Chapter 29
First, they’d picked a place with pollutants to refuel. Then, the bespectacled man blocked their way, preventing them from leaving in time. Now, they were stuck with a dungeon mission.
What terrible luck. The worst.
Perhaps because he’d been plagued with misfortune ever since the apocalypse began, Yu Zhi quickly calmed down.
Not far away, the bespectacled man’s demeanor shifted dramatically, his earlier scholarly air replaced by sharp intensity.
He crouched, pressing his palm to the ground. Instantly, a cacophony of cracking noises erupted as fractures radiated outward from his hand, spreading rapidly toward the off-road vehicle, as if intent on swallowing both car and passengers into the earth.
“Get out of the car!”
As Yu Zhi stowed the vehicle into [My Items], the ground beneath his feet turned into a sticky, mud-like substance that clung to his shoes.
Yanking his foot free, he activated Null Intent against the bespectacled man.
Crack, crack, crack—
The relentless sound of shattering continued as the road seemed to tear itself apart under some invisible force.
Yu Zhi frowned. “Mouth, mouth” had no effect.
The man wasn’t trying to kill him.
The live stream chat buzzed with schadenfreude:
[User “Peace Lover” reminder: don’t run on the ground.]
[User “Pure Love Warrior” suggested using an item.]
[User “National Elite Humanoid Weapon” looking forward to seeing what the item can do!]
Yu Zhi: “…”
So, freeloaders, huh?!
Glancing at Lu Liming, he saw that while Lu was more physically resilient, his reflexes were slower. His legs were already sinking into the mud, the sticky ground swallowing him up to his calves in seconds.
If Lu Liming couldn’t escape, and he himself couldn’t exactly take to the skies, running wasn’t an option.
Clenching his teeth, Yu Zhi decided to test Ordinary Kick: [Kick His Butt!]
In the blink of an eye, Yu Zhi appeared behind the bespectacled man, his right foot lifting seemingly of its own accord to lightly tap the man on the backside.
More precisely, it wasn’t so much a kick as a gentle step.
Just as the description said: plain, ordinary, and completely unremarkable. It didn’t even deliver any force.
The only effect was that it had teleported him directly behind his target.
Capitalizing on the moment, Yu Zhi gave a proper, forceful kick.
The man, identified as Zuo Feiyang, stumbled slightly from the unexpected impact. When he realized someone had kicked his butt, a crack appeared in his composed expression.
Instinctively, Zuo Feiyang lashed out at the person behind him, only to find that the individual had vanished, seemingly sinking into the ground.
But in the next second, Yu Zhi reappeared beside the braided man, exchanged guns with him, and left him trapped in the mud alone.
Then, just as quickly, Zuo Feiyang’s backside was lightly kicked again.
At the same time, he felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his head.
Zuo Feiyang’s expression darkened. Realizing his opponent could teleport and bypass his earth manipulation ability, he knew he couldn’t pin him down.
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”
The young man’s clear, pleasant voice sounded by his ear. “We were just passing through.”
Yu Zhi lightly tapped Zuo Feiyang’s head with the gun, his gaze shifting to four figures who had suddenly appeared behind Lu Liming.
Three of them were dressed in casual clothes, while a tall woman in the same black wheat-emblem uniform as Zuo Feiyang pointed a gun at Lu Liming’s temple.
Zuo Feiyang gestured to the woman not to act hastily and introduced himself, “We’re a cleanup squad responsible for clearing pollutants in Tai Jiang Town. I’m the team leader, Zuo Feiyang.”
Yu Zhi replied indifferently, “Oh.”
Zuo Feiyang continued, “Why were you passing through here?”
Yu Zhi didn’t answer but instead countered, “Why did you block our way?”
Zuo Feiyang hesitated before responding, “S City is currently under lockdown. No one is allowed to enter or leave freely. Your sudden appearance was suspicious.”
Yu Zhi finally explained, “We came from J City. Our car ran out of gas, so we stopped here to refuel.”
Zuo Feiyang pressed, “Why didn’t you take another route earlier?”
Yu Zhi sighed, exasperated. “Didn’t I say the highway entrance is ahead? Besides, there seemed to be pollutants behind us. Didn’t you hear it earlier?”
As his words fell, the same sharp, middle-aged woman’s voice from before echoed once more from the end of the road.
This time, the voice was louder and clearer, still tinged with anger:
“I’ve been teaching for so many years! The number of students I’ve taught is more than the grains of salt you’ve eaten!”
Everyone’s expressions shifted, their gazes locked on the road ahead.
No one appeared—no humans, no monsters.
Only the shrill, scolding voice lingered in the air, filled with an angry, exasperated tone:
“Everything I’ve told you is for your own future, for your own good! I’m your mother—do you think a mother would harm her child?!”
Ding-ling-ling—
The school bell rang out once again, unnervingly clear and loud.
“Alright, go back to class now.”
The bell stopped, and the middle-aged woman’s voice disappeared with it.
The group stayed on high alert, their eyes fixed on the road’s end.
One second, two seconds… one minute, two minutes…
After three minutes of tense waiting, with no sign of a pollutant appearing, Zuo Feiyang finally spoke. “I apologize. I misunderstood you.”
“I couldn’t hear the pollutant earlier and thought you were connected to the sudden dungeon task.”
As he finished, the sticky mud trapping Lu Liming’s feet dissolved, and the gun pointed at his temple was lowered.
Seeing this, Yu Zhi also lowered his handgun.
Zuo Feiyang turned and extended his hand, offering a truce. “I’m truly sorry.”
Yu Zhi took his hand, his lips curving into a harmless smile. “You should be.”
Zuo Feiyang froze.
The next moment, Yu Zhi began calmly enumerating his grievances.
“Captain Zuo, first, you wrongly accused us. Second, you blocked our escape route, forcing us into this dangerous dungeon.
“Third, I was compelled to use my ability because of you. Each use costs me money.”
“Finally, while we may not have sustained physical injuries, your actions caused severe emotional damage.”
Zuo Feiyang’s expression stiffened.
He hadn’t expected that instead of accepting his apology, this man would start itemizing the cost of his actions.
Yu Zhi, unwilling to waste more time, showed some “generosity.” “Here’s a compromise: compensate Xiao Ming and me with 100 Universal Coins each, and we’ll call it even.”
Zuo Feiyang: “…?”
After a moment of silence, he tried to reason, “You’ve also received the dungeon task, right? During the mission, we might have opportunities to help each other.”
The unspoken implication: If I help you later, we’ll be even.
Yu Zhi remained unmoved. “We got the task, sure. But we’re not planning to do it.”
Zuo Feiyang: “?” “Then what are you…”
“We’re planning to run,” Yu Zhi declared confidently.
The group: “…”
Zuo Feiyang’s mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but ask, “And if you can’t run?”
Yu Zhi replied with utter composure, “Then we’ll die.”
The group: “…”
Such calm acceptance of death left Zuo Feiyang speechless.
He couldn’t help but study Yu Zhi more closely.
Earlier, from a distance, Zuo Feiyang hadn’t noticed much. But now, at close range, he saw how young the man was, with an exceptionally good appearance. His clear, ink-black eyes carried a soft, unthreatening beauty that naturally inspired goodwill.
He exuded no killing intent, and during their earlier exchange, he hadn’t inflicted any actual harm. He didn’t seem like someone with ill intentions. Furthermore, his reluctance to engage in a dangerous dungeon task was a mindset shared by most ordinary people.
Adjusting his glasses, Zuo Feiyang admitted to himself that he had been in the wrong.
Moments later, a notification popped up on Yu Zhi’s panel: [The other party has transferred 100 Universal Coins to you. Accept?]
Without hesitation, Yu Zhi accepted the transfer.
Watching his balance tick up by 100, Yu Zhi released Zuo Feiyang’s hand and smiled warmly. “You’re welcome.”
Zuo Feiyang: “…” Shouldn’t you be the one saying thank you?!
Yu Zhi waved Lu Liming over and retrieved their off-road vehicle from [My Items]. He opened the door, got in, and checked the detector.
[Pollution Concentration: 20%]
It had risen again.
Lu Liming climbed into the driver’s seat, setting down the tranquilizer gun with a cheerful grin. “Brother Yu, was that teleportation just now? Or are you just really fast? I couldn’t even react before you were beside me, and then you were suddenly next to their captain!”
Returning the infinite ammo handgun to him, Yu Zhi answered honestly, “It was Ordinary Kick.”
Lu Liming was stunned. “You mean that pay-to-use ability item?”
Recalling how Yu Zhi had previously complained about Ordinary Kick being useless, Lu Liming thought to himself: Even such a powerful item gets dismissed—Brother Yu truly operates on another level.
“Let’s go,” Yu Zhi said, glancing at the rearview mirror. Zuo Feiyang’s squad was heading in the opposite direction.
The sleek black off-road vehicle sped toward the highway entrance they had come from.
Yu Zhi rested his right hand on the half-open window, his gaze dropping to his shoes.
If Ordinary Kick is a guaranteed hit…
Should I take a gamble?
For example, kick A-Zheng’s butt? Could I land in B City with one kick?
And if it doesn’t work, what would happen instead?
As Yu Zhi mulled over his thoughts, the off-road vehicle sped smoothly down the highway, eventually entering a tunnel.
The tunnel’s dim lighting stretched their shadows long, casting distorted reflections on the car windows. Outside, the tunnel walls blurred and seemed unreal.
At first, Yu Zhi thought it was his imagination. He rubbed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the off-road vehicle was exiting the tunnel.
The moment the car left the tunnel, the highway before them transformed into a familiar scene—Tai Jiang Town.
The wrought-iron town marker stood clearly to the right, spelling out the words “Tai Jiang Town.”
Lu Liming slammed on the brakes, stammering, “Th-this dungeon doesn’t let you leave either, does it?”
Almost immediately, the system’s voice echoed in the car:
“Please explore on your own and actively complete the task.”
Yu Zhi blinked. If the polluted area were locked, the system would have explicitly said so.
He turned to Lu Liming and said, “It doesn’t seem locked. Try taking another route.”
Lu Liming nodded and picked a different road to follow.
The off-road vehicle drove along the national highway for nearly an hour, but as they passed a fork in the road, they found themselves back at Tai Jiang Town’s entrance.
Lu Liming hesitated. “Brother Yu?”
Yu Zhi frowned. “Head toward J City and see if that works.”
An hour and a half later, they were back again, staring at the now-irritatingly familiar three characters: Tai Jiang Town.
Lu Liming’s eyes glazed over as he began doubting himself. “Wait, wait—how did we end up here again?”
“Isn’t this supposed to be unlocked? Did I take the wrong route somewhere? Could it be that there’s only one correct path out, and picking the wrong one just brings us back?”
Yu Zhi shook his head. “Impossible.”
“The pollution source isn’t Fu Suxi—it wouldn’t have that kind of twisted sense of humor.”
He glanced at the detector.
[Pollution Concentration: 50%]
“Every time we’ve driven, we’ve gone farther than the previous attempt. And every time, the pollution concentration has increased.”
Yu Zhi’s frown deepened, his face darkening. “The polluted area isn’t locked.”
“It’s expanding.”
A sinking feeling settled in Yu Zhi’s chest. This meant that Zuo Feiyang’s squad hadn’t managed to contain or eliminate the pollution source within these few hours.
Reflecting on the situation, Yu Zhi took another look at the dungeon task.
This time, the dungeon reward was 3,000 Universal Coins—three times more than the cockroach dungeon.
That could only mean it was three times more troublesome and difficult to resolve.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of his face, holding two milk candies.
Lu Liming’s eyes gleamed. “So… are we going to deal with the pollution source now?”
Yu Zhi unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth. The rich, sweet taste flooded his senses, lifting some of his irritation.
As he chewed, he mumbled, “Let me try another method first.”
[Kick A-Zheng’s Butt.]
The scenery before him didn’t change. The only difference was the system panel now displayed a new line of text:
[Usage failed.]
Yu Zhi’s sharp eyes noticed his Universal Coin balance had decreased by ten.
He bit down hard on the candy, then angrily questioned the system, “Why did you still charge me if it failed?”
The system explained: “Using abilities consumes Universal Coins.”
The implication was clear: the cost was deducted only after the attempt, even if it failed.
Yu Zhi pressed further. “Why did it fail?”
The system responded: “Please explore on your own and actively complete the task.”
Yu Zhi: “Refund me!”
The system fell silent, offering no further response.
Muttering curses in his heart, Yu Zhi speculated that the failure might be because B City was too far away.
After a moment of thought, he tried a closer destination: [Kick S University’s Gate.]
[Usage failed.]
S University was within S City—how was that considered far?
He continued testing.
[Kick outside the dungeon boundary.]
[Usage failed.]
[Kick National Highway 312.]
[Usage failed.]
Attempt after attempt burned through the 100 Universal Coins Zuo Feiyang had transferred. Finally, Yu Zhi figured out the conditions for Ordinary Kick:
- It can only be used by the user—others cannot be included.
- The target location must be within the user’s direct line of sight.
- If the location is visible, it can be kicked—ground, building walls, treetops, or any surface.
Ordinary Kick: guaranteed to land, but no refunds or customer service.
In conclusion, Ordinary Kick wouldn’t help them escape the dungeon.
Yu Zhi let out a long, resigned sigh. “We can’t get out. Looks like we’ll have to head into town to find the pollution source.”
He turned to speak to Lu Liming but paused when he saw his expression.
Lu Liming didn’t look the slightest bit panicked or afraid. Instead, he winked at Yu Zhi and said cheerfully, “Can’t leave, huh? Well, no choice then.”
With a lighthearted tone, he added, “Guess we’ll just have to graciously complete the dungeon.”
Yu Zhi: “…”
“I didn’t mean to get us into this.” It was sheer bad luck.
Lu Liming nodded empathetically. “Of course, you didn’t mean to. You didn’t mean to grab the detector, and you definitely didn’t mean to enter this dungeon!”
“It was all just… incidental.”
Yu Zhi: “……”
He could feel the mounting misunderstandings in Lu Liming’s head. But after several failed attempts at clarification, he decided it wasn’t worth the effort anymore.
“Let’s go.”
Sunlight filtered through the trees lining the street, scattering dappled shadows across the ground.
This time, Tai Jiang Town wasn’t the eerie, silent place they’d first encountered.
Faint sounds of people and vehicles lingered in the air—not abrupt or sinister like the woman’s earlier voice, but more akin to the mundane hum of a town before the apocalypse.
A faint aroma of cooking meat wafted through the air, subtle yet captivating. It wasn’t greasy or overwhelming, but carried a strange allure, tugging effortlessly at one’s appetite.
Yu Zhi found himself licking his teeth.
It seemed he was even hungrier now.
