The narrow alleyways between the buildings were lined with all kinds of snack stalls and fast-food shops. Tables and chairs were placed outside their entrances, making the already cramped passageways even narrower. Motorcycles could barely get through, let alone cars.
The concrete and brick pavement, laid down decades ago, had cracked and broken for countless reasons. Nearby shops simply dumped their kitchen wastewater outside their doors, where it collected in the gaps. During hot weather, the smell fermented under the heat, attracting swarms of mosquitoes and flies.
People constantly flowed through the alley, each of them hurrying along without wanting to linger for even a moment, as if afraid that the poverty and stench hanging in the air would cling to them.
This was the place where Chi You had spent his entire life.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, Chi You could not help but appreciate the benefits of having a physical body once more.
The breeze brushing against his face, the foul odor mixed within it, and the loudspeaker advertisements from nearby shops that residents usually found annoying all gave him a vivid sense of truly being alive.
After finally getting a second chance at life, an ordinary person would probably want to enjoy it for a while.
Unfortunately, Chi You had no time.
The Apocalypse Game would descend at exactly noon.
It was currently 9:20 in the morning.
Only two hours and forty minutes remained.
Before then, he had to make as many preparations as possible.
Carrying a large backpack, he headed to a small convenience store that barely qualified as a supermarket within the urban village.
Chi You still had nearly 2,000 yuan on hand.
He intended to convert every last cent into supplies.
In the apocalypse, zombies and other monsters could occasionally drop loot, including food and clean water.
However, the drop rate was extremely low.
Before people could efficiently farm monsters on a large scale, survival still depended on ordinary food.
If he truly wanted more money, even though there was no time for loans, he could sell his phone, computer, and other belongings to the small shops around the urban village. The prices would be low, but he could get cash immediately.
But Chi You had no intention of doing that.
What if the apocalypse never came?
If he sold everything he owned and the apocalypse failed to arrive, he would not even be able to pay next month’s rent.
Spending all the cash he currently had on food was manageable. He could survive until payday without affecting his normal life.
Most of what Chi You bought were high-calorie chocolate bars, canned meat with long shelf lives, bread loaded with preservatives that could last six months, bottled water, and several lighters.
The food alone cost him 1,000 yuan.
The limitation was not money.
The problem was that a single backpack could only hold so much.
Before gaining levels, his strength and stamina would remain close to that of an ordinary person. Carrying excessive supplies everywhere would place enormous strain on his body.
What he was carrying now was already close to the limit.
The remaining money was not wasted either.
He went to a pharmacy and bought a large quantity of medicine.
Cold medicine.
Fever medicine.
Anti-diarrheal medicine.
Anti-inflammatory medicine.
Bandages.
Alcohol wipes.
And many other essentials.
Together, they cost more than 900 yuan.
With the little money left, Chi You ate a meal at a fast-food restaurant.
Afterward, only 16 yuan remained.
He flagged down a taxi.
“Driver, Riverside Shopping Plaza.”
When the apocalypse arrived, the ideal starting point would be somewhere with fewer people, familiar terrain, weapons, supplies, and enough room to gradually kill monsters and reach Level 2 as quickly as possible.
But the place Chi You was heading to now was the largest luxury shopping center in Riverside City.
The area was packed with people.
In fact, it was a place he had never visited even once in his previous life.
Unfamiliar terrain.
Dense crowds.
Open and spacious surroundings.
It violated every condition of an ideal starting location.
Chi You was not stupid.
He had a reason for doing this.
Part of the reason the apocalypse was called a game was not only because people’s attributes became digitized and zombies could drop equipment.
There were also many mechanics similar to RPG games.
For example, dungeons.
And treasure chests.
The former could wait for later.
As for treasure chests, just like equipment, they were divided into seven grades, from lowest to highest:
Bronze Grade.
Silver Grade.
Gold Grade.
Dark Gold Grade.
Sub-Legendary Grade.
Legendary Grade.
Divine Grade.
Above those seven grades, treasure chests could also be divided into three major categories.
The first category consisted of treasure chests dropped inside dungeons.
The second category consisted of treasure chests that spawned outdoors but were guarded by powerful zombies.
The final category was welfare treasure chests.
No monsters needed to be killed.
No zombies guarded them.
The target of Chi You’s trip was this final category.
On the fourth floor of Riverside Shopping Plaza, there was a Sub-Legendary Grade reward treasure chest.
In his previous life, Chi You had come here one month after the apocalypse began.
From that chest, he obtained a growth-type Sub-Legendary weapon with no equipment requirements, a Gold Grade ring, and a skill book.
Obtaining a Sub-Legendary weapon right at the start of the apocalypse…
It was no different from bringing an assault rifle back to ancient times.
Even with the dense crowds at Riverside Shopping Plaza, it was still worth taking the risk.
After all, even though he had been reborn, unforeseen changes could still occur.
If he waited a few extra days and someone else claimed the treasure chest first, he would have nowhere to cry.
The taxi soon arrived at the shopping center.
Chi You tossed over 14 yuan for the fare and bought a bottle of mineral water at the station.
After that, every last yuan in his pocket was gone.
The people in the plaza were all fashionably dressed.
The luxury items they wore were things Chi You could never afford, even if he sold all his possessions.
His appearance seemed completely out of place in this prosperous world.
Yet not a single person who passed him showed any contempt or disgust.
Chi You’s presence was simply too striking.
Years of struggling through the apocalypse, constantly walking the line between life and death, combined with several years spent as a leader, had forged a natural aura of authority around him.
Then there were the years he spent as a wandering soul, which left his eyes carrying a depth and weariness far beyond someone his age.
Combined with his naturally handsome appearance, even though he was dressed in clean clothes faded from countless washes, he still stood out.
Even if he had wrapped himself in garbage bags, people would probably assume he was some eccentric artist performing modern art.
At most, they would be surprised.
Contempt would never cross their minds.
Following the crowd, Chi You entered the towering building at the center of the plaza.
He rode the escalator straight to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor was also filled entirely with luxury stores.
Expensive products lined every shop.
Most of the store layouts looked similar.
If the treasure chest were hidden inside one of them, it would be extremely difficult to determine which one.
Fortunately, luck was on his side.
The treasure chest had been located inside a restroom.
There was only one restroom on the entire floor.
The good news was that the target location was clear.
The bad news was that the treasure chest had spawned inside the women’s restroom.
Ahem.
Don’t misunderstand.
Chi You was certainly not the type of pervert who would deliberately enter a women’s restroom just because the apocalypse had removed all laws and consequences.
Back in his previous life, he had been fleeing from zombies and ran all the way to the fourth floor.
With nowhere else to go, he rushed into the restroom intending to dismantle the large ventilation unit and hide above the ceiling.
As it turned out, some unknown monster had previously entered the restroom and smashed a huge hole through the wall separating the men’s and women’s sections.
That was how he discovered the treasure chest inside the women’s restroom.
But now was different.
The apocalypse had not yet begun.
People were everywhere.
If a grown man suddenly ran into the women’s restroom, he would immediately be treated as a pervert.
If security guards and righteous bystanders detained him and an argument broke out right when the apocalypse arrived, everything would be ruined.
Therefore, Chi You could only wander around nearby and wait for an opportunity.
Finally, after nearly forty minutes, he found his chance and rushed into the unattended restroom without anyone noticing.