Lin Yi hid in the shadows of the supermarket.
While silently pulling out a pistol, he whispered into the walkie-talkie, "Can you hear me?"
"I can hear you, boss! No unusual activity detected nearby," Xiaochuan responded clearly from the shelter through the walkie-talkie.
Lin Yi instructed Xiaochuan to report immediately if anything happened.
Then, he cautiously pushed open a door leading to the inside of the supermarket, stepping carefully a short distance in.
He made his steps as light as possible, given that he was facing a whole group of four Professionals - there was no room for error.
Inside the door was a narrow corridor, lit only by flickering candles and dim battery-powered lamps.
There were many doors along the corridor. Lin Yi kept close to the wall, slowly approaching enough to be detected by the surveillance camera's range.
"Boss, there are two people in the room to your right. I feel like they... might be on drugs, and they're not armed."
Lin Yi decisively drew his sword and nudged the door open a crack to glimpse a security room.
He tiptoed inside; the few monitors on the wall were broken, some clearly used as dartboards, riddled with holes.
The two punks were like boneless jellyfish, collapsed onto office chairs. Their eyes were unfocused and drooling at the corners of their mouths, with eerie, silly grins on their faces.
Without hesitation, Lin Yi swiftly thrust his sword into one of the drug addict's throats.
The punk's eyes widened as if trying to say something, but all that came was a gush of blood and a bubbling sound.
Meanwhile, the other punk suddenly stirred, but he fell asleep again, snoring loudly.
Lin Yi easily swung the sword again to let him sleep more soundly.
"Boss, wait for me... urgh!"
With a glance at the walkie-talkie, Lin Yi returned promptly to the shelter without a word.
No matter what the situation, ensuring his own safety was the wisest choice.
Back at the shelter, he saw Xiaochuan with wide eyes, vomiting profusely by the table.
Thank goodness Xiaochuan ran in time; otherwise, the laptop could have been ruined and rendered useless.
"Get yourself together quickly; we can't afford any mistakes," Lin Yi's voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
Startled by his boss's cold tone, Xiaochuan bit his lip and slapped himself twice hard.
The slap seemed to miraculously suppress his nausea forcefully.
"Boss! I'm fine now!" Xiaochuan, his face imprinted with a clear five-finger mark, lifted his head to report to Lin Yi.
"Not bad," Lin Yi nodded, returning to the real world once again.
Lin Yi combed through the security room carefully, luckily finding a pistol and about thirty rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Then he left the room, continuing to hug the wall and stealthily sneak down the corridor.
Just as he was about to open the next door, Xiaochuan's urgent voice broke through the walkie-talkie: "Boss, watch out; someone is coming out!"
Lin Yi swiftly teleported back to the shelter, and a second later, the door slowly opened, letting out two hulking brutes.
"What now? Have some fun or go out hunting?" A bulky, blue-spiked punk inquired of his companion next to him.
"Boss... Boss killed all the women over twenty-five. How do you plan to have fun?" the other drunkenly responded.
As the two brawny men walked away, Lin Yi reentered the real world.
Aided by the camera's see-through function, he knew the room was currently empty, so he quickly stepped in.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a "chemistry lab." Thick white smoke filled the air, with tiles resembling white bricks scattered across the floor.
Lin Yi wasn't interested in these flour-like substances. However, the laboratory apparatus was different and might prove incredibly useful in the future.
Opportunity knocks but once; it's now or never.
Chemicals? Take them! Beakers? Take them! Chairs, tables, and shelves? All into the shelter!
He didn't even spare the light bulbs from the ceiling.
Sporting a satisfied grin, Lin Yi frantically scavenged the room, knowing nearly every item here could boost the shelter's Experience Points.
A few minutes later, he had almost emptied the room entirely.
"Boss, two people are coming toward the room. They're unarmed," Xiaochuan warned through the walkie-talkie.
Lin Yi quickly hid behind the door.
Meanwhile, the two punks stepped into the room, bewilderment written on their faces at the sight of the pitch-black space, completely unaware of what had happened.
One of the punks took several steps inside, trying to switch on the wall lamp.
However, he didn't know a man with a terrifying smile was creeping up behind him. A swift swing of a sword severed his head.
Feeling something was amiss, the other punk quietly called out his companion's name.
But after receiving no response for a long time, he realized something was seriously wrong.
As he turned to escape, a powerful hand suddenly emerged from the darkness, clamping hard around his throat.
He could only utter a gargle of terror before being dragged into the depths of the dark room.
Searching the two punks, Lin Yi found no weapons but unexpectedly acquired a set of keys.
Exiting the room, he continued to sneak through the corridor.
In the darkness, he could hardly see anything.
Subtle sounds seemed to drift to his ears, and he perked up, listening intently, feeling the sounds were coming from far away.
However, as Lin Yi approached the next door, he suddenly identified it as the sound's source.
"Boss, there are a lot of people in that room! I think they're asleep," Xiaochuan relayed.
Asleep in broad daylight?
Concealed in the shadows, Lin Yi pondered for a moment.
He surmised this group might be night guards or hunters heading out to scavenge at night.
The question was, how to take them out silently?
Lin Yi crept closer to the door, gently prying it open and peering inside.
The large room was arranged quite comfortably, with about thirty people sprawled on makeshift beds across the space.
Weak flickers from a few candles provided scant illumination.
Under such conditions, even the slightest noise would certainly wake everyone up.
Yet, an ingenious plan had already formed in Lin Yi's mind!
He silently slipped into the room, approaching a sleeping punk, placing his hand on him, and focusing his mind.
With a "swish", both were teleported back to a clearing in the shelter.
Initially lying on a makeshift bed, the punk was now airborne, instantly losing balance and crashing to the ground.
"Damn!" He squinted, cursing immediately, looking for the prankster.
Instead, what met his eyes was a gleaming sword!
In a panic, he clamped his hand over his throat, yet blood continued to gush.
"Da Chuan!" Lin Yi shouted to the young man nearby, "Come over and take care of him."
"But... But he's still alive!" Da Chuan stumbled over, looking nervous with his face pale as paper.
"Then send him on his way." Lin Yi snapped his fingers, a one-handed sword appearing at Da Chuan's feet. His gaze never left the youth.
"They might be carrying guns, so I won't repeat the importance of finishing them off! Also, remember to search the bodies thoroughly."
After speaking, Lin Yi glanced at Da Chuan, who was clutching the sword and trembling slightly, and then returned to the real world without another word.
Seconds later, Lin Yi brought back another punk.
Before the man could settle, Lin Yi's sword glided through the air, severing his head which rolled onto the grass.
The previous punk was also headless, suggesting Da Chuan acted efficiently.
"Where to... where to put the bodies?" Da Chuan's voice trembled audibly.
Lin Yi pointed to a deep, dark pit not far off.
"Finish them all, then dump them together!"