Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Sale Begins

"Tonight, you’ll level up as well."

Fang Xia looked at Bai Xing before him. With the second-tier upgrading crystal, both of them could now advance. As for the remaining opportunity, it would naturally be reserved for Liu Rui upon her return.

Bai Xing’s upgrading process was remarkably uneventful—no agonizing pain, just a slight discomfort in her body. Even her head didn’t ache, only a brief sensation of swelling that quickly faded. Fang Xia couldn’t help but feel this was terribly unfair, but there was nothing he could do.

After the upgrade, Bai Xing’s strength was visibly enhanced—evident enough from the duration the bed shook during the latter half of the night. More than that, her ability had improved as well.

“Shadow Veil: enter a concealed state upon activation, triple your speed, ability ends after an attack, but can be reused within five minutes.”

Everything else remained unchanged—the only difference was the repeat usage. Even after slitting someone’s throat, she could vanish again. This upgrade was simply astonishing. No wonder she had once been counted among the top ten masters of the last era, the king of assassins.

Fang Xia was now eager to see what changes Liu Rui’s ability would undergo.

Later that night, Liu Rui dragged her exhausted body up to the second floor. The shelling there had only just ended. Bai Xing, equally drained, fell swiftly into slumber.

And so—

Before Liu Rui could rest, she was forced once again into battle.

...

“How is it?” Liu Rui exhaled deeply, looking expectantly at Fang Xia.

“All I want is sleep.”

“Come on, sleep if you want—but I’m asking about your level and your ability. What are you thinking?” Fang Xia flicked her on the forehead.

“I don’t have anything new,” Liu Rui protested, pouting in grievance.

Nothing? I already heard your thoughts, you know. Fang Xia, undeterred, flicked her forehead again.

“Piercing Blade: ignores all defenses for ten minutes, doubling speed.”

Liu Rui had already tested this skill. The defensive bypass wasn’t for her body but for whatever she wielded. Now, with doubled speed, who could stand against her in a head-on fight?

Fang Xia even considered crafting a massive forty-meter broadsword tomorrow. When Liu Rui activated her skill, she could just swing it with her eyes shut and sweep the field. Unfortunately, given current technical limitations—and factoring in Liu Rui’s strength—it would be awkward if she couldn’t even lift it.

Liu Rui finally succumbed to sleep. She was utterly exhausted; even leveling up couldn’t restore her energy.

Fang Xia wandered alone into the living room. A flicker of flame—his cigarette was lit.

Tomorrow, it would be time to close in the net.

Tomorrow, he would discover the source of this infernal sense of unease.

“Haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in two days. Tonight, once I finish killing zombies, I’ll just wait here. I don’t care how much it costs; I have to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

“Same here. Nothing has any taste anymore.”

“My pain—only cigarettes understand.”

A group of people eyed the last speaker, putting on airs. If not for the exhaustion from fighting zombies, they’d have pummeled him already.

The first rays of dawn broke through the clouds, casting light over this devastated city.

All three cigarette stalls in Dawn City were packed with people.

Most had lost their loved ones; they themselves didn’t know when they might die. What use were a couple of upgrade crystals? Better to trade them for cigarettes.

That was the prevailing sentiment.

Those without a strong enough will were destined to remain at the bottom of society, whether in the apocalypse or before.

Eight o’clock.

The three major factions’ cigarette stalls opened at the same time, as if by prior agreement. Prices had doubled since yesterday—from two upgrade crystals a pack to four.

With so many zombies around, putting in extra effort at night to earn a couple of packs seemed perfectly reasonable.

People grumbled, but still needed their smokes. Four crystals hadn’t quite crossed everyone’s psychological threshold. That’s what the three major factions had concluded after a night of negotiations.

At nine, the airdrop rain arrived on schedule, along with another piece of news—the Harem Group had started selling cigarettes too.

Supposedly, their leader had a penchant for smoking, so the ladies had stashed some away.

And, the Harem Group announced that to prevent malicious scalping, they were setting purchase limits—many could only buy a single carton.

With this news, those who’d missed out in previous days cheered the ladies enthusiastically. The crowds at the three major cigarette stalls were immediately cut in half.

Upon reaching the northern part of the city and discovering there were still large quantities of low-grade cigarettes available, the excitement grew.

Premium brands didn’t make him cough, but cost a fortune.

“Don’t rush—since the ladies aren’t familiar with cigarette prices, earlier they just collected whatever. Let’s sort things out. Please line up.”

A few women maintained order at the gate. Having waited so long, no one minded waiting a little more.

At half past nine, the Harem Group’s cigarette stall officially opened for business.

Upstairs in the villa, Fang Xia watched everything unfold from the window.

Before the apocalypse, White City’s resident and floating population had surpassed ten million. Since the apocalypse, more than eighty percent must have perished, but that still left at least two million.

Adding in refugees from nearby cities and counties, a conservative estimate put the population at around three million—mostly men.

If each man bought a single pack, they could empty out all the cigarettes in Dawn City.

But, of course, not everyone was here.

The powers in Dawn City likely numbered over a hundred thousand now; all the other groups combined added up to several hundred thousand more.

A group like Fang Xia’s, occupying such a large territory with only a thousand members, was a rarity, though his team’s strength far exceeded the patchwork coalitions elsewhere.

Subtracting those already supplied, those who’d bought cigarettes in previous days, and those who hadn’t yet managed to sell theirs, there were still at least a hundred thousand buyers.

Damn, he was really going to strike it rich.

A third-tier team for everyone was no longer a dream.

Ecstatic, Fang Xia grabbed Jing Yi, who was standing nearby, and kissed her fiercely. Who would ever call her just a pretty face again?

Jing Yi had been watching the scene unfold with him; after all, this was her handiwork.

This unexpected windfall had fallen straight into Fang Xia’s lap.

Meanwhile, her elder sister squatted behind them, secretly nibbling on spicy sticks she’d earned for giving Fang Xia a back massage—the sight making her eyes tinge red.

[It’s over, it’s over. Don’t tell me my younger sister will be the main wife, and I’ll be the concubine.]

Uh…

Fang Xia looked helplessly at the elder sister, while the younger one stared at him in stunned silence.

It was the first time a man had kissed her—childhood didn’t count.

[Rogue.]

From the corner, Jiang Wei quietly reminded everyone of her existence again.

“Ahem, you all keep watch. I’m heading out.”

Fang Xia slipped away.

The younger sister’s eyes were too innocent, the elder’s thoughts too terrifying—Fang Xia couldn’t handle it.

He quietly left his territory. Outside the city, chaos reigned as people fought desperately over airdrop crates.

He even ran into Bai Xing along the way; she didn’t have time to greet him, leading a group sprinting toward a crate.

Fang Xia paused, watching until they had secured the prize before moving on.