After giving instructions to the renovation foreman, Shen Xingdu bought a ticket to the border free trade zone.
Strict domestic controls made certain things—real firearms and large amounts of controlled drugs—difficult to obtain in bulk.
Although she already had some machetes and crossbows in her space, when facing late-stage mutated beasts and packs of marauders, firearms were still irreplaceable deterrents.
Upon arriving in the special zone, Shen Xingdu navigated to a shop that appeared to sell hardware but was actually an underground black market.
“Boss, I want the real stuff.” Shen Xingdu tossed a bag of US dollars onto the counter.
The boss, a one-eyed man, whistled after glancing at the cash.
“What do you need?”
“Five Glock 17s, with 5,000 rounds of ammunition.”
“Two AK47s, with 10,000 rounds.”
“And… hand grenades, if you have them—give me a box.”
“A military composite crossbow, the best quality. I want arrows with barbs and blood grooves.”
The one-eyed man stared at her intently.
“Little lady… are you planning to go to war?”
“Got mice at home. For hunting mice.”
The transaction went smoothly. Here, as long as you had money, almost anything could be bought.
Shen Xingdu found a deserted alley and stashed the heavy crates of weapons into her space, feeling a huge boost in security.
Next came the medicines.
At a local black-market pharmacy, she swept up antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, pain pumps, and even surgical anesthetics and sutures.
Just as she was leaving with the last heavy bag of medicine, she passed a dark alley and smelled a strong scent of blood.
A tall figure leaned against the wall, a dagger protruding from his abdomen, blood soaking half his body. Around him, several thugs wielding machetes were circling, shouting threats.
“Hand it over!”
Shen Xingdu hadn’t planned to get involved. In the apocalypse, good people die first.
But under the dim streetlight, she recognized his face.
Sword-like brows, sharp eyes, and cold, hard features. Even severely wounded, his gaze was wolfish and ferocious, clutching a small black package tightly.
Qin Feng!
In her past life, he was a fearsome bounty hunter, later the War God Commander of humanity’s strongest base.
Rumor had it that early injuries left lingering weaknesses in his body, capping his potential.
She didn’t expect to run into him here.
Now, Qin Feng was on his last leg.
Shen Xingdu’s mind raced. Save him? Or not?
Saving him wasn’t charity—it was an investment. People like Qin Feng never forget a debt.
“Hey.”
Shen Xingdu stepped from the shadows, fiddling with a Glock she just bought.
“Can you gentlemen let the path pass?”
The thugs turned, seeing a beautiful woman. They were about to harass her, then froze when they saw the black muzzle of a gun.
“Pfft! Pfft!”
Two shots rang out.
Two thugs collapsed, blood spraying from their thighs, kneeling in agony.
Shen Xingdu hadn’t killed them—there was still some order left here—but the shots were enough to intimidate.
“Scram.”
The thugs howled and dragged their injured comrades away.
Shen Xingdu approached Qin Feng.
He raised his head warily, dagger clenched tightly, ready to fight to the death.
“Don’t worry.” Shen Xingdu squatted down, pulling a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao powder and a roll of bandages from her bag, tossing them toward him.
“Five hundred USD, or… you can trade me what’s in that black package.”
Qin Feng froze, clearly unused to being saved while under attack.
He glanced at the black package in his arms, gritted his teeth, and pulled out a stone emitting a strange blue glow.
“This is a meteorite fragment,” Qin Feng rasped. “Those guys were trying to steal it.”
Shen Xingdu’s pupils constricted.
Her system screamed in her mind:
[Beep! High-purity energy source detected! Can upgrade Space to LV2! Can unlock Spirit Spring function! Host must secure it!]
So this was the key to upgrading her space!
“Deal.”
Shen Xingdu snatched the meteorite fragment and threw it directly into her space. She left him the medicine, plus a box of antibiotics and a car key.
“The Jeep at the alley entrance is yours. Heal up and leave fast—this area isn’t safe.”
Without another word, she turned and walked away.
A deep voice called after her:
“Name?”
Shen Xingdu didn’t turn. She waved her hand:
“Lei Feng.”
Qin Feng watched her silhouette fade into the night, gripping the medicine bottle, his gaze complicated. This woman was cold, strong, and profit-driven, yet he… didn’t dislike her.
[Beep! High-purity energy meteorite collected. Space upgrading… Upgrade complete!]
[Current Space Level: LV2.]
[Unlocked Function: Spirit Spring Eye (can cleanse marrow and bones, heal injuries, accelerate plant growth).]
[Unlocked Function: Ranch Area (can raise living creatures).]
Shen Xingdu walked through the night, listening to the system prompts, grinning from ear to ear.
This trip had paid off enormously!