Night gradually fell. The first night of the apocalypse silently arrived amidst the cries and desperation of countless survivors.
Though it was only around seven o'clock, the entire city had lost its former hustle and bustle. All that remained was a deathly quiet.
Wen Yu stood on the second floor of a supermarket, munching on sealed, pre-packaged food while squinting at the dim moon in the sky.
The wound on his arm, thanks to the healing potion, had completely recovered. Truly, products from the Stone Pillar were always top-quality.
The zombies downstairs had been cleared out by Wen Yu. To a Level 1 professionist, these ungraded zombies were merely lambs to the slaughter, especially since professionists were no longer afraid of viral infection.
The moonlight in the northeast of Cathay was faint, and the moon itself was inconspicuous. Yet, Wen Yu could still discern that the once cold, clear moonlight now carried a tinge of blood red, as if something had infected the moon.
Wen Yu knew this was the greatest horror of the apocalypse.
Half a year after the apocalypse's arrival, when the moon turned completely blood-red, the Demon Realm's Gate would open, and countless terrifying Demon Fiends would invade Earth.
All of humanity would then officially face true, unadulterated horror.
Compared to the events six months hence, these minor zombies seemed almost as adorable as mobile points.
Wen Yu casually tossed aside the gnawed chicken bone. It described a graceful arc from the window before landing on the ground with a soft PLOP.
The sound, faint as it was, startled a zombie a few meters away. It staggered towards the source of the noise, its low growl echoing far into the quiet night.
This was why Wen Yu remained quietly in the room. At night, his vision was limited, but the zombies' hearing was greatly enhanced.
Wen Yu had no intention of facing these creatures at night—not because it was too dangerous, but simply because it wasn't cost-effective.
Wen Yu picked up a kitchen knife he had found in the supermarket and hurled it at the zombie's head.
Despite the few meters' distance, propelled by Wen Yu's immense strength, the kitchen knife accurately struck the zombie's head, preventing it from calling its companions. And then, silence returned to the world.
Wen Yu closed the window and leaned against the wall, mentally reviewing his gains and losses from the day, as well as his battle experience against Cyclops.
This was a habit Wen Yu had developed during the apocalypse; without sufficient resources, every bit of experience gained was another glimmer of hope for survival.
"The Soul Master profession is indeed powerful," he mused, "but in non-combat situations, I have fewer skills than other professions. Moreover, given the inherent nature of a Soul Master, it leans more towards a Summoner than a close-combatant outside of its battle form. Therefore, some items that boost defense capabilities are essential."
The power he wielded in his combat state was indeed terrifying. But in his non-combat state, Wen Yu's own combat power was inferior to that of other professions. And he couldn't possibly maintain his combat state for long. Just after deactivating it, the Soul Beast on his shoulder was clearly not as active as it had been initially.
Through his mental connection, Wen Yu understood that prolonged combat would continuously drain the Soul Beast's stamina. He estimated he could maintain his combat state for about thirty minutes, after which the Soul Beast would need to rest.
Fortunately, the Soul Beast's recovery rate was very high. After just an hour, it was back to darting around energetically.
Wen Yu then carefully reviewed his fight with Cyclops. His Soul Strike was incredibly potent. By his estimation, as long as an opponent's basic Attributes weren't more than double his own, Soul Strike would inflict extreme Lethality, truly deserving its S-Class ability designation.
He also tried to deduce Cyclops's primary ability, but this only highlighted how little he knew from his past life; plus, he wasn't exactly a genius. He reluctantly abandoned this mentally taxing exercise.
"Phew, I have to check out the treasure land at Riverside Park in two days, no matter what," he resolved. "I remember hearing in my past life that many practical items were found there."
Wen Yu meticulously recalled the rumors from his previous life, a plan beginning to form in his mind.
CLATTER! CLATTER!
The grating noise shattered Wen Yu's train of thought. It came from some simple alarms he had set up himself—empty cans placed at the entrance to the stairwell, their presence concealed by the dim light.
Faint footsteps drifted up from below. With his enhanced hearing, Wen Yu could discern three individuals approaching, two of whom were professionists.
In truth, professionists emerged quickly in the post-apocalyptic world. After all, killing zombies yielded point notifications, and the ubiquitous Exchange Stone Pillars would inevitably attract survivors to investigate. Such things couldn't be kept secret from the observant for long.
As the clattering from the cans on the stairs continued to echo, Wen Yu picked up his weapon, a massive fire axe, patted the short hammer at his waist, and preemptively headed downstairs.
Duan Wenfeng ascended the stairs slowly, accompanied by his younger sister and a little girl he had rescued along the way. He and his sister had originally been on their way to visit their grandfather in the suburbs when the apocalypse had suddenly erupted.
If Duan Wenfeng hadn't been a sports fanatic, and if his sister hadn't practiced judo for many years, they both might have been devoured by those flesh-biting monsters at the very onset of the cataclysm.
While they were hiding and evading danger, Duan Wenfeng, acting in self-preservation, had managed to kill a zombie with a fire extinguisher, after which he heard the system notification.
Upon discussing it with his sister, she, with her quick wit, had pointed out the nearby Exchange Stone Pillar. Thus, at the beginning of the apocalypse, relying on their physical strength and his sister's sharp mind, they had both become professionists, and in the process, rescued the young girl of about thirteen or fourteen who was now with them.
"Brother," his sister whispered, tugging at his clothes from behind.
"Hmm?" Duan Wenfeng grunted in acknowledgment, not daring to relax for a moment. He knew that such dark environments were the zombies' home turf, even if the undead creatures likely didn't grasp the concept of an ambush.
"There are people upstairs," she continued. "This is someone's alarm system." She gestured to the clattering cans at their feet.
Hearing his sister's deduction, Duan Wenfeng thought it made perfect sense. He was well aware that when it came to intelligence, his sister could outsmart him by a mile.
"So," he hesitated, discussing with his sister, Duan Wenxue, "should we go up and say hello, then find another place?" He knew, to be honest, that this spot was ideal, with ample food reserves. Searching for a new location now would be challenging. The apocalyptic night was perilous, and there was no guarantee they'd find food elsewhere. Even someone not particularly clever, like himself, understood the dangers of the night in the apocalypse.
"No need," Duan Wenxue said, pointing ahead. "They're already coming out."
In the dim moonlight, the three of them could vaguely make out a shadow on the stairs.
The figure wore tattered clothes, with one sleeve and one trouser leg missing entirely. It was covered in bloodstains. A small, black, spherical object spun erratically on its shoulder, and in its hand, it brandished a massive fire axe.
Duan Wenfeng was startled; the figure's appearance was utterly terrifying. The little girl he had saved clutched his waist tightly, clearly frightened by the human figure before them. However, thanks to her survival experience from the past half-day, the sensible Li Di managed not to scream.