The fire exit was dimly lit, the air thick with a pungent, suffocating stench of decay.
Su Wan tightened her grip on the chef’s knife, lightened her steps, and rushed down the staircase.
Lin Weiwei and Zhang Hao had made an enormous scene earlier. Their piercing shrieks had indeed lured away the vast majority of the zombies in the building. These ungrateful wretches had finally served their sole remaining purpose.
However, as she rounded the corner onto the third floor, two stray, wandering zombies blocked her path. They wore tattered property management uniforms, with half-decayed entrails hanging from their torn chests.
At the sound of light footsteps, the two zombies instantly whipped their heads around, their murky, yellowed eyes locking onto Su Wan. Opening their jaws drenched in black blood, they let out low, bloodthirsty growls from the depths of their throats.
Tier-1 zombies were sluggish in movement, driven entirely by feral bloodlust.
Su Wan’s gaze turned icy. Channeling incredible force into her legs, she darted forward like a phantom shadow. The razor-sharp accuracy forged from years of tossing woks in her past life, combined with the terrifying explosive power enhanced by the system, turned the chef’s knife in her hand into a silver streak of light.
*Thwack! Thwack!*
Two faint, dull thuds echoed. The blade—sharp enough to slice through iron—severed the zombies’ fragile cervical spines with surgical precision. Two rotten heads instantly tumbled to the ground, spurting black, foul blood.
Su Wan dodged deftly to the side, preventing even a single drop of grime from touching her clothes. The entire fight took less than three seconds, executed with absolute, ruthless efficiency.
She squatted down and used the tip of her blade to pry open the back of their skulls. A milky-white, nail-sized crystal rolled out from each.
The system’s crisp chime immediately echoed in her mind:
*Ding! Two Tier-1 zombie core crystals detected.*
*Core crystals are the absolute hard currency of the apocalypse. They can be placed in the Universal Exchange Box for a rate of 100 points per crystal.*
Su Wan wiped the crystals clean, stored them in her space, and continued swiftly down the stairs.
Stepping out of the residential building, the outside world was a wasteland straight out of hell.
The streets were strewn with pile-ups of abandoned vehicles, some still spewing black smoke. A striking red mist hung heavy in the air, reducing visibility to a minimum. Dried bloodstains and severed limbs scattered across the pavement presented a horrifying sight.
Avoiding groups of zombies, Su Wan moved rapidly along the edges of the buildings. She covered the 800-meter distance in under ten minutes.
Her destination was a street-side shop located on the outer perimeter of the Dragon City Base.
It was a two-story structure that appeared to have originally been a small restaurant. The first floor featured a wide, open dining hall and a back kitchen with thick, solid walls. Behind the shop lay an independent courtyard with an open view that was easy to defend and hard to attack.
Although the glass doors and windows were slightly damaged and covered in dust, the location was unrivaled. Situated just a few hundred meters from the main gate of the Dragon City Base, it offered perfect access to potential customers while steering clear of any complex power struggles inside the base itself.
*System, immediately apply the Absolute Shop Reinforcement.*
Standing in front of the storefront, Su Wan issued her command decisively.
*Ding! Command received. Shop reinforcement sequence initiated.*
An invisible light enveloped the entire two-story shop. The broken glass doors and windows were instantly upgraded to bulletproof, explosion-resistant materials. The surrounding load-bearing walls were thoroughly reinforced, now capable of withstanding a direct impact from a heavy truck. An invisible electrified defense barrier was automatically fitted around the doors and windows.
Inside, the dusty interior was swept spotless by the system.
Satisfied, Su Wan pushed open the explosion-proof door and walked in. The stovetop and sink in the back kitchen were completely set up.
She retrieved a pre-made solid wood sign from her system space—a red background emblazoned with five vigorous, gold Chinese characters:
**Wanwei Chinese Restaurant**
She mounted the sign securely above the storefront.
In the third month of the apocalypse, this Chinese restaurant, destined to change the world, officially opened its doors.
Walking into the back kitchen, Su Wan retrieved basic ingredients from the system’s novice gift pack: a large bag of premium flour uncontaminated by the red mist, along with various essential seasonings.
She washed the pot, boiled water, and began kneading and resting the dough in one fluid motion.
Having won national gold awards in her past life, her signature specialty was a seemingly simple bowl of clear broth noodles. The simpler the dish, the more it tested a chef’s mastery over heat and ingredients.
Though the system provided only basic flour, it sprang to life under Su Wan’s hands.
Half an hour later, the rich aroma of wheat blended with a refreshing, savory bone broth, permeating the kitchen. The milky-white broth bubbled in the pot, wafting irresistible steam. The hand-rolled noodles tumbled in the boiling water, springy and chewy.
Su Wan skillfully scooped the noodles into a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, poured over the scalding, flavorful clear broth, and finished it with a handful of fresh, vibrant green scallions.
A piping-hot bowl of clear broth noodles was served.
In a wasteland filled with the stench of rot and blood, this scent was extraordinary. This pure, comforting aroma of home-cooked food possessed a lethal attraction.
The rich aroma drifted out through the small gaps of the explosion-proof door.
Moments later, rushed, chaotic footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by heavy panting and an excited, almost cracking voice:
“What is that smell? It smells so good… Am I hallucinating from hunger?!”
“It’s not a hallucination! There really is an aroma coming from this shop!”
“My God, what is that scent? I want to eat so badly, I’m going crazy!”
Su Wan raised her cool eyes and looked outside through the transparent explosion-proof glass.
Gathered outside were over a dozen survivors dressed in rags. Every single one of them had a face covered in dark stubble, sunken eye sockets, and lips cracked and bleeding from extreme dehydration—a pitiful sight.
They stared intensely toward the back kitchen, swallowing their saliva frantically. Their eyes gleamed with the ravenous, desperate hunger of wild wolves.
In the three months since the apocalypse began, they had survived solely on expired biscuits scavenged from trash cans. They had long forgotten the taste of a hot meal.
A few strong young men stared intently into the shop, a greedy, vicious light flashing in their eyes. Raising the steel pipes in their hands, they began pounding furiously on the door.
“Open up! Open the door right now! Hand over all the food!”
“Or we’ll smash your shop to pieces, hear me?!”
The others joined in the uproar, the sounds of banging and cursing growing louder and louder.
Unfazed, Su Wan carried the piping-hot bowl of clear broth noodles to the door. Placing it on the table beside the entrance, she pressed the intercom button.
Her cool voice resonated clearly through the speaker into everyone’s ears:
“If you want to eat, you can.”
“This is Wanwei Chinese Restaurant. A bowl of clear broth noodles costs ten points.”
“There is a Universal Exchange Box at the entrance. You can put anything in it to automatically convert it into points.”
“My rules are simple: equal exchange. No credit, no charity.”
“If you want to cause trouble, feel free to try.”
“You can’t break this door down. If you dare force your way in, I don’t mind turning you into food for the zombies outside.”
As her words fell, Su Wan pressed a switch. A black metal box descended slowly from a hidden compartment under the door’s eaves. The words *Universal Exchange Box* were printed on it, glowing faintly in the red mist.
Hearing Su Wan’s cold words, the thugs outside exchanged looks. They glanced at the explosion-proof door—which hadn’t even sustained a white scratch after being hit with steel pipes for half an hour—and swallowed nervously.
This woman’s aura was overwhelming, and the door was unnaturally sturdy.
Just then, the system’s prompt rang out simultaneously in Su Wan’s mind and through the outside speaker:
*Ding! Current stage detected as early apocalypse; survivors are struggling for survival.*
*The system has enabled novice benefits: a limited-time high-value trade-in feature for scrap materials is now live.*
*Note: The exchange rate for ordinary daily supplies will depreciate significantly as time passes in the apocalypse.*
*In later stages, only ability core crystals and rare natural ingredients will serve as permanently value-retaining hard currency.*
*Customers, please make your exchanges promptly.*
The cold, mechanical voice echoed down the street, sending the crowd into an immediate uproar.
It was actually true—junk could really be exchanged for food!
A trembling, ravenous middle-aged man carrying a worn-out backpack was the first to step forward. He pulled a half-empty bottle of mineral water from his bag and carefully placed it into the box.
*Ding! Half bottle of mineral water: converted to 1 point. Current total points: 1 point.*
The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up instantly, like a drowning man grasping a lifeline. He hurriedly pulled out two packages of nearly expired compressed biscuits and put them in.
*Ding! Two packages of compressed biscuits: converted to 6 points. Current total points: 7 points.*
He was still short by three points.
Sweating profusely from anxiety, the man frantically searched his clothes. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a fruit knife with a curled edge and threw it in.
*Ding! Damaged fruit knife: converted to 3 points. Current total points: 10 points.*
“It’s enough! I’ve gathered ten points!”
The man’s voice trembled violently with excitement as he slapped the glass door and yelled, “Boss, I want a bowl of clear broth noodles! I beg you, give me a bowl!”
Looking at the ten points precisely credited to the system background, Su Wan’s mouth curled up slightly.
She opened a specially designed, small, secure serving window on the side of the explosion-proof door and handed out the freshly cooked bowl of clear broth noodles.
Piping-hot noodles, milky-white savory broth, vibrant green scallions…
This unbelievable sight brought tears to the man’s eyes immediately.
His hands shook as he took the bowl, completely ignoring how hot it was. He grabbed a massive handful of noodles with his hand and stuffed it into his mouth, then raised the bowl and gulped down a huge mouthful of hot soup.
The warm noodles slid down into his hollow stomach, sending an indescribable wave of warmth spreading throughout his body.
The inhumane hunger and terror of the past three months vanished completely in that single moment. Crouching on the steps outside the door, he devoured the food while sobbing uncontrollably.
Watching him and smelling that ever-intensifying aroma, the other survivors outside lost all control. They scrambled to pull out every piece of scrap they had on them, rushing toward the Universal Exchange Box like madmen, competing to make their exchanges.
Standing safely in the back kitchen, Su Wan listened to the continuous stream of transaction notifications ringing in her mind. A confident glint shone in her eyes—her Chinese restaurant had firmly established its first step.
Time passed, and night soon fell.
The red mist in the air gradually deepened to a dark hue, and the growls of zombies on the streets grew increasingly dense.
The survivors who had gathered around the restaurant left early after finishing their noodles, hurrying back to the Dragon City Base or searching for basements to hide in. No one dared tarry on the wasteland streets at night.
After counting the day’s revenue, Su Wan prepared to lock up the explosion-proof door and close for the night.
Just as she reached out to switch off the lights, a heavy, dull thud sounded suddenly on the steps outside.
Immediately following it, an nauseating, heavy stench of blood seeped in through the crack of the door.