Anomaly

Few people who manage to survive the apocalypse are truly stupid.

Without saying a word, she turned and tried to run away.

But how far could she run in this open, ruined area?

Lu Heng suddenly stood up, the sharp spikes on his Ghost Claw piercing her body, then abruptly withdrew.

Blood gushed from Yun Jing's mouth, her eyes wide open, staring intently at Lu Heng.

"You'll get your comeuppance."

Lu Heng lowered his eyes to look at the fallen corpse.

"Then you'll get your comeuppance. At least I'll outlive you."

He turned and walked to the corpse of the Zombie Cat, looking down at the debris on the ground.

Lu Heng bent down to pick it up, Survival Bracelet immediately displayed an authentication message.

Black Iron Tier, Zombie essence, with accompanying Poison Fang material.

His gaze returned to the human corpse.

Lu Heng gritted his teeth and finally withdrew his hand from the Wristband's disassembly function.

He had considered trying to decompose it directly, but ultimately gave up.

Fighting is fighting, but some bottom lines cannot be completely crossed.

Lu Heng didn't linger any longer and continued searching the surrounding area.

This world has no shortage of cleaners; it won't be long before the corpse is discovered and devoured by wandering beasts. It won't be his turn to deal with it.

After walking a while, a large supermarket came into view.

After a moment's thought, Lu Heng stepped inside.

As soon as I stepped through the gate, a strange sense of unease instantly enveloped my entire body.

Alarm bells rang in Lu Heng's mind, and he planned to retreat immediately.

Depend on.

He tried to back away, but found himself unable to get out.

My footsteps paused inside the supermarket entrance.

Lu Heng's back muscles tensed instantly.

The moment I stepped into the store, it felt like crossing an invisible boundary.

The open, ruined streets behind him, the sound of the wind blowing through the alleys, and the noises from the dilapidated buildings in the distance all vanished.

The entire space was eerily quiet.

He instinctively took a step back, wanting to leave this unfamiliar area immediately.

But his feet seemed to be bound by invisible rules; even though his movements were normal, the door in his sight was always half a step away.

No matter how hard they tried to move, they couldn't step out of the supermarket.

The evacuation route was completely cut off.

A chill ran through Lu Heng's eyes, and his body instinctively went on high alert. He quickly scanned the surrounding walls and soon spotted a line of distorted, dark red characters on the gray and mottled surface.

The writing wasn't paint or blood; it looked as if it had seeped directly from inside the wall, the strokes crooked and distorted, giving it an eerie, inhuman feel.

[Leaving Rule: You must complete a purchase within the store to be released from confinement.]

A short, direct, and cold sentence, with no further explanation.

Weird.

These two words instantly jumped into Lu Heng's mind.

The words Yun Jing had just spoken before his death suddenly echoed in his ears.

An unknown and bizarre phenomenon that appeared in the world six months ago, which transcends the laws of physics, rendered all Federation military equipment and modern weaponry ineffective. It is a source of catastrophe that is more terrifying and intractable than the Zombie virus.

He had only been in this wasteland for a few dozen minutes, and hadn't even figured out his surroundings, when he stumbled upon a truly bizarre event.

Lu Heng raised his hand and rubbed his throbbing temples, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart.

My luck was absolutely terrible.

While battles between strange beasts and shortages of resources could be resolved with force and caution, the bizarre was an unknown threat completely beyond his comprehension.

His fingertips unconsciously reached for the Geothermal Talisman he had hidden close to his body.

This is his strongest wide-range killing method to date, which has severely injured Bronze Tier alien beasts several times, and its destructive power is ferocious enough.

But no one knows whether Geothermal Talisman, which rely on high temperatures, can be effective against the ethereal and illogical phenomena.

There are no answers, no references, and no prior experience.

The only trump card has become an unknown gamble.

Lu Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in his heart.

There is no way to retreat.

Outside the door lie restrictive rules; there is no escape.

Since we've been forced into this situation, we have no choice but to force our way through.

At worst, we can detonate the Geothermal Talisman with all our might and destroy all the furnishings, shelves, and items in the supermarket.

If the rules are based on the supermarket, then he will destroy the entire framework of those rules.

I'll gamble everything.

Having figured this out, Lu Heng stopped struggling and retreated, and slowly walked into the depths of the supermarket along the automatic barrier at the entrance.

The metal fence closed silently the moment he stepped inside, the mechanical sound of it shutting down unusually clear in the deathly quiet supermarket.

The shop was dimly lit, with old fluorescent lights overhead that were half-broken, flickering on and off, and emitting a constant buzzing sound from the bulbs.

As the light and shadow flickered, the scene inside the supermarket appeared and disappeared in an unpredictable manner, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Lu Heng's gaze immediately locked onto the Checkout Counter directly opposite the entrance.

Behind the empty counter, a stiff figure stood silently.

It's a supermarket Cashier Mannequin.

It was not breathing, not moving, maintaining a standard standing posture, its head, which should have been looking straight ahead, was slightly turned to the side.

Two dark, empty eye sockets, devoid of pupils, yet they precisely and firmly locked onto Lu Heng as he entered the store.

From beginning to end, it remained completely still, without blinking an eye.

Even when Lu Heng stopped and deliberately remained still for a few seconds, that cold gaze never wavered.

Absolutely confirmed.

This is no ordinary discarded decoration; it is one of the core elements of the supermarket's strange occurrence.

Danger is imminent.

Lu Heng suppressed all outward aura, remaining calm and composed, without making any provocative or defensive movements.

Before understanding the bizarre rules of the killing, acting rashly is the most foolish choice.

He slowly moved forward along the aisle between the two rows of neatly arranged shelves.

My footsteps were light, treading on the excessively clean tiled floor, without a speck of dust, a stark contrast to the ruined streets outside, littered with rubble and decaying soil.

The shelves on both sides were neatly arranged, with snacks, drinks, and daily necessities stacked high, none overturned or scattered, unlike the mess left by a looted jewelry store.

Lu Heng casually reached out and picked up a bag of snacks.

The packaging was intact, with no damage or mold, and the texture was normal, just like any ordinary snack in a peaceful world.

There was no abnormal yin energy, no toxin fluctuations, and no strange pollution.

Just ordinary supplies.

He paused for two seconds, holding the snack, then casually put it back on the shelf.

Since we're already trapped here, leaving empty-handed would be a complete waste of the opportunity.

Those who take risks to come in should always take something away.

However, he never dared to use the Wristband's storage function.

Looking up at the supermarket ceiling, one sees a dense array of old-fashioned surveillance cameras.

But these devices have long since departed from the appearance of conventional surveillance cameras.

Each probe location is embedded with a strange protrusion resembling a human head, its rounded outline fitting perfectly against the top surface, silently covering every corner of the supermarket.

Countless "eyes" were fixed on everything happening inside the store, including every movement he made—raising his hand, taking a step, breathing.

The visual experience is extremely distorted and disgusting.

Lu Heng felt a surge of resistance.

He dared not gamble.

Under unknown and eerie surveillance, unauthorized collection of supplies will most likely trigger unknown rules of death.

Therefore, he only browsed and looked around, without moving or putting anything away; all his actions remained within the scope of "ordinary leisurely strolling."

As you walk deeper into the aisle, the shelves on both sides are filled with a dazzling array of goods, including food, drinks, and daily necessities.

Six months into the apocalypse, while the outside world was ravaged by war and civilization had collapsed, this small supermarket was like a secluded world, perfectly preserving the supplies of the old world.

Lu Heng made steady progress, gradually calming his mindset.

If you can't unravel the rules or understand the mystery, then don't force an explanation.

With the Geothermal Talisman as a backup, the worst outcome is simply a desperate fight to the death.

Since that's the case, let's go all out and scavenge as many usable resources as possible.

He quickly sifted through the items along the way, silently memorizing all the bottled water with intact expiration dates, compressed snacks, and high-calorie filling foods.

Don't rush to take it; first, figure out the layout of the entire supermarket and any potential dangers.

The deeper you go into the supermarket, the higher the frequency of the fluorescent lights flickering, and the more jarring the buzzing electrical noise becomes.

The temperature in the air also quietly dropped, carrying a cold, deathly aura. There was no putrid smell, no strange odor, just pure, deathly stillness and chill.

Passing through the snack and daily necessities sections, the space suddenly opens up to the fresh meat section at the very back of the supermarket.

As soon as he stepped into this area, Lu Heng suddenly stopped.

A tall figure stood in front of the fresh food counter.

He wore Butcher's apron stained with dark dirt, and his figure was burly and stiff.

The face was obscured, hidden in the dim shadows overhead; only a pair of dull, lifeless hands were visible.

He held a heavy cleaver in his hand.

The blade rises and falls repeatedly, mechanically, numbly, again and again.

thump--

The dull, repetitive sound of chopping meat echoed in the empty meat section.

There was no fresh meat on the cutting board, only a clump of dark, indistinct meat paste, repeatedly chopped into small pieces.

The figure of the Butcher never paused, never tired, never stopped; its movements were completely programmed and bizarre.

On the ground beside the Butcher, a square treasure chest lay quietly.

The box is intact, with an ancient pattern, standing out starkly in the otherwise desolate and oppressive fleshy area.

Lu Heng stood a few meters away, maintaining a safe distance, and observed quietly.

On one side is a bizarre Butcher relentlessly chopping meat, and on the other side are unknown treasure chests that appear out of nowhere.

Two unknown variables appear before us at the same time.

He frowned slightly, and began to weigh the options in his mind.

Should we take the initiative and test the waters?

Communicate? Touch the treasure chest? Or simply bypass it and avoid all unknown risks?

At this moment, the level of danger in the entire supermarket completely exceeded his initial assessment.