"He actually dodged the bolt," Duan Zeri thought, hiding his shock behind a calm exterior.
This wasn't just any crossbow—it was custom-made, and Duan Zeri had trained extensively with it. Even a mountain deer couldn't evade his shots. Yet, Zhu Jiu had done it.
"This guy has grown much stronger!"
Duan Zeri's earlier thoughts of recruiting Zhu Jiu as a subordinate evaporated. He realized he could no longer control him.
Now, he had only one goal: to kill Zhu Jiu.
Unconsciously, Duan Zeri's breathing grew heavier.
He knew Zhu Jiu was creeping closer, but with the shelving units blocking his view, he had no way to target him.
"Zhu Jiu, listen to me!" Duan Zeri suddenly called out. "There's no need for us to keep fighting."
"You've seen what's happening—so many people have turned into monsters. This is the apocalypse!"
"At a time like this, what's the point of holding onto past grudges? We should join forces and carve out a place for ourselves in this chaos. What do you say?"
"We can split the supplies here. There's too much food for one person to carry anyway."
The supermarket fell silent again after Duan Zeri's words. He gulped nervously.
Suddenly!
A loud crash came from the other side of the shelving.
The entire unit toppled over, and a figure lunged at him!
"Zhu Jiu, you're dead!"
Duan Zeri grinned wickedly and pulled the trigger.
"Thwack!"
The bolt flew straight into the figure, piercing it clean through.
"If you had stayed behind the shelves, you might have won. But your arrogance got the better of you—"
Duan Zeri's words cut off mid-sentence.
He stared in disbelief at the person standing across from him, unharmed, watching him with a cold, mocking smile.
"You're out of bolts."
"What? But you—"
Duan Zeri's eyes darted to the figure he had just shot. His pupils shrank in horror.
It wasn't Zhu Jiu.
It was a piece of clothing!
Zhu Jiu stepped forward, his expression icy.
"Work together? Split the supplies?"
"You think you're worthy?"
As he spoke, his gaze sharpened, and killing intent radiated from him.
"I told you—I'm going to kill you today."
"Then drop the blade and fight me like a man!" Duan Zeri shouted, throwing the empty crossbow aside and rolling his wrists.
"You've always wanted to prove martial arts is better than Sanda, right? Let's settle it now, hand to hand!"
He strode toward Zhu Jiu, his posture suggesting a fair fight.
"A fight, huh..."
Zhu Jiu murmured, then suddenly stepped forward.
With a swift motion, he drew his blade and thrust.
Bagua Blade. Advancing Stab!
"Shhhk!"
The blade pierced through Duan Zeri's torso.
Duan Zeri clutched at the wound with one hand, raising the other as if to point at Zhu Jiu. But the light faded from his eyes before he could speak.
"Too bad," Zhu Jiu said, pulling his blade free.
"You're too weak."
Duan Zeri's body crumpled to the ground. To Zhu Jiu, he was no longer a worthy opponent.
"This crossbow isn't bad, though. Good for defense."
Zhu Jiu picked up the crossbow and found a few bolts on Duan Zeri's body. Without wasting time, he began loading food into his bags.
He had brought two large backpacks, planning to carry a week's worth of supplies back to his gym in one trip. The streets were dangerous; minimizing trips was essential.
After filling both bags with food and water, Zhu Jiu slung them over his shoulders, grabbed the crossbow, and headed back to the gym.
The supermarket had plenty of supplies, but it couldn't compare to the safety of his gym.
The gym had only one entrance, barred windows, and an arsenal of weapons inside. It was an ideal stronghold.
As Zhu Jiu hurried down Lacquer Street, he encountered two more infected wandering near his gym. He dispatched them swiftly and entered, locking the door behind him.
Finally seated, Zhu Jiu exhaled deeply.
The journey back seemed effortless, but he had been on high alert the entire time.
One or two infected posed no threat to him, but if four or five attacked simultaneously, it would get dicey. Encountering ten or more at once would mean certain death.
"I need to learn an external martial art," Zhu Jiu thought. "Facing the crossbow today was risky enough. If I run into someone with a firearm, I'll have no chance."
"But if I master external techniques like those in martial arts lore—skin like iron, bones like steel—even against guns, I could hold my own."
"Right, I still haven't checked the system's store."
With that, Zhu Jiu opened the system's mall.
He was instantly overwhelmed by the dazzling array of items.
[Item: Tiger-Leopard Pill (Enhances physical strength, granting the user the power of a tiger and leopard.)]
[Price: 100 points]
[Item: Iron Shirt (Tier 1 external martial art. At mastery, grants skin like iron and immunity to conventional weapons.)]
[Price: 20 points]
[Item: Dog-Beating Staff (A legendary weapon of the Beggar Clan, complete with the 36 Dog-Beating Techniques.)]
[Price: 1,000 points]
Zhu Jiu scrolled through the list, his mouth dry with excitement.
Every single item was a rare treasure, capable of massively boosting his strength.
But they were all so expensive!
"I'm broke," he realized.
With only 6 points left, Zhu Jiu couldn't afford anything worthwhile.
"I need to grind points—fast."
Setting his sights on the Iron Shirt, Zhu Jiu resolved to kill twelve more infected to earn enough for the technique.
Upgrading the Iron Shirt or his Bagua Blade would take an astronomical number of points, so he set a modest goal.
With his mind made up, Zhu Jiu grabbed his blade, ready to head out.
But then, his stomach growled loudly.
"Ugh..." Zhu Jiu clutched his abdomen, frowning. "Why am I so hungry?"
He had never felt hunger this intense, as though every cell in his body was screaming for food. At that moment, he felt he could devour an entire cow.
Wasting no time, Zhu Jiu tore into the food he had just brought back.
Chocolate.
Beef jerky.
Eight-treasure porridge.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp."
Finally full, Zhu Jiu set down an empty bottle of mineral water, wiping his mouth in satisfaction.
"That hit the spot."
Then he noticed something shocking—he had consumed almost an entire backpack's worth of food.
The two bags he had packed were meant to last a week, yet he had eaten half in a single meal.
"My appetite has grown this much?"
Zhu Jiu was stunned. Despite the massive meal, he didn't feel stuffed, nor had his stomach bulged.
"Is this another effect of the system's enhancements?"
He pondered the possibility.
"It makes sense. I feel stronger and faster, so increased appetite isn't surprising."
Accepting the change, Zhu Jiu faced a new problem.
He was already running out of food.
What remained wouldn't even last until tomorrow.
"Great. No points, no food. I'm completely broke," he muttered.
"Guess I'll kill some infected and grab more supplies while I'm at it."
Grabbing his blade, Zhu Jiu pushed open the gym's door and headed toward the supermarket once more.
Time to hunt.
Time to earn points.