned and bolted towards the Mysterious Shop at the moment Zeng Lin struck.