Corrupt Devouring Gas Station (Seeking Collection)

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***

All the supplies in the convenience store had long since been packed by the skeletons. The shelves, cash register wreckage, and even the blueprints taken from the walls had been transported outside.

Gu Su surveyed the empty yet still tidy store, ensuring nothing was left behind before he prepared to leave.

The only thing remaining was the corpse of the Harpy leader on the gas station roof.

That was the last treasure of this gas station.

Gu Su mused to himself, once he retrieved the Harpy leader's corpse, he would have the skeletons carry away the completely dead and charred oil slug as well. Only then would the operation to encircle and eliminate the oil slug be truly complete, and all the spoils could be packed and transported back to the Graveyard Demon.

But just as his hand touched the doorframe of the convenience store, ready to step out, his gaze suddenly froze.

At the entrance of the convenience store sat the shopping cart filled with corrupted mycelium, standing alone and unattended.

Gu Su blinked, then realized. He had been too eager to pack up supplies earlier and had called all the skeletons inside to act as laborers.

Whether it was the regular skeletons or the elite skeletons originally responsible for combat, they were all busy moving shelves and gold coins at that moment, with no one minding the shopping cart.

In Gu Su's eyes now, after this great battle, all the skeletons were no longer just combat companions, but the most capable laborers. Every bit of their strength could not be wasted.

He stared at the shopping cart for a moment, an idea forming in his mind.

The shopping cart was empty anyway. It would be better to pour out the corrupted mycelium inside and use the cart to transport some light but miscellaneous items, saving the skeletons some effort.

Having made up his mind, Gu Su walked forward and pushed the shopping cart to the open space outside the convenience store.

Then, he lifted it forcefully, tipping all the corrupted mycelium in the cart onto the ground.

The moment the viscous white mycelium hit the ground, it wriggled slightly as if alive. But before Gu Su could turn to push the shopping cart, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his ear, making him freeze instantly.

[Detected land that can be corrupted and devoured: Abandoned Gas Station (Oil Slug Shell). Do you wish to devour it?]

This sudden system prompt left Gu Su utterly bewildered, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He never expected that simply pouring out some corrupted mycelium could trigger such an unexpected situation.

He had always thought that the function of corrupted mycelium was merely to expand the territory of the Graveyard Demon, directly converting the surrounding land into the Graveyard Demon's sphere of influence.

He had never imagined it could devour items or even trigger additional conversion options.

After a brief moment of shock, elation surged through him.

This was clearly a gift from heaven. How could he possibly miss out on such a bargain?

Without any hesitation, Gu Su immediately responded, "Devour!"

His tone was firm, for fear that this unexpected joy would disappear if he was a moment too slow.

As his voice fell, the system prompt sounded again.

This time, the system presented Gu Su with three distinct conversion options, clearly displayed in his mind:

[Please select the direction of conversion after devouring: 1. Obtain Gas Pump (Level 1). Fuel can be purchased at the gas pump for 2 gold coins per liter (daily limit of 10 liters). 2. Obtain Warehouse (Level 1). Can store a total of 5000 units of materials. 3. Obtain Shop (Level 1). Goods can be purchased at the shop for 5-10 gold coins (mostly white quality, daily limit of 3 items. Due to the influence of corrupted mycelium, items produced by the shop are mostly Yin energy and death energy attributes).]

Looking at the three options, Gu Su fell silent, gently stroking his chin with his fingertip, lost in thought.

His understanding of corrupted mycelium had always been too shallow, thinking it merely expanded territory through simple land conversion.

He had never considered that devouring specific items could lead to such changes and choices.

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

The trees that had suddenly grown and then withered rapidly within the Graveyard Demon's walls were probably not as simple as they appeared.

Perhaps they were also related to the devouring and conversion of corrupted mycelium. He would have to examine them carefully when he returned; perhaps he could discover other surprises.

However, the most important thing now was to make the current choice.

Gu Su withdrew his thoughts and carefully re-examined the three conversion directions, analyzing them one by one.

The first option was a Level 1 Gas Pump, which allowed him to buy 10 liters of fuel daily at a low price. It seemed practical, but for him at the moment, it wasn't very useful.

His only mode of transportation for the convoy was a dilapidated pickup truck pushed by skeletons.

Let alone so much fuel, it didn't use fuel at all.

The priority of this option was naturally the lowest.

The remaining Warehouse and Shop were both very necessary.

The Warehouse could store 5000 units of materials, which would perfectly solve his current problem.

As the looted supplies increased, they were piled outside the tents, disorganized and prone to damage. With a warehouse, all materials could be stored properly, saving worry and effort.

In Gu Su's opinion, the value of the Shop was even higher than the Warehouse.

Although the shop produced mostly white-quality goods, with a daily limit of only 3 items.

A player who hadn't experienced this before might look down on white-quality items.

But after the gains from these past few times, Gu Su no longer dared to underestimate anything of white quality.

The strange trees in the graveyard demons mostly consumed resources of white quality to grow, yet they still provided significant improvements.

More importantly, the system had clearly indicated that due to the influence of the corrupted mycelium, most items produced by the shop would carry Yin energy and death energy attributes.

These were precisely the attributes he needed most.

Whether it was for feeding the strange trees, strengthening the Yin fire pit, or for equipping and reinforcing the skeleton squad.

These items imbued with Yin energy and death energy could all play an unexpected role.

Weighing the pros and cons, Gu Su no longer hesitated. He spoke with a firm tone, making his final choice: "Choose to convert into a shop."

As soon as his voice fell, the corrupted mycelium on the ground, which had been wriggling slightly, instantly became active, spreading out like a tide.

A portion quickly spread to the walls and floor of the small supermarket, tightly enveloping the entire building.

Another portion spread towards the open space of the gas station, engulfing the other structures and surrounding land, slowly beginning to consume and transform them.

At this moment, Gu Su couldn't bother with anything else. He pointed at the skeletons and said, "You guys go up and get that corpse and that bird's nest down. Be quick!"