He was in a good mood, so he added another chapter. Please support the story with favorites, recommendations, monthly votes, and all kinds of publicity!
All the supplies in the small supermarket had already been packed up by the skeletons. The shelves, the cash register wreckage, and even the blueprint taken down from the wall had all been carried outside.
Gu Su looked around the empty but still tidy supermarket. After confirming that nothing had been left behind, he lifted his foot and prepared to leave.
The only thing left was the Harpy leader's corpse on the gas station roof.
That was the last treasure at this gas station.
Gu Su silently calculated that once they took down the Harpy leader's corpse and had the skeletons carry away the Oil Depot Slug, now completely extinguished and reduced to a charred wreck, the operation to take down the Oil Depot Slug would truly be complete. They would be able to pack up all their spoils and bring them back to the Graveyard Demon.
But just as his hand touched the supermarket doorframe and he was about to step outside, his gaze suddenly stopped.
A shopping cart filled with Corruption Mycelium stood at the supermarket entrance, alone and unattended.
Gu Su froze for a moment, then realized what had happened. He'd been so eager to gather the supplies that he'd called every skeleton inside to work as laborers.
Whether ordinary skeletons or the Elite Skeletons who had originally been assigned to fight, they were all busy moving shelves and gold coins. No one had time to mind the shopping cart.
In Gu Su's eyes, after this great battle, the skeletons were no longer merely his combat companions. They had also become his most capable laborers, and not a single ounce of their strength could be wasted.
He stared at the shopping cart for a moment, then came up with an idea.
The cart was just sitting there empty. He might as well dump out the Corruption Mycelium and use it to transport some light but miscellaneous supplies, saving the skeletons some effort.
Having made up his mind, Gu Su walked over and pushed the cart to the open space at the supermarket entrance.
Then he lifted it with all his strength, dumping all the Corruption Mycelium inside onto the ground.
The moment the sticky white mycelium hit the ground, it began to writhe faintly like a living thing. But before Gu Su could turn around and push the cart, a strange system notification suddenly sounded beside his ear, making him freeze in place.
[Discovered land that can be corrupted and devoured: abandoned gas station (Oil Depot Slug Shell). Do you wish to devour it?]
The unexpected notification left Gu Su stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He had never imagined that simply dumping out a pile of Corruption Mycelium could trigger such an unexpected event.
He had always thought the Corruption Mycelium's only function was to expand the Graveyard Demon's territory, directly converting the surrounding land into its domain.
He had never considered that it could devour objects or even trigger additional transformation options.
After a brief moment of shock, delight surged through him.
This was clearly a good fortune handed to him on a silver platter. How could he possibly pass it up?
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Su immediately called out, "Devour!"
His tone was firm, as if afraid that this unexpected windfall would vanish if he were even a moment too slow.
As soon as he finished speaking, the system notification sounded again.
This time, the system presented Gu Su with three distinct transformation options, clearly displayed in his mind:
[Select a transformation after devouring:
1. Obtain a Gas Pump (Level 1). Fuel can be purchased at the pump for 2 gold coins per liter (daily limit: 10 liters).
2. Obtain a Storage Room (Level 1), capable of storing up to 5,000 units of materials.
3. Obtain a Shop (Level 1). Items can be purchased at the shop for 5–10 gold coins (mostly white quality, daily limit: 3 items. Due to the influence of Corruption Mycelium, most items produced by the shop will possess the attributes of yin energy and death energy).]
Looking at the three options, Gu Su fell silent. He lightly rubbed his chin and sank into thought.
His understanding of Corruption Mycelium had always been too shallow. He'd thought expanding the territory was nothing more than a simple conversion of land.
He had never imagined that devouring specific objects could bring about such changes and choices.
At that thought, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
The trees that had suddenly grown inside the Graveyard Demon's walls, only to quickly wither and die, probably weren't as simple as they seemed, either.
Perhaps they were also connected to the Corruption Mycelium's devouring and transformation. Once he returned, he would have to inspect them carefully. He might discover even more surprises.
But for now, the most important thing was to make the right choice.
Gu Su pushed the thought aside and carefully reconsidered the three transformation options, analyzing them one by one.
The first option was a Level 1 gas pump, which would let him buy up to 10 liters of fuel a day at a low price. It seemed practical, but it wouldn't be of much use to him for now.
His only vehicle was an old pickup truck pushed by skeletons.
Never mind having that much fuel—it didn't need fuel at all.
Naturally, this option ranked lowest.
The storage room and the shop were both useful.
The storage room could hold 5,000 units of materials, which would solve his current problem perfectly.
He had been gathering more and more supplies, and they were all piled outside the tent in a disorderly heap, where they could easily get damaged. With a storage room, he could store everything properly, saving himself time and effort.
As for the shop, Gu Su felt its value would be even greater than the storage room's.
Although the shop mostly produced white-quality goods, and there was a daily limit of only three items,
players who hadn't been through what he had might look down on white-quality items.
But after everything he had found over the past few expeditions, Gu Su no longer dared underestimate any white-quality item.
Most of the resources the Weird Tree in the Graveyard Demon had devoured to grow were white quality, yet they had still brought it a considerable boost.
More importantly, the system had clearly stated that due to the influence of Corruption Mycelium, most items produced by the shop would possess the attributes of yin energy and death energy.
Those were exactly the attributes he needed most.
Whether he used them to feed the Weird Tree, strengthen the Netherfire Pile, or equip and strengthen the Skeleton Squad,
items imbued with yin energy and death energy could all prove surprisingly useful.
After weighing the pros and cons, Gu Su didn't hesitate any longer. In a firm voice, he made his final choice: "Transform it into a shop."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Corruption Mycelium that had been writhing faintly on the ground sprang into action, spreading in every direction like a tide.
Some of it quickly spread over the walls and floor of the small supermarket, tightly enveloping the entire building.
The rest spread across the gas station's open lot, covering the other buildings and the surrounding land as well, slowly beginning to devour and transform them.
At that moment, Gu Su had no time to worry about anything else. He pointed at the skeletons and said, "Get up there and bring down that corpse and the bird's nest. Hurry!"
Before you continue