Post Album

Zhao Ke held his other hand behind Zhou Shun's back. Puff, puff, puff! He drove several knives down along his spine in rapid succession. With a hiss, blood sprayed from the bright-red groove in the dagger. Zhou Shun's body jerked, then quickly went completely limp in Zhao Ke's arms.

"Hey, what are you doing down there?"

Qi Liang lay sprawled beside the trap. Seeing that Xiong Er was dead beyond any doubt, he could not help letting out a long breath. It was as though all the bones had been pulled from his body; he sagged onto the ground and looked weakly down at Zhao Ke, deeply puzzled as to what the man had been doing for so long.

But Qi Liang quickly regretted asking. Zhao Ke crouched before Xiong Er's corpse and rummaged around for a while, then actually climbed up carrying two huge bear paws. "Roasted Bear Paw. Want some?"

"No, no, no... no."

Qi Liang immediately shook his head. He was indeed starving, but the sight of those two bloody claws completely killed his appetite.

"Suit yourself."

Zhao Ke found two vines and tied up the bear paws. Xiong Er's claws were thick and huge, and the meat felt firm and resilient when squeezed. That meant the meat had to be excellent.

To Zhao Ke, bear paws like these were simply top-tier ingredients rarely seen anywhere in the world—the kind money could not buy.

"You knew there was a trap here?"

Watching Zhao Ke busily deal with the bear paws, Qi Liang could not help asking.

"No. But when I looked at that map earlier, I noticed that the eastern side of the map—this place—had been circled in red. I didn't know what it meant at the time, so I could only bring you running this way first. Later, I found the trap."

This time, Zhao Ke had not lied to Qi Liang. That was indeed what had happened. Zhao Ke simply had not expected there to be two living people beneath the trap.

But now, one of those two had died and the other had fled. Down there, only two corpses remained—one bear and one man.

Zhao Ke looked at Qi Liang and confirmed that he did not seem to have received any notification. This further confirmed Zhao Ke's earlier thoughts about the mission.

"I got a notification saying the mission is complete. I'm planning to leave now. What about you?"

Although he had passed out earlier, Qi Liang had still received notification that he had completed his mission after waking up.

Zhao Ke nodded. "Then you go first. I'll wander around a little longer."

"You're still wandering around? Looks like Chen Jing was right. You really are a psychopath."

Qi Liang regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth. Zhao Ke raised an eyebrow and carefully looked him over from head to toe. That strange gaze made Qi Liang's entire body prickle, and goosebumps rose all over him.

Fortunately, Zhao Ke withdrew his gaze a moment later. He patted the dirt from his body and said, "You should go back. Oh, and next time... don't let me run into you, you useless do-gooder."

After saying that, Zhao Ke left Qi Liang behind and headed back the way he had come. By the time Qi Liang understood what Zhao Ke had meant, he turned around and saw that Zhao Ke had already become a distant silhouette.

Qi Liang hurriedly shouted, "Hey... my number is 1503795XXXX. What's yours?"

"Catch you later!"

Zhao Ke did not answer Qi Liang. He only said, "Catch you later," before disappearing into the distance.

Qi Liang scratched his head. He silently recited his intention to return to reality, and his body gradually turned insubstantial. Like the scar-faced man before him, he swiftly vanished into the air.

"Creak..."

As Zhao Ke pushed open the half-closed door, a sharp, grating squeal rang out, shaking dust loose from the rafters. It was hard not to wonder how much longer this house could hold together.

Especially after Xiong Er had knocked down one of its walls, the house now looked crooked to Zhao Ke.

The moment he entered, the pungent smell of blood and the chaotic scene inside the house were almost too horrible to look at.

Beneath the stove, faint embers still flickered amid the charcoal that had burned to ash. The pot on top, meanwhile, had already been overturned onto the floor.

Seeing bones and chunks of meat scattered everywhere, Zhao Ke could not help feeling regretful. Even if the meat had gotten a little tough, he had still carefully seasoned it.

As for Chen Jing... Xiong Er seemed to have vented his rage on her once more. Looking at the splattered blood and unidentified chunks of flesh around the room, Zhao Ke believed that even the finest tailor would be unable to piece Chen Jing's corpse back together now.

"There really is one!"

Zhao Ke crawled beneath the bed and took a careful look. Sure enough, he found the box Zhou Shun had mentioned. He carefully opened it and discovered that it contained a piece of black bear hide. Its glossy black fur resembled a thick layer of pine needles, and it felt remarkably soft and comfortable beneath his palm.

What disappointed Zhao Ke was that aside from the bear hide, there were only a few scattered pieces of silver inside.

"Just this?"

Zhao Ke held the bear hide in his hand and looked at the mess of corpses and shredded flesh around him. Understanding immediately dawned on him. "Heh, so it was a black-market double-cross all along."

Zhou Shun had meant that it was a famine year and not a single grain had been harvested. Even the prey in the mountains had become scarce, so the family of Xiong Er must have been struggling as well. That was why they had spread rumors to lure people here to die.

As for the treasure Zhou Shun had mentioned, it had obviously only been bait.

Just as Zhao Ke was feeling disappointed by the treasure in the box, he suddenly sensed something wrong. His palm felt numb and itchy. Looking down, he saw that the bear hide in his hand had disappeared.

What made Zhao Ke's spine go cold was that a thick layer of black fur had grown over his hand.

"What the hell!"

Seeing the black fur covering his palm, Zhao Ke's expression changed. He sprang from the bed, but at that moment, the notification sounded beside his ear again.

You have obtained a special item: Bear Coat.

As you have completed the main mission and obtained a special item, Post Album access will be unlocked early.

Post Album description: It can convert items you obtain into stamps and store them in the Post Album.

Low-level Post Album: 50 empty stamp slots.

Equipping special stamps grants you the stamps' abilities.

The string of notifications left Zhao Ke somewhat stunned. He sat back down on the bed, closed his eyes slightly, and began processing the information.

A flood of information rushed through Zhao Ke's mind. After repeatedly going over it, he opened his eyes and spread his palm. A bronze Post Album appeared before him.

The moment the Post Album appeared, the black fur on Zhao Ke's hand quickly faded into a cloud of black mist that was sucked into the Post Album.

Zhao Ke opened the Post Album and looked inside. Sure enough, just as the notification had said, a stamp was affixed to the first page.

It had black metal edging and a dark-green background. A bear hide hung in the center of the stamp, with notes about the stamp written beneath it.

Special Stamp: Bear Coat

Collecting this stamp doubles your strength.

Special Effect: Bear Transformation

Consumes 1 Post Point to rapidly triple your strength for 15 minutes.

Cooldown: 3 hours

Seeing the information beneath the stamp, Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. He forcefully pinched a corner of the bed board with his fingers. Crack! A large chunk of wood splintered off the bed board, which was two fingers thick.

Yet Zhao Ke felt that he had not used much strength at all to achieve that. If he activated Bear Transformation and gained triple strength, the force of a single punch would be terrifying. At the very least, an ordinary person could never withstand such power.

Zhao Ke then picked up the scattered silver from the box and placed it in his palm. With a thought, he said, "Convert!"

The broken silver rapidly disappeared. At the same time, a white stamp appeared in his Post Album, and a line of information appeared beside it.

Ordinary Stamp: Broken Silver (3 taels, 1 mace)

Zhao Ke nodded and waved his hand again. The broken silver reappeared in his palm.

At last, Zhao Ke understood why the scar-faced man had been able to conjure a gold brick as though performing magic. He had not expected it to be so simple.

"Since these things can be converted, then..."

Zhao Ke narrowed his eyes and looked toward the corpse beside him. A gleam occasionally flashed in the depths of his eyes, and he grew excited, as if he had discovered a new continent.

(Sorry. I went with my wife for an ultrasound examination this afternoon, but the results did not come out until seven, so I got home late.)

Also, thanks to Infinite Entryway. Since this story involves collecting stamps, the protagonist's abilities will be more varied. Your suggestion has also been included among the stamps...