The system notification rang in his mind, and at last, Gu Su's taut nerves relaxed completely.
He let out a long breath, and the discomfort in his chest from being so tense faded away.
He wiped the dust from his brow, then turned to the Spellcaster Skeleton waiting beside him and nodded for it to follow.
Then he pushed a shopping cart full of white Corruption Mycelium toward the battlefield, his steps light.
After all his plotting and fighting, he had finally eliminated the Sludge Oil Monster—no, the Oil Depot Slug.
At that moment, Gu Su was filled with eager anticipation for the spoils of battle.
When he got closer, he saw that the flames burning on the Oil Depot Slug were slowly dying down now that it was dead. They were no longer as towering and unstoppable as before.
Only a few scattered flames clung to the remnants of its body, flickering feebly.
Strangely, the flames remained confined to the Oil Depot Slug's body. They didn't spread to the surrounding ground or vegetation, as if restrained by some unseen force. In the end, they became wisps of black smoke that slowly rose into the air, mingling with the pungent smell of fuel.
Gu Su didn't approach the still-smoking remains rashly. Instead, he led the Spellcaster Skeleton carefully around the burning area and headed straight for the abandoned Gas Station.
Thanks to the power and protection the Oil Depot Slug had provided while alive, the Gas Station was in far better condition than he had expected.
Even though the Oil Depot Slug had smashed through numerous walls and shattered plenty of glass with its bulky body during its death throes,
The three pumps out front and the small convenience store behind them were in far better shape than the large supermarket in the mall he'd looted before. There were no signs of widespread corruption or collapse.
Gu Su's gaze first fell on the three pumps in front of the Gas Station.
All three pump cabinets were glowing with a soft but unmistakable green light.
It was obvious that these were special rewards from the system for killing the Oil Depot Slug. Each pump was like a chest waiting to be opened.
At the small store in the back, the entrance hung crookedly from its frame, and most of the shelves inside had been emptied, leaving the place looking rather bare.
But a closer look revealed that the surfaces of the emptied shelves weren't rusty at all. Instead, they were evenly coated in a thin layer of black oil.
It was sticky to the touch—the same oil that had covered the Oil Depot Slug. For some reason, it had protected the shelves.
The cash register still stood in the corner. The register itself, which should have long since been abandoned, was now flashing with a soft white light, and faint characters flickered across its screen. It seemed to be hiding a reward as well.
Even more surprisingly, a brand-new oil painting hung on the small store's mottled wall.
Its colors were vivid and its brushstrokes delicate. It looked as if it had just been taken out of its frame. It clashed with the store's shabby, empty, oil-stained surroundings, standing out and drawing the eye.
Meanwhile, in a nest on the Gas Station roof, the Harpy leader who had been gravely wounded and narrowly escaped lay motionless.
Her eyes were wide open, but she had long since stopped breathing. She was thoroughly dead.
On her cold body, a brilliantly colored red feather stood out. A faint white light continually radiated from its tip. The glow was soft but not weak, clearly marking it as a special item imbued with energy.
At the sight of all these glowing items, Gu Su's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
This was a massive haul!
Whether it was the pumps glowing green, the register flashing white, the luminous feather, or the brand-new painting, every one of them practically screamed "treasure."
He'd made a fortune from this battle!
Suppressing his excitement, Gu Su wasted no time and hurried straight to the three pumps.
The green light radiating from each pump was about the same, so their rewards probably wouldn't differ much. He didn't bother choosing and went straight to the nearest one, reaching out to pull out the nozzle.
Then he gripped the nozzle's trigger, took a deep breath, and pressed down hard.
With a soft "pfft," blobs of thick, black oil spurted from the nozzle. Several items of different sizes were wrapped inside the oil. They slowly separated in the air and landed on the ground before Gu Su.
Almost at the same time, system notifications rang out one after another in his mind.
[You opened an Oil Depot Chest (Green) and received 554 gold coins and 3 units of Mercury.] [You received an item, Highly Concentrated Corruption Oil (White): Strange energy and the passage of time caused this special gasoline to condense and take shape. It can provide eerie energy or be used as fuel.] [You received an item, Contaminated Motor Oil (White): Motor oil contaminated by strange forces. It has lost its original effect, but can be used for fireproofing.] [You received an item, Black Digestive Fluid (White): Digestive fluid that has consumed a large number of corpses. It carries a heavy concentration of death energy and yin energy.] [You received an item, Oil Sprayer (Green)] [Oil Sprayer (Green, city-defense weapon)] [Attack: 45] [Range: 150 meters] [Equipment requirement: Must be installed on a defense tower or turret] [Special 1: Oil Bombs. Automatically generates one oil bomb every ten minutes, with a maximum capacity of 5.] [Special 2: Flamethrower. Sprays flames over an area within 100 meters for five minutes. Can be used three times a day.] [Description: I'll burn you to death.]
As soon as the system notifications ended, the green light from the other two pumps slowly faded, and they returned to looking like ordinary pumps.
Gu Su stared at the items in front of him, his eyes wide and disbelief written all over his face.
He had long expected a rich haul from killing the Oil Depot Slug, but he'd never imagined that opening just the first green chest would bring him such a huge surprise.
Every item was highly useful.
He picked up the items in front of him, and immediately knew what to do with them:
The Highly Concentrated Corruption Oil could be used to strengthen the Netherfire Pile inside the Graveyard Demon.
The bottle of Contaminated Motor Oil had lost its original lubricating properties, but he could smear it on the Graveyard Demon's walls to improve their fire resistance. That would give him extra protection if he encountered fire-wielding enemies again.
As for the bottle of Black Digestive Fluid, with its heavy concentration of death energy and yin energy, it was undoubtedly the perfect fertilizer for the Weird Tree inside the Graveyard Demon. He could use it to strengthen the tree's abilities.
Of all the items, the one that delighted Gu Su most—and was clearly the most valuable—was the green-quality Oil Sprayer.
Despite its name, with an attack power of 45, a range of 150 meters, and the special skills Oil Bombs and Flamethrower, it was clearly a defensive cannon that could be installed on a defense tower!
The weapon had a retro-industrial look, with a metal body bearing patches of rust and wear in a blend of brass and dark gray. Its front end showed clear signs of fuel spray, while bolts secured the rear to the barrel.
The barrel was made up of several sets of gears, chains, and metal supports. The gears had ridged teeth, the chains looped around them, and the dark gray supports were covered in rivets and welds.
It also had a modest-sized base with a spring mechanism, allowing it to be mounted on a turret or defense tower.
A retro gas-pump handle was embedded in the middle of the barrel, with its nozzle pointing inside. The handle had a textured grip, and a metal pipe connected the body of the pump to the barrel.
One look was enough for Gu Su to understand: with this Oil Sprayer, the Graveyard Demon's defenses would be transformed.
If he'd gotten the Oil Sprayer earlier, he wouldn't have needed to rack his brains for a solution when he encountered a powerful, bizarre enemy like the Oil Depot Slug.
He could simply have lured the Oil Depot Slug near the Graveyard Demon, installed the Oil Sprayer, and used its Flamethrower and Oil Bombs to blow the thing to pieces.
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