The night passed without incident.
The next day, Chen Yuan slowly awoke on the sofa. He glanced up at the wall clock; it was already half-past ten.
He walked to the window and looked up at the dim, hazy sky. It had been so long since he had last seen the sun. He remembered how, in previous years, the sun would bake the earth in July and August. He had often complained about the sweltering heat back then, how he would be drenched in sticky sweat the moment he left an air-conditioned room.
Now, he found himself missing that feeling.
His gaze shifted, landing on the residential building opposite his. The broken window on the fifth floor was now completely filled with snow. Chen Yuan had never set foot in that apartment.
The third floor... The image of the zombies gradually formed in his mind, making him feel a surge of irritation. He had originally thought he could just ride out the Ice Age and then use the products from the Apocalypse Store to start a business—a viable path to wealth. But now, the zombies outside were his biggest headache.
Shaking his head, he turned and walked into the warehouse.
The three hours had long since passed. Lying quietly on the store's production platform was a cylindrical, capsule-like object, slightly larger than a AA battery. Beside it was an instruction manual.
「Hyperspace Portable Tent: Throw onto any open area larger than two square meters to deploy. Click the button on the top of the tent to retract. Note: Before retracting, please clear all living creatures from inside.」 「Tent Space: 20 square meters. Upgradeable.」
Reading the brief instructions, Chen Yuan's breathing quickened.
He cleared a space in the warehouse, then took the capsule and tossed it onto the floor.
POP!
With a sound like a balloon bursting, a large, square outdoor camping tent appeared before his eyes. It had a silvery-gray coating. He reached out and touched the fabric; it was soft, yet incredibly tough.
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and stepped into the tent.
In an instant, he felt as if he had passed through a spatial rift, arriving in a twenty-square-meter, dome-shaped space. The interior was completely empty. Looking at the canopy above, which glowed like the sun, Chen Yuan squinted, feeling a sense of unreality. This was the first time he had ever seen an item with its own spatial properties.
He turned and walked out of the tent door, finding himself back in the warehouse.
He looked at the Apocalypse Store, which still resembled an arcade machine. He placed his hands on its edges and gave a slight lift. It wasn't too heavy. But just to be safe, he called over his three subordinates.
One man and three dogs, working together, lifted the store and carried it into the tent. This much space was more than enough for his plans. He placed the Apocalypse Store in the middle of one side of the space, then turned and went back out.
He began moving the materials from the warehouse and the supplies from the other bedroom, trip after trip. After more than an hour of work, both rooms were empty, save for the living room. He didn't know if it was just a psychological effect, but Chen Yuan felt safer inside the tent than he did outside.
He walked over to the Apocalypse Store, his fingers flying through the Blueprint menu. Tiedan's attack power was strong, but it was only for close-quarters combat. Chen Yuan himself only had a Flame Dagger and a wood-chopping axe.
This won't do. If someone else gets their hands on a "Great Equalizer," won't I just be a lamb waiting for slaughter?
After looking for a while, he found something useful.
"High-Strength Compound Bow... this will do."
Chen Yuan nodded, feeling that this item would be quite effective. Although his archery skills were amateur at best, that was a minor detail. What technology lacked, equipment could make up for. And this thing was upgradeable.
After throwing in various materials, he pressed the red button.
「High-Strength Compound Bow, material insertion successful. Production in progress...」
As the message popped up on the screen, the mechanical arm on the production platform began to whir. A blue electric arc flashed, and a glossy black compound bow appeared before his eyes.
Chen Yuan picked up the bow, giving it a little heft. It felt quite handy. But this was just the beginning. He tossed the bow back into the insertion port, then added some aluminum, copper, and glass.
「High-Strength Compound Bow, upgrading precision and strength, installing infrared scope. Upgrade time: ten minutes.」
...
Chen Yuan didn't leave, just waited quietly. After five minutes, the mechanical arm on the production platform activated again. The compound bow reappeared. This time, its color had changed to a silvery-gray, the cam wheels on it were dyed a deep red, and it was strung with a black bowstring. Chen Yuan now had his own weapon.
But a bow was useless without arrows.
According to the blueprints, there were many types of arrows. The simplest were ordinary arrows made from wood, iron, and plastic. A higher tier used carbon fiber materials to create high-strength arrows. The arrowheads for these could be freely swapped out: high-explosive incendiary arrowheads, cryogenic freezing arrowheads, armor-piercing bodkin arrowheads...
What surprised Chen Yuan even more was that there was even a quiver that could switch arrow types, which reminded him of Hawkeye. In short, this one compound bow had a lot of potential for customization.
However, he wasn't going to get that fancy just yet. With his limited materials, he simply produced an ordinary quiver and thirty ordinary arrows.
The production efficiency of the Apocalypse Store was very high. When Chen Yuan had all his new gear equipped, he felt a bit like Robin Hood.
"A pity there are no little rabbits to practice on," Chen Yuan muttered, plucking the bowstring on his chest before turning to leave the tent.
He pressed the button on top of the tent. With a pop, the tent, which was about two meters long and wide, and one-point-nine meters high, instantly shrank down to the size of a AA battery.
Bending down to pick up the portable tent, a smile spread across Chen Yuan's face. He hung the attached cord around his neck, then opened the collar of his suit and tucked it inside. This little thing was now his lifeline. Carrying it with him was far more reassuring than leaving it at home.
He glanced at the time; it was already noon. Tightening the gloves of his thermostatic suit, Chen Yuan set out with his three subordinates.
The entire stairwell was like an ice cave. As soon as he opened the door, the hot and cold air convected, creating wisps of white mist.
Outside, the alley was still silent.
Chen Yuan took out his bow and arrow. Aiming towards the end of the alley, he nocked an arrow. His fingers bent, the cam system of the compound bow relieving most ofthe draw weight. The infrared scope greatly improved his aiming precision.
After drawing the bowstring to his chin, Chen Yuan released his fingers.
WHOOSH~~~
The arrow shot out, a blur in the air. Chen Yuan's eyes followed its trajectory. It landed less than ten meters from the main road at the end of the alley.
"So powerful..." he couldn't help but exclaim.
He knew that a typical compound bow had a range of about two hundred meters. A professional one wouldn't exceed four hundred. But his casual shot had just traveled nearly six hundred meters.
Hmm, if I ever get into a ranged duel with someone, it's a guaranteed win.
However, as his gaze shifted up from the arrow on the ground, he saw several figures appear at the mouth of the alley.
「Master, moving objects detected approaching, six hundred meters out.」
Chen Yuan's brow furrowed, a guess already forming in his mind.