Bai Mo collapsed onto his bed as soon as he got back to his rented room. Staring at the ceiling, he muttered to himself, "Work doesn't start until tomorrow... I hope I get paid soon..." Thinking of the landlord, he couldn't help but shudder. "If I really get kicked out, I'm finished..."
I got up and walked onto the small balcony, where a gentle evening breeze was blowing.
Although the house was dilapidated, it was at least functional—it could be used to dry clothes and sleep, making it a place to live.
"Z City..." Bai Mo pondered, "The rent should be cheaper than in other cities, right?" He scratched his head in frustration, "I was so stunned by the landlord's scolding that I didn't even ask how much the rent was..."
His stomach rumbled in protest, and Bai Mo realized he hadn't eaten anything. He smiled wryly and touched his empty pockets.
Bai Mo chuckled self-deprecatingly, thinking to himself that he was probably the unluckiest of all the transmigrators.
He lay on his bed, racking his brains for a way to survive until payday. Various plans flashed through his mind, but none were easy to utter.
"Dine and dash?" The thought had barely crossed his mind when he dismissed it. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him: "That's it! I can wait until the weirdo attacks the convenience store..."
Bai Mo immediately sprang out of bed, thrilled with his "genius" idea: "As long as the strange man appears and the crowd disperses, I can... grab some food for emergencies." He repeatedly emphasized to himself, "Just a little bit, I'm only doing this out of necessity."
Without hesitation, Bai Mo hurriedly went out and found a 24-hour convenience store nearby.
He found an inconspicuous corner to squat down, his eyes fixed on the convenience store entrance, and began his long wait.
"It shouldn't be too long, right?" Bai Mo prayed silently, while nervously glancing around.
Just then, a mother and daughter passed by Bai Mo. The little girl tugged at her mother's sleeve and said innocently, "Mommy, it's so strange that this brother is squatting here."
The mother quickly pulled her daughter behind her, glanced at Bai Mo warily, and hurried away. Bai Mo's face immediately turned red, and she awkwardly coughed a few times before standing up.
"Waiting like this is really too suspicious..." he muttered to himself, deciding to change his strategy and go into the convenience store to pretend to shop.
The convenience store was simply furnished, with shelves filled with various goods. Bai Mo pretended to browse the shelves, but was actually secretly searching for the most filling food.
His gaze darted back and forth between the rice ball and the bread, and his stomach growled again, much to his dismay.
"Strange..." Bai Mo thought anxiously, "Isn't Z City known for its frequent occurrence of strange people? Why is it so peaceful today..." He kept glancing out the window, afraid of missing any signs of disturbance.
Bai Mo's furtive behavior quickly caught the attention of the shop assistant. As the assistant approached him, Bai Mo was pretending to examine the instant noodles, his forehead already beaded with sweat.
"Um..." The shop assistant had just started to speak when Bai Mo was about to confess that he had no money.
"You must be a hero, right?" The shop assistant's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Huh? Yes...yes, I'm a hero." Bai Mo paused for a moment, then continued the conversation.
The shop assistant's face immediately lit up with joy: "It's wonderful to meet a hero in our store!"
"Haha, I didn't expect to be recognized..." Bai Mo chuckled dryly, his palms sweating profusely.
Just then, a scream suddenly came from outside: "Help! There's a strange person!"
Bai Mo's eyes lit up: "The opportunity has come!" He was about to take advantage of the chaos to grab some food and slip away when the shop assistant grabbed him.
"You'll definitely come to my rescue, won't you?" The shop assistant looked at him expectantly.
"Hey? You...you're not running away yet? What are you doing here?" Bai Mo panicked.
"With you here, what do we have to fear?" the shop assistant replied innocently.
Through the glass door of the convenience store, Bai Mo saw the strange man, who looked like a giant toad, approaching. He was muttering something like, "Food...delicious..."
Bai Mo lowered his voice and said to the system, "Quickly, help me determine this weirdo's level!"
[System scan in progress...]
[Test complete]
[Target: Mutant Toad Monster]
[Threat Level: Wolf]
The strange man violently slammed open the convenience store door, his sticky body leaving disgusting trails on the floor. Bai Mo quickly winked at the terrified clerk, signaling him to quietly call the police.
Bai Mo quickly tore open the packaging of the kitchen knife on the shelf, gripped the handle tightly, and rushed out from his hiding place.
"You're a hero?" The toad-like monster stared at Bai Mo with its murky eyes.
"Yes!" Bai Mo answered, forcing himself to speak, his heart pounding like a drum. This was the first time he had ever faced a strange person so closely—he had only ever seen them on screen before.
To his surprise, the strange man suddenly launched an attack, his long tongue shooting out like an arrow!
"Damn it!" Bai Mo cursed under his breath, instinctively ducking to dodge. He had thought he could negotiate, but now it seemed he had no choice but to fight.
Just as the toad-like monster retracted its tongue, Bai Mo suddenly pointed behind it: "Look! A giant mosquito!"
The toad-like monster fell for the trick, its head involuntarily turning backward. Bai Mo seized the opportunity and charged forward, just as the monster realized it had been fooled and was about to shoot out its tongue—
[Time Stop] activated!
0.1 seconds is fleeting, but it's better than nothing. He dodged the attack trajectory to the side, gripped the knife with both hands, and stabbed it fiercely into the monster's soft abdomen!
"Thud!" The sharp blade pierced into the bluish-green skin.
"Ouch!" The strange man roared in pain, his thick arm swinging down hard. Bai Mo had no time to dodge and was sent flying by the punch, his back slamming against the wall.
The monster roared in agony, "Damn humans!" It suddenly shot out its long tongue, aiming straight for Bai Mo's head. Bai Mo dodged awkwardly to the side, the tongue poking a hole in the wall.
"That was close!" Bai Mo was sweating profusely. Just as he was about to turn around and run away, he heard a loud "boom"—the strange man collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then stopped moving.
"This... is it dead?" Bai Mo stared incredulously at the corpse before him. "Was it that weak?"
[System notification: Congratulations, host, on achieving the first kill]
[Target: Wolf-level monster]
[Reward: 500 points (New player bonus)]
[Reward: Increases maximum stamina by 100]
[Current Points: 500]
Bai Mo stood frozen in place, momentarily stunned. He looked down at the kitchen knife stained with green blood in his hand, then at the lifeless figure, and suddenly burst out laughing: "This works?"
Bai Mo then realized that his slash had hit the strange man's vital point, and the blood loss from pulling the sword out was indeed enough to be fatal.
Just then, the piercing sound of police sirens grew louder as they approached. Several police officers rushed into the convenience store, and upon seeing the dead man, they began to skillfully handle the scene.
Bai Mo suddenly froze—he still had the few loaves of bread he'd swiped in the chaos hidden in his pocket! If the police found out he'd stolen something, forget about being a hero; he'd probably be headed straight to the police station.
He nervously swallowed, and quietly moved towards the door...
The shop assistant rushed forward excitedly, grabbed Bai Mo's hand and shook it vigorously: "Hero! Thank you so much! If it weren't for your help, I might have..."
Bai Mo awkwardly tried to pull his hand away, only to find that the other person was gripping it unusually tightly. He mentally screamed, "This isn't right! Shouldn't it be a 90-degree bow of thanks? Let go, I need to get out of here quickly..."
However, she had to force a polite smile: "No, you're welcome... It's what I should do..."
The police also came over.
Bai Mo cursed inwardly, "I give up!"