Ji Li ran to the Gatehouse, dug out the cardboard box holding the Zombie Cores, washed and dried the cores Gao Lan had given him and added them in, then placed both hands on the box.
“Duplication.”
No response. Duplication failed.
Unwilling to give up, Ji Li took out a single Zombie Core, pressed it between his palms, and tried again.
Same result.
Ji Li frowned as he examined the core in his hand. His face showed no surprise—only a trace of regret.
He had long been mentally prepared for his skill to have limits.
Just like Gao Lan’s skill could only be used once a day, his own skill was so heaven-defying—able to ignore the law of conservation of energy and duplicate objects out of thin air—that if it had no restrictions at all, it would be far too terrifying.
Sooner or later he would encounter something he couldn’t duplicate. He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
As for why Zombie Cores couldn’t be duplicated, Ji Li had a guess, but the sample size was too small to draw any conclusions.
Whatever. No point overthinking it.
Ji Li raised his eyes, summoned the quest interface, and looked at the quest item submission window at the bottom. He tried inserting a Zombie Core.
The instant the core touched the window, a ring of blue light appeared around its edge. As the core vanished into the window, the Daily Quest updated.
【Daily Quest: Zombie Cores 1/10】
Ji Li raised an eyebrow, picked up the remaining cores, and tossed them all in one by one.
【Daily Quest: Zombie Cores 50/10】
【Congratulations, Player Ji Li, on completing the Daily Quest. Rewards are now being issued】
【Supply Reward: Bread x3, 300ml Bottled Water x3】
【System Points: 500】
【Congratulations, Player, on unlocking the System Shop. Open the interface to purchase items】
Ji Li hurriedly summoned the shop interface and found that the System Shop looked like a stripped-down version of Taobao. His name and point balance sat in the top left corner, followed by a search bar, and below that a row of tags covering everything from clothing, food, and shelter to weapons and medicine.
Plenty of categories, but few products.
Food, for example, offered only steamed buns, bread, sandwiches, compressed biscuits, and nutrient solution—each pricier than the last.
Steamed buns were the cheapest at 2 points, bread 5, sandwiches 20, compressed biscuits 30 apiece, and nutrient solution a whopping 50.
The item description for the nutrient solution read: one vial satisfies a full day’s energy and nutritional needs. In other words, if you wanted to eat well and eat full in this Apocalypse Survival Game relying solely on the System Shop, it would cost at least 50 points a day.
Meanwhile, completing the Daily Quest only earned 100 points. Over a month, that came to three thousand.
Ji Li stared speechlessly at the sky. Why can’t I escape the “beast-of-burden with a 3,000 monthly salary” meme no matter where I go?
Focus. Time to check for Safe House repair items…
He tapped into the Safe House tag and immediately spotted the relevant items.
【Safe House Repair Card: Provides a one-time repair service for your Safe House and restores Defense Value】
【Usage: Place the item on your Safe House’s floor plan within the System】
【Price: 1,000 Points】
“Holy—! That’s daylight robbery!”
Ji Li couldn’t help cursing and looked at the other items.
【Safe House Reinforcement Card: Provides a one-time reinforcement service. After use, Safe House Defense Value is doubled】
【Price: 50,000 Points】
【Safe House Construction Module: Builds one square meter of functional space on top of your existing Safe House】
【Available Modules: Toilet, Bathroom, Kitchen, Swimming Pool, Holographic Room…】
【Price: 100,000 Points】
【Safe House Expansion Module: Adds one square meter of usable floor space to your Safe House】
【Price: 300,000 Points】
“Three hundred thousand per square meter?! Who do you think you are, some luxury penthouse developer?!”
If Ji Li had been holding a phone right now, he probably would have slammed it into the ground and punted it into orbit.
The regret from discovering that Zombie Cores couldn’t be duplicated was now off the charts.
If he could duplicate them, he could build a luxury manor within twenty-nine days!
A mobile one, no less!
Even at 100,000 points per square meter he wouldn’t be this furious. Three hundred thousand? Why don’t you just rob me!
Ji Li scrolled irritably through the product catalog, his gaze skimming past items like the 【Safe House Location Reset Card】, 【Safe House Camouflage Card】, and 【Safe House Redecoration Card】 before landing on the 【Safe House Upgrade Module】.
【Safe House Upgrade Module: Upgrades the Safe House as a whole based on its Safe House Trait. Each upgrade adds one square meter of floor space】
【Usage: Place the item on your Safe House’s floor plan within the System】
【Price: 1,000,000 Points】
“Based on its Trait?”
What did that mean? His Safe House’s trait was mobility—how could a trait like that even be upgraded?
Ji Li pondered for a long while without figuring it out, so he simply shelved the question. Then his eyes locked onto the second half of the item description and lit up.
Completing the Main Quest would reward one of these Upgrade Modules!
If it could be duplicated…
The moment his thoughts started wandering, Ji Li reined them back in, chanting calm, stay calm under his breath, and turned his attention to the 【Safe House Repair Card】.
Stay grounded. First, earn the points to buy that card!
Now that he knew his Safe House could be repaired, Ji Li lost his reservations. Imitating the other cars, he elbowed through his Safe House’s glass, then pulled open the car door.
With that, his Safe House blended perfectly in with the other vehicles. No one would ever guess that this thoroughly looted parking lot hid a Safe House.
With that done, Ji Li returned to the Gatehouse, set up the folding bed first, then sat by the window, pulled up the shop interface, and tapped the weapons tag.
In an instant, an entirely new world unfolded before his eyes.
Swords, daggers, guns, and ammunition were nothing surprising. Laser guns, lightsabers, and plasma cannons were novel but within expectations. What stunned Ji Li most was that there were even Attribute Weapons!
But unlike the “Strength +3” or “Speed +1” attributes in novels, the Attribute Weapons in the System Shop were tagged with phrases like 【Assisted Aim】, 【Precision Strike】, and 【Target Tracking】—practically radiating a “hand-holding tutorial, idiot-proof” vibe.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t strange at all. Even Players from the “school-shooting-everyday” country weren’t all gun owners—most had never fired one, and doing so without hurting themselves would already be an achievement. What kind of accuracy could they have?
Under those circumstances, weapons that anyone could pick up and use in actual combat were incredibly appealing.
Of course, their prices were equally gorgeous. An ordinary pistol with the 【Auto-Aim】 attribute cost 20,000 points in the System Shop—bullets sold separately.
What kind of household could afford weapons like these?
Ji Li shook his head and switched to the medicine tag.
【Hemostatic Bandage: Rapidly stops bleeding】
【Price: 10 Points】
【Oral Antibiotics: Antibacterial medication effective against the vast majority of pathogen-caused infections】
【Price: 50 Points】
【Basic Medical Card: Provides one instance of the System’s basic medical service, targeted treatment of injuries caused by external mechanical factors】
【Usage: Tear the card, or issue the command [Execute Medical Service] while holding the card】
【Price: 10,000 Points】
【Intermediate Medical Card: Provides one instance of the System’s intermediate medical service, targeted treatment of all physiological or pathological processes occurring inside the body】
【Price: 50,000 Points】
【Advanced Medical Card: Provides one instance of the System’s advanced medical service, targeted treatment of all genetic diseases】
【Price: 100,000 Points】
A hundred thousand to cure genetic diseases?
Ji Li frowned, thoroughly puzzled.
He understood this game less and less. Call it player-friendly? Then explain the 300,000-per-square-meter pricing and the Defense Value cap deduction on a 3,000-point monthly salary, all designed to force players to struggle for survival.
Call it hostile to players? Then explain how technology that could cure genetic diseases cost only 100,000—as if terrified players might actually die.
“Weird-ass game…”
Ji Li muttered, scrolling further—when suddenly his eyes froze.
【Gene Modification Serum (Purchase Limited): Modifies the Player’s body at the genetic level, removing harmful genes, improving constitution, and comprehensively enhancing physical fitness—stamina, explosive power, and damage resistance—to adapt to extreme environments. Results vary by individual; based on experimental data, all stats improve by a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 100%】
【Remaining Purchases: 1/1】
【Usage: Oral】
【Price: 1,000,000 Points】
Staring at that string of zeros at the bottom, Ji Li felt both astonishment and confusion.
Astonishment that something like this actually existed; confusion because part of the 【Gene Modification Serum】’s functions clearly overlapped with the 【Advanced Medical Card】—so why was the price ten times higher?
Where was the difference?
Brimming with questions, Ji Li tapped the tools tag.
【Potent Anesthetic Spray】, 【Hallucinogen】, 【Optical Camouflage Suit】…
“Holy—, highway robbery! Cheap out, chea—WHOA!”
Ji Li shot to his feet, breathing quickening.
【Space Bracelet: Portable spatial container. Capacity: one cubic meter. Upgradeable】
【Usage: Fasten the bracelet, touch the smooth surface of the bracelet to the item you wish to store, and short-press the activation button. To retrieve an item, long-press the activation button, tap the desired item, select a drop location, and short-press the activation button】
【Upgrade Method: Store another Space Bracelet】
【Notes: The Space Bracelet cannot store living beings, cannot store items exceeding its capacity, and does not preserve temperature or freshness】
【Price: 500 Points】
Staring at the price, Ji Li hit “purchase” without a second’s hesitation. With a ding, a line of text floated up on the shop interface.
【Thank you for purchasing “Space Bracelet.” The item has been delivered to the Player’s System Backpack】
“Backpack!”
He opened the backpack and tapped the item, and moments later a metal bracelet the size of a wrist guard appeared in his hand.
The bracelet was silver-white overall, smooth and unadorned, with only a slightly recessed semicircle on each side of the clasp—together about the size of a thumb pad. Those had to be the buttons.
Heart pounding with excitement, Ji Li fastened the clasp. The two semicircles joined, a blue light flashed, and the gap between them vanished. The recessed buttons and the interface seam connected into what looked like a minimalist eye rune.
Holding the bracelet, Ji Li spun in a circle, pressed it against the cardboard box of instant noodles, and hit the button.
A sweep of blue light—the box vanished. The words from novels had become reality.
Ji Li suppressed the urge to sprint around celebrating, long-pressed the button, and a cubic projection appeared before him with the box inside.
He tapped the box’s projection. A beam of blue light shot from the bracelet’s interface, casting the image of the box into the air. Ji Li adjusted the angle until the projection hovered over open ground, then pressed the button.
The box appeared, instant noodles inside not one pack missing.
Finally! No more worrying about where to stash supplies! Now it finally felt like a real apocalypse survival story!
After excitedly celebrating for a good while, Ji Li finally calmed down, eyes gleaming as he gazed at the Space Bracelet and murmured:
“Next up—time for some experiments.”
