Something Was Wrong
The moment Lu Heng stepped into the casual area, his steps abruptly stopped.
A pungent, sour smell of rotting fruits and vegetables hit him, so strong it almost solidified, making his throat tighten. The bulk goods section was more spacious than the fresh produce section, but the shelves were densely packed, the aisles winding, and electronic scales, price tags, and scattered packaging bags fragmented the space. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered, emitting a buzzing sound, and the light and shadow danced between the shelves, as if something was lurking in the shadows.
Lu Heng gripped the Rat King Miao Dao tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
At the end of the shelf, a figure slowly walked over.
The Stocker Wraith.
It wore faded blue overalls, its arms hanging limply at its sides. Every step was stiff and heavy, its feet dragging on the ground with a screeching sound. Its head was tilted to one side, its cloudy eyes fixed on Lu Heng, and a strange smile appeared on its lips.
Just as Lu Heng was about to step forward to meet him, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end.
It's not Stocker Wraith.
It's behind me.
He turned around abruptly—behind the weighing platform, another figure had already stood up.
Bulk Goods Clerk, mysterious objects.
It wore a dirty apron, and held a rusty kitchen knife in its right hand, the blade covered in dark brown stains. It made no sound, its murky eyes fixed on Lu Heng, and its lips curled into the same smile as the Stocker Wraith.
Lu Heng's pupils suddenly contracted.
Two.
Not one, but two appeared at the same time.
Moreover, they did not attack each other or fight over prey; instead, they tacitly positioned themselves one in front and one behind, forming a pincer attack.
Lu Heng's heart sank.
Since entering the supermarket, every monster he's encountered has acted alone. Cashier, Butcher —it's all one-on-one. He's long been used to this rhythm: lock onto a target, attack with all his might, eliminate it, sheathe his weapon, and move on to the next one.
But now, the rhythm has been disrupted.
The simultaneous appearance of two strange creatures meant he had to deal with threats from two directions in a very short time. In front of him was the Stocker Wraith, behind him was the Bulk Goods Clerk strange creature, and on both sides were dense shelves with narrow aisles, leaving no room to maneuver.
Once caught in the middle, you'll be attacked from both sides.
Lu Heng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Don't panic.
He quickly glanced at the distance between the two ghostly figures— the Stocker Wraith was closer, about five steps; the Bulk Goods Clerk ghostly figure was slightly farther, about eight steps. There were two rows of shelves in between, but the aisle between the shelves was just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Kill the ones closest to you first.
Lu Heng will no longer retain his position.
He activated the Starlight Breathing Technique at full power, channeling Mental Energy from between his brows and flowing down his arm into the Miao Blade. A faint silver-white light shone from the blade, radiating a sharp aura.
At the same time, he actively communicated with the Geothermal Talisman in his left palm, forcibly guiding the scorching energy it contained to the Miao sword.
Dark red flames ignited from the blade, intertwining with silvery-white Mental Energy. With the two energies combined, the Miao sword exuded a scorching and sharp aura, and the air around the blade was slightly distorted by the heat.
Lu Heng did not use his Talent.
That was his last trump card, and he would never reveal it unless absolutely necessary.
He took a deep breath and started the engine.
Target – The Stocker Wraith.
Lu Heng, enveloped in a fierce killing intent, lunged straight at the Stocker Wraith. His Miao sword, burning with dark red flames, drew a scorching arc, aiming straight for the Stocker Wraith's neck.
The Stocker Wraith had moved.
Its arms suddenly rose, its ten fingers like iron pincers, grabbing at Lu Heng's face. Although the movement was stiff, the force was immense, bringing with it a foul stench.
Lu Heng, empowered by his Mental Energy, suddenly shifted his body to the side, barely dodging the iron-like arms. He then slashed horizontally with his Miao sword, dark red flames scorching the right arm of the Stocker Wraith.
laugh--
The sound of flesh being burned exploded in the air. The Stocker Wraith's right arm was severed at the elbow, and dark red blood gushed out, only to be evaporated into gray mist by the flames in mid-air.
But before Lu Heng could finish off his opponent, he heard the sound of wind breaking behind him.
The strange creature in the Bulk Goods Clerk moved.
It didn't wait for Lu Heng to deal with the Stocker Wraith, but pounced the instant Lu Heng made his move. A rusty kitchen knife slashed from behind, at an extremely tricky angle, aiming straight for the back of Lu Heng's neck.
Lu Heng felt a chill run down his spine.
He didn't have time to turn around and could only instinctively dodge to the side. The cleaver grazed his shoulder, cutting through the fabric of his coat and causing a burning pain.
That was close.
If it weren't for the speed boost from Mental Energy, that strike would have landed squarely on his neck.
Lu Heng gritted his teeth, swung his Miao sword backhand, forcing back the left arm of the Stocker Wraith. At the same time, he turned sharply to face the Bulk Goods Clerk's monster.
But as he turned around, the Stocker Wraith pounced on him from the side.
Two strange creatures, one in front and one behind, attacked in turn.
Lu Heng was caught in the middle, parrying and blocking with his Miao sword, each impact making his hands numb. The Stocker Wraith was incredibly strong, each punch like a hammer blow; the Bulk Goods Clerk's monster was extremely fast, slicing with his cleaver again and again at tricky angles, specifically targeting Lu Heng's weaknesses.
Lu Heng's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
For the first time, he felt the pressure of being besieged by two strange creatures.
It wasn't that he lacked strength, but rather that his rhythm was completely disrupted. Every strike he made was forced to be interrupted, and every dodge required him to consider two directions simultaneously. His Mental Energy was being consumed more than twice as fast as in a one-on-one fight.
We can't delay any longer.
Lu Heng gritted his teeth, and his Mental Energy suddenly erupted.
The silvery-white light on the Miao sword suddenly brightened, and the air around the blade emitted a low hum. Lu Heng stopped defending, his entire body enveloped in a sharp killing intent, and rushed straight at the Stocker Wraith.
The Miao sword, burning with dark red flames, slashed down.
The Stocker Wraith crossed its arms to block, but the dark red flames scorched its arms, and the silvery-white Mental Energy tore through its defenses. The Miao sword, unstoppable, severed its left arm and then cleaved into its neck.
The head of the Stocker Wraith was severed with a single blow and rolled to the ground.
Its body convulsed violently in the dark red flames, and gray mist gushed out from its severed neck, but it could not stop the spread of the flames. In just a few breaths, the body of the Stocker Wraith completely melted away, turning into wisps of gray mist that dissipated into the air.
A Bronze Tier Soul Crystal and a faded blue glove lay quietly on the ground.
Lu Heng didn't have time to pick it up and suddenly turned around.
The Bulk Goods Clerk had already pounced close.
It wielded a rusty kitchen knife, its knife skills chaotic yet incredibly fast, slashing at Lu Heng one after another. Each strike aimed directly at vital points, at extremely tricky angles.
Lu Heng raised his knife to meet the attack head-on.
The moment the Miao sword clashed with the kitchen knife, dark red flames and silver-white Mental Energy erupted simultaneously. With the two energies combined, the kitchen knife, Bulk Goods Clerk strange creature, emitted a crisp sound, and a thin crack appeared on its blade.
Then, the second cut.
The kitchen knife was chopped in two.
Lu Heng swung his Miao sword downwards, the blade burning with dark red flames, and slashed fiercely into the body of the Bulk Goods Clerk.
The Bulk Goods Clerk creature let out a shrill roar, a sharp and piercing sound like metal scraping against glass. Its body convulsed violently in the dark red flames, and gray mist gushed from its wounds, but it could not stop the flames from spreading.
In just a few breaths, the body of the Bulk Goods Clerk creature completely dissolved, turning into wisps of gray mist that dissipated into the air.
A Bronze Tier Soul Crystal and a dirty apron lay quietly on the ground.
Lu Heng sheathed his sword and retreated, panting heavily. He looked down at the Miao sword in his hand; the dark red flames on the blade had died down, leaving only a faint warmth.
He bent down to pick up the Soul Crystal and apron, and the Wristband automatically completed the appraisal.
[Soul Crystal (Bronze Tier): Contains moderate resentment energy, which can be used to restore Mental Energy or enhance equipment.]
[Stock Clerk's Gloves (Black Iron Tier): Greatly increases grip strength in both hands, provides additional strength during melee attacks, and makes it harder for weapons to be disarmed.]
[The Bulk Goods Clerk's Apron (Black Iron Tier): When worn, it slightly increases physical defense. When actively activated, it applies a "Weighted" effect to all targets within a certain range—making their bodies suddenly heavy and temporarily reducing their movement and attack speed. Long cooldown.]
Lu Heng stored the equipment in his Wristband Space and glanced around.
The scattered area has returned to its deathly silence.
There was no trace of any strange creature, no fluctuation of gray mist, and even the fluorescent lights overhead had stopped flickering, emitting a steady white light.
On the surface, all the strange objects in the supermarket have been removed.
Lu Heng sheathed his sword, just about to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, his sixth sense suddenly pounded violently.
An unprecedented sense of crisis surged from all directions, as if countless eyes were watching him simultaneously. His intuition told him that the situation was far from over, and the real threat was more terrifying than all the previous monsters combined.
Just then, a strange laugh came from deep inside the supermarket.
The laughter seemed to come from all directions, sometimes near, sometimes far, or perhaps it was a low chuckle whispering behind his ear. There was no malice or anger in the laughter, only a chilling pleasure—as if something had been watching him from the shadows as he killed all the monsters, and now it finally found it amusing.
Lu Heng gripped his Miao sword, slowly turned around, and looked toward the half-closed iron gate at the end of the scattered area.
Deep within the crack of the door, a thick darkness was slowly creeping in.