Eight o’clock in the morning, with a little over two days left before the Heavenly Disaster arrives.
Last night, Qin Zhiyu sorted through the videos roughly. After breakfast, she went for her routine morning run.
Qin Zhiyu’s three daily meals were generally simple and quick. She wasn’t someone who indulged in culinary pleasures. For her, good-tasting food was naturally nice, but she didn’t mind if it was just average. She wasn’t particularly skilled at cooking, so her expectations weren’t high.
When the Heavenly Disaster struck, there were often times of feast and famine, making it impossible to pursue quality. Only by luckily opening a Treasure Chest and obtaining something good could meals be improved.
Having grown accustomed to roughing it in her dreams, she had no intention of indulging extravagantly in reality either. Her desires in this regard were faint—better if there was something good, but it didn’t matter if there wasn’t.
Now, she was completely accustomed to the twenty-pound weighted training all over her body, feeling no pressure while running.
She had no plans to increase the weight further. In these three days, her goal was to develop muscle memory for the Grappling Technique, executing moves smoothly and seamlessly without any hesitation or clumsiness.
Qin Zhiyu wiped the sweat from her body. To use the Grappling Technique well, one must achieve “movements with direction, application with method, and execution with precision.” This couldn’t be mastered quickly. Without a foundation, even memorizing the moves in three days would be impossible.
The daytime passed swiftly in the midst of martial arts practice.
Today’s two chances for [Reconnaissance] had not yet been used.
Qin Zhiyu planned to wait until eight o’clock in the evening to use them. During the day, there were too many people and too much chatter. If she rashly dashed into the garden and was seen, she might have to deal with security and waste time explaining.
After finishing her run, the time was almost right. Qin Zhiyu intended to make full use of the two chances, striving to Reconnaissance some Mutated Flora and Fauna.
This time, she carried a rolling pin, tied a fruit knife to her calf, and wore knee and wrist guards. If she encountered a situation like last time, it would help reduce scrapes.
Walking forward along the residential building, faint sounds of tearing and biting came from the surrounding buildings, occasionally punctuated by a howl that pierced the silent night sky.
Qin Zhiyu had never entered the narrow paths between the residential buildings before. When she ran, she took the main roads and side streets, all asphalt roads accessible to vehicles.
The two rows of residential buildings were about ten meters apart. Under the seven-story old-style residential buildings, vehicles were parked densely. In the dim night, sporadic lights could faintly be seen between the buildings.
When the Heavenly Disaster descended, the dense crowds watched as all the buildings around them gradually twisted and disappeared under laser-like rays, bringing unparalleled visual stimulation and psychological shock.
But before they could even process it, they had to hastily evacuate from the varying heights of the buildings. A moment’s delay could mean facing the threat of twisting along with the structures, turning into primitive natural matter.
Even if they survived by chance, more people or animals that had lost their humanity were bound to stir up conflicts. Thinking of this, Qin Zhiyu slowed her steps—something was happening!
Qin Zhiyu heard a “rustle” sound. Just as she turned around, a dark figure darted out from the greenery. Before she could even react in surprise, she swiftly swung the rolling pin toward the shadow.
Its speed was incredibly fast, already closing in on Qin Zhiyu. Only then could she barely make out that the thing with a bowl-sized gaping mouth was clearly a poodle!
Qin Zhiyu smelled a foul, fishy odor. She struck the dog hard with the rolling pin, instantly splitting its skin and flesh, which enraged it. It lunged at Qin Zhiyu in fury.
Qin Zhiyu knew she couldn’t let this poodle bite her—one chomp would tear her skin and flesh wide open. So she swung the rolling pin with force, skillfully thrusting it deep into the poodle’s mouth and slamming its head hard against the concrete floor.
After three to five rounds of back-and-forth, the poodle stopped moving, now a dead dog. Qin Zhiyu was surprised to see a poodle one meter long.
She often walked around this area and had never seen any neighbor keeping such a long poodle—they were all small breeds. It seemed that shortly after the mutation began, this poodle had only grown in size without gaining much offensive power.
Qin Zhiyu’s rolling pin was also ruined. This time, she was attacked before she could even use her Reconnaissance skill. In the coming Heavenly Disaster, she couldn’t rely solely on external tools—she needed to strengthen her five senses, physical fitness, and combat skills.
[System: You have killed a “Mutated Poodle.” Recycle?]
Qin Zhiyu chose to recycle.
[System: Recycling successful. Converted to Experience Points +50. Experience 450/1000]
It seemed this Mutated Animal wasn’t very powerful. The one she encountered yesterday had given much higher Experience Points.
During the fight, she could clearly feel her movements becoming more agile.
Before, without anything to practice on, she hadn’t noticed much change. But now, in combat, she clearly realized she had greatly improved in the angle of her force and the precision of her strikes.
Qin Zhiyu threw the broken rolling pin into a nearby trash bin. She chose spots that were blind spots without surveillance cameras.
In areas with cameras and high foot traffic, Mutated Creatures could hardly survive now. Animals’ instinct to seek advantage and avoid danger reminded them to stay away from such places.
Moreover, if problems arose, they would be dealt with early.
Qin Zhiyu arrived at her destination—the central building at the north side gate. Using Scout here would be more efficient.
Perhaps the only Mutated Creature that had gained strength nearby was the poodle earlier. After using Scout, she gained nothing.
So Qin Zhiyu headed back. Opposite this area was the villa district where she lived. Returning to her villa, she could use Scout in the yard.
Qin Zhiyu was naturally a rather aloof person. Her friendships were often situational—once the environment changed, they rarely kept in touch. She didn’t feel lonely because of it.
Coincidentally, this Scout still detected no abnormalities. Along the way, she didn’t encounter any other animals.
Qin Zhiyu’s days quickly passed with her routine: waking up, running, practicing martial arts, studying her dreams, and using Scout. September 21st arrived—the last daytime before the Heavenly Disaster.
Over these two days, she had also killed several Mutated Flora and Fauna, and this was only within the residential area. One could imagine how many strange creatures had appeared elsewhere and how many people had lost their lives because of them.
Online, although such incidents were somewhat censored, clever netizens had compiled more and more related posts. The changes happening worldwide were becoming increasingly known to the public.
All sorts of speculations emerged endlessly.
Some guessed it was retribution for humanity’s failure to protect the environment. Religious believers believed it was punishment from bishops and deities, sent to purify humans burdened with heavy sins by dispatching these messengers to Earth…
Qin Zhiyu knew that after today’s daylight, the Heavenly Disaster would descend, binding the laws of survival to every individual. The three-day-long night was the invitation ticket to the Heavenly Disaster.
It was a carnival for doomsday enthusiasts and a nightmare for the ordinary, mundane people. As for those with exceptional talents or favored by heaven, it was yet another stage to shine and radiate.