Dragging the blond young man out onto the street, Shen Ge returned to the old building, picked up the Special Response Division uniform by the wall, and draped it over the unrecognizable corpse before setting it ablaze.

He moved the bodies of the three mercenaries onto the street, arranging them neatly in a row—because family should stick together. The one who had been blown apart took some extra effort to reassemble.

After arranging the bodies, Shen Ge used the bonfire the mercenaries had lit to set the surrounding houses on fire, instantly illuminating the pitch-black street.

Arson was something Shen Ge was quite skilled at—not only could he control the intensity of the flames, but he could also direct their spread. He set fire to the opposite street while hiding in an old building not far from the three corpses.

The fire across the street grew fiercer, its glow lighting up half the sky. The blond young man whose tongue Shen Ge had cut out didn’t last long before bleeding to death, while the one who had been injured by the explosion was still clinging to life.

After waiting about twenty minutes, Shen Ge heard the familiar sound of voracious chewing. Then, from the shadows in the distance, a black creature over a meter long emerged.

Its form was so distorted it was hard to tell whether it had once been a dog, a cat, or some other mutated creature.

As this creature stepped forward, the firelight revealed another figure—this one a head taller, with a black body and glowing green eyes.

The two creatures approached the three corpses in the middle of the street and pounced on them, devouring them ravenously.

The critically injured mercenary screamed in despair, but the only response was the creatures’ relentless chewing. The torture, akin to being flayed alive, shattered his will in an instant. In his final moments, he finally understood the look in the eyes of the soldiers they had brutally murdered days before.

While the two creatures feasted, Shen Ge—armed with a butcher’s knife and cloaked in “Invisibility + Silence”—crept up behind the first creature.

Since the creatures were already occupied with their meal, their limited intelligence meant they paid little attention to Shen Ge’s presence.

Gripping the knife with both hands, Shen Ge mustered all his strength and swung at the taller creature’s neck. With a thunk, the blade sank halfway in, blood gushing out.

Planting his foot on the creature’s back, Shen Ge yanked the knife free and struck again!

Through his battles over the past two days, Shen Ge had discovered that even though a 1st-tier creature could be easily killed with firearms, specialized equipment was far more effective.

For example, the mutated cat they had faced earlier—despite the full firepower of an entire squad led by Feng Chengxiu, plus two rocket launchers—had only been completely destroyed after an extended barrage.

But with Shen Ge’s current strength, if he could immobilize the creature, it would take no more than three to five slashes to sever its head.

This wasn’t an exaggeration. Earlier, when he had rescued Fang Mingyue in the old building, he had decapitated another creature in just a few strokes, confirming this theory.

This time, three slashes later, the green-eyed creature’s head hung by a thread—just one more strike would finish it.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The creature, its head nearly severed, suddenly sprouted half-meter-long bone spikes from its back like a porcupine. Shen Ge was too close—one of the spikes impaled him through the waist.

Agony shot through his body, twisting his face into a grimace. Gritting his teeth, he mustered every ounce of strength for one final slash, completely severing the creature’s head.

[Host has successfully killed a 1st-tier creature. Reward: 50 system points!]

[Sell 1st-tier creature corpse? Price: 200 system points.]

Creatures had regenerative abilities, and Shen Ge didn’t want this one reattaching its head while he dealt with the other. He immediately chose to sell it.

A flash of white light later, the green-eyed creature’s corpse vanished.

Shen Ge retreated, putting distance between himself and the remaining black 1st-tier creature. Then he took out a “Creature Eye” and hurled it at the creature’s back. With a splat, the eye stuck to it.

Gurgle.

Gurgle.

The black creature immediately hunched into an attack stance, but the Creature Eye had robbed it of its vision. It swayed its head left and right, trying to locate its target by smell.

With the creature temporarily disabled, Shen Ge dropped his invisibility but maintained silence as he backed away. He took out an “Internal Injury Healing Pill” and swallowed it, then tore open a “Healing Bandage” and applied it to his wound.

A cooling sensation spread through his abdomen, numbing the pain. The area around his waist felt icy inside but warm where the bandage was applied.

Ten seconds later, Shen Ge peeled off the bandage. The thumb-sized puncture wound had completely healed—not even a scar remained.

As Tang Jinze had said before, if medical supplies like this were ever made public, they would send shockwaves through the entire pharmaceutical industry, revolutionizing global medicine.

Unfortunately, Tang Jinze’s research into the “Internal Injury Healing Pill” had hit a dead end—it was like something from another world, impossible to replicate with current technology.

With his injuries healed, Shen Ge circled behind the black creature and swung his butcher’s knife at its neck.

One slash.

Two slashes.

The creature let out a terrifying screech, but without vision (thanks to the Creature Eye) and with Shen Ge’s “Silence” masking his movements, it couldn’t track him by smell alone.

Half a minute later, its head hit the ground.

[Host has successfully killed a 1st-tier creature. Reward: 50 system points!]

[Sell 1st-tier creature corpse? Price: 200 system points.]

Shen Ge’s system points once again surpassed 4,000—4,121 to be exact. That was enough for over forty draws, which could replenish his ammunition and supplies.

But now that he knew specialized equipment was more effective against creatures than firearms, he was more interested in stocking up on gear. Still, with the fire raging across the street, what he really wanted was for the system to cough up a box of instant noodles and some water so he could enjoy a hot meal.

The fire spread further, its glow illuminating the area. Shen Ge inhaled from his “Creature Energy Canister” and used the light to continue exploring deeper into the district. After nearly six hours, he encountered the same looping phenomenon as before—no matter how far he walked, he always ended up back where he started.

Based on current intel, this creature incident was shaping up to be a long-term operation. There was no point exhausting himself with relentless exploration.

So Shen Ge found a rundown shop to rest in—a noodle joint, judging by the remnants. Unfortunately, the mercenaries had already ransacked the place. There wasn’t a scrap of edible food left, not even anything rotten.

After sitting for a while, Shen Ge decided it was time for another round of draws.

Conditions might be rough, but the gacha ritual had to go on.

“Dun-dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun…” Shen Ge hummed his own gacha theme music as he initiated a ten-draw.

Ding-ding-ding-ding—

[Congratulations! You’ve obtained an F-grade recovery item: “Mental Apple” x1.]

[… “Kangshuaifu Instant Noodles” x1 (box).]

[… “F-1 Fragmentation Grenade.”]

[… “Demolition Grenade” x3.]

[… “Timed Explosive” x1.]

[… “Free Attribute Points (3%).”]

[… “Free Attribute Points (2%).”]

[… “Bottled Water” x1 (18.9L).]

[… “Colt M2000 Pistol x1, Magazines x4.”]

[… “Black Elephant Instant Noodles” x1 (box).]

“Haha! Finally, it’s here!” Not only had he scored two different types of instant noodles, but also a whole jug of water. Hunger wouldn’t be a problem for a while.

And that wasn’t all—the “Mental Apple” and “Timed Explosive” were especially welcome additions.

Shen Ge tore open a packet of “Kangshuaifu Braised Beef Noodles,” boiled some water, poured it straight into the bag, and enjoyed a steaming meal.

“System, my dude, you finally came through.”

Between slurps, Shen Ge checked the time on his armored suit’s wrist computer. Over thirty hours had passed since he entered this space, yet he hadn’t received the system’s “Daily Survival” notification or any rewards.

If the system’s time matched the outside world’s, that meant less than a day had passed out there.

While this dashed his hopes of farming daily survival rewards, it also meant the Special Response Division wouldn’t be sending in reinforcements anytime soon—just as he and Deng Yuqi had agreed.

Shen Ge devoured three packs of noodles, then stashed the remaining supplies before heading out with his newly acquired explosives to continue scouting the area.

Based on prior experience, the key to escaping this pocket dimension was finding and killing the creature sustaining it.

He hadn’t expected the search to take long.

He was wrong.

Four whole days passed.

The fire he’d started had reduced the opposite block to ruins, creating a stark contrast with the area he was in.

After four days of scouring every possible location, Shen Ge had found neither an exit nor any creatures—not even a 1st-tier one.

Something was clearly off.

Then, as he sifted through the charred remains of the ruined district for clues, the system’s long-absent voice finally echoed in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on surviving another day in a world overrun by creatures. Reward: 1% freely distributable attribute points, 10 system points.]

“Six days in this space, but only one day outside.” Shen Ge allocated the 6% to his mental energy, bringing it to 241%—edging closer to the threshold for a 2nd-tier creature’s energy levels.

Recalling Fang Mingyue’s and the mercenaries’ accounts, Shen Ge compared their time discrepancies. His own time dilation seemed less severe than theirs.

Fang Mingyue had spent nearly a month and a half inside after entering for just two days. Clearly, the distortion varied by zone.

His current area’s time moved slower than the previous one.

But knowing this didn’t help much. Without a way to break the cycle, he’d end up trapped like the mercenaries.

Shen Ge munched on his noodles. The two boxes had held 48 packets total. At six or seven a day, he was down to his last dozen. Water was running low, too.

Between cooking and drinking, it hadn’t lasted.

He sighed. In the past, he’d scoffed at drawing instant noodles and water. Now, he craved nothing more.

Just as he debated whether to risk another ten-draw, a faint noise came from the shop’s rolled-up shutter door.

Someone was here.

Shen Ge tossed the empty noodle bag aside, grabbed his assault rifle, and rushed to the right corner. Pressing against the wall, he raised the gun and peered through the thermal scope toward the entrance.

The intruder was just as cautious, hugging the wall in a tactical stance.

The darkness obscured their features, but remembering the mercenaries, Shen Ge decided to strike first.

The stranger clearly hadn’t expected Shen Ge’s sudden assault. In the blink of an eye, they were on the ground, the rifle butt smashing into their skull repeatedly until they lost consciousness.

Shen Ge hadn’t killed them outright—he wanted information, and live bait was useful for luring creatures.

But when he shone his tactical light on their face, he recognized them.

Fang Mingyue, the support agent from headquarters.

“Well, damn.” Shen Ge stared at the blood oozing from her forehead. This was a genuine case of friendly fire.

She might have been naive and weak, but she was still an ally. Cold-blooded murder wasn’t his style.

After bandaging her wound, Shen Ge dragged her inside, trickled some water into her mouth, and waited for her to wake.

A long while later, Fang Mingyue groaned, clutching her throbbing head as she came to. Blinking at Shen Ge, she murmured, “Agent… Shen?”

“What are you doing here?” Shen Ge asked.

Wincing, she replied, “I was scavenging for food. Smelled instant noodles and came to check for survivors. Didn’t expect it to be you.”

“Still looking for survivors? What happened to the others? All dead?”

Fang Mingyue’s expression darkened. Shen Ge’s bluntness bordered on callousness, as if he were mocking their deaths.

Gurgle.

A stomach growl shattered the awkward silence—and made Fang Mingyue flush with embarrassment. The aroma of noodles hung thick in the air. Her gaze darted to the steaming bag on the table and the half-empty water jug. She swallowed hard, her stomach betraying her again.

“They’re alive. But we ran out of food and water long before you arrived yesterday. The soldiers sent to scavenge never came back, so I left them sheltering in place while I searched.”

“Wait, yesterday? I’ve been here almost five days. So in your timeline, I just left?” Shen Ge asked.

“You’ve been here five days?” Fang Mingyue wasn’t surprised. She’d met other survivors who’d described similar time discrepancies.

Her eyes kept drifting to the noodles. The bag was still warm, broth pooling at the bottom. Had he… not finished it?

“…Did you find these noodles here?” she asked, licking her lips.

“Something like that.”

“Are there… more?”

Shen Ge walked behind the counter where he’d hidden the supplies and pulled out a few packets. “Hungry? I’ll spare one. What flavor?”

“…”

Fang Mingyue’s heart ached. While her group had been reduced to chewing leather, Shen Ge was living the instant noodle dream. Life wasn’t fair.

“I… I get to choose?”

“…” Shen Ge gave her a strange look. What kind of question was that? Had he knocked a few screws loose?

“Spicy or mild?” he sighed.

“Mild.”

“Old Duck Soup or Mushroom Chicken?”

Fang Mingyue’s face reddened. After a long pause, she whispered, “C-can I… have both?”

“…”

Yep. Definitely concussed.

Shen Ge almost laughed. What he didn’t know was that Fang Mingyue had been giving most of her finds to the survivors, going days without eating.

Only in the apocalypse did one truly appreciate the luxury of instant noodle freedom. No wonder post-apocalyptic stories always revolved around trading food for people or weapons.

“Here.” Seeing her pitiful state, Shen Ge couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Her gratitude was even more fervent than when he’d saved her from the creature.

She tore into the Mushroom Chicken packet, poured hot water straight from the kettle, and started eating before the noodles had even softened. If not for Shen Ge’s presence, she might’ve licked the bag clean.

He expected her to devour the second packet, but instead, she tucked the Old Duck Soup one away.

Shen Ge frowned. “You’re not planning to take that back to the others, are you?”

Silence.

“How many are left?”

“Seven.”

Shen Ge nudged a box out from under the counter and pulled out seven more packets. “Eat that one. Take these.”

“R-really? You’d do that?” After their earlier clash over ideals, Fang Mingyue had come to understand Shen Ge’s pragmatism.

In this resource-starved hellscape, she couldn’t demand he part with life-saving supplies for strangers.

First, while she could hold her own beliefs, she couldn’t force them onto Shen Ge.

Second, she acknowledged his point—he stood a real chance of resolving this incident. His life was more valuable than hers or the survivors’.

So she didn’t push for more, accepting what he offered with gratitude.

Perhaps it was this lack of entitlement that softened Shen Ge’s stance. He still had 3,131 system points—unless the system screwed him over, more noodles were possible. Besides, even after giving her seven, he still had six left. Rationed, they’d last a few more days.

“Go ahead,” he sighed.

Overwhelmed, Fang Mingyue devoured the second packet. One bag wasn’t nearly enough, but thinking of the starving survivors, she’d been willing to save one.

Now, with seven more, she eagerly prepared another, savoring every bite before slumping back in her chair, satisfied.

“I knew an elite agent couldn’t be heartless. You’re actually pretty decent,” she said.

“…” Shen Ge hadn’t expected their rocky first impression to be smoothed over by a few packets of instant noodles.

“Don’t flatter me. That’s all you’re getting. Same with the water—half goes to you. And this is a loan. You’re paying me back after we get out.”

“You saved my life. I’ll never forget it. From now on, if you ever need anything, just ask. I won’t hesitate—not even for a second!” she vowed.

“…” Shen Ge was now certain he’d scrambled her brains.

But if she was offering help, he wasn’t about to refuse free labor.

“Actually, no need to wait. I’ve got a job for you right now. Come here—let’s discuss it in depth.”

Fang Mingyue: ?

Discuss… how in depth?