C3 A Busybody

"Damn, you think you can just skip out on the debt you owe me? You're asking for trouble!"

A hulking man, flanked by a gang of over ten thugs, closed in on Chen Cheng, effectively trapping him.

"Hey, kid, beat it! The Sky Wolf Gang's got business to handle!"

Chen Cheng glanced up to see the ringleader was a massive brute, muscles practically bursting at the seams.

"Please, have mercy. This is the money for my daughter's medical treatment," the middle-aged man pleaded tearfully.

Debts are meant to be repaid; it's only fair. But without knowing the full story, Chen Cheng wasn't keen on getting involved.

He was ready to walk away when it became clear that it was too late—the towering figure had already advanced, ready to shove Chen Cheng aside.

"Scram."

Chen Cheng uttered the word calmly.

He wasn't one to start trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either. "Treat others with respect and they'll respect you tenfold." That was Chen Cheng's way of life.

"Oh, look at you, playing the hero! Hahaha!"

The big man's hand morphed from an open palm to a clenched fist.

"Great, of all people to mess with, he had to pick Black Bear!"

"This guy's got some nerve, taking on the Sky Wolf Gang. He's asking to be left crippled, if not dead!"

"Boss! This punk's not even talking back. Give him a good beating."

"..."

The surrounding crowd began to heckle.

Black Bear was the undisputed boss around here, overseeing five or six bars and KTVs—a significant power in his own right.

Known for his brutality, crossing him meant a beating, and if you were lucky, you'd walk away with just that.

As a member of the Sky Wolf Gang, local business owners were too intimidated to speak against him.

As the fist, the size of a punching bag, was about to connect with his chest, Chen Cheng deftly turned his hand and deflected Black Bear's heavy blow.

"Huh! The kid's got some moves."

Black Bear's brow creased slightly. He had only exerted a fraction of his strength, yet his blow was parried. It was common knowledge that even a normal person could be pushed over with that much force, let alone the slender young man before him.

Out of pride and rising irritation, Black Bear cocked his right hand back and aimed a punch straight for Chen Cheng's gut.

"Ah!"

Amidst the astonished stares and shrieks of onlookers, they witnessed an incredible sight.

The black bear's punch, as big as a sandbag, was expected to send the young man soaring through the air, or at the very least, leave him crumpled on the ground in tears. Yet, the unfolding scene had everyone's jaws dropping.

Chen Cheng had caught the black bear's fist, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

Before the black bear could react, he realized he had met his match. With a swift motion, he swung his left hand, putting all his might into the strike aimed at Chen Cheng.

To his surprise, that hand was caught as well, and suddenly, the two were locked in a test of strength.

Chen Cheng wasn't about to let go of a worthy opponent so easily.

"Think you can take me on in a test of strength? Hmph! You're in for a surprise."

The black bear exerted all his force, pushing his fist forward and trying to wriggle free from Chen Cheng's grip.

But Chen Cheng's hands were immovable, as if made of steel.

In a swift move, Chen Cheng pushed downward, bending with all his strength.

The black bear reeled from the pain, rising on his toes to alleviate the agony in his fists.

The disparity in power was instantly clear. Gritting his teeth, the black bear slammed his head into Chen Cheng with ferocity.

Bang! Chen Cheng, with his bones fortified, was unfazed. He retaliated with a fierce headbutt of his own.

In an instant, the black bear was out cold.

The crowd gasped in awe. Seeing their leader taken down so swiftly, the gang members grabbed their clubs and charged at Chen Cheng.

They couldn't stand by while their boss was downed—if the black bear found out later, they'd all pay dearly. In a frenzy, they tried to take down Chen Cheng, some even shouting for backup.

The spectators scattered in the chaos.

"Bring it on. I've been wanting to gauge my own strength," Chen Cheng declared, squaring off against the gang with nothing but his bare hands.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The hooligans, no match for Chen Cheng, fell one by one. Their leader hadn't stood a chance, and neither did they.

Within moments, they were all sprawled on the ground, groaning in defeat. "Tsk! Not even a challenge."

Chen Cheng lost interest as he watched the hooligans on the ground wailing in pain, ready to make his exit.

"Little brother, thank you for stepping in. I'm Lyu Wende, and I owe you a great debt of gratitude. In the future, I will..."

Before Lyu Wende could finish, Chen Cheng cut him off, "Don't mention it, it was just chance."

With that, Chen Cheng turned and walked away.

"Lyu Wende... that name rings a bell. Isn't he the same Lyu Wende who was a business magnate dominating Zhe Province three years ago?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Chen Cheng stepped into a nearby restaurant.

Larnwick boasted a high population density and a thriving economy, linking Hangzhou, Shaoyuan, and Jinhua as one of the top ten second-tier cities in Koprueles.

Inside a luxurious mansion.

"Boss, that's the situation. Black Bear and his crew were no match for this guy."

A man reported respectfully to a middle-aged man leisurely puffing on a cigar.

"Black Bear has been with me for years; I know what he's capable of. To think we have someone with such skills in Larnwick," the middle-aged man mused. "Go and dig up everything you can on him."

He gestured towards the image of Chen Cheng on the screen.

Initially, the middle-aged man thought Black Bear's trouble was someone targeting him, but the surveillance footage told a different story. He was now intrigued and considered bringing this formidable stranger into his fold.

"Your total comes to 333 yuan, but let's call it 330 yuan."

The shop owner was astounded by the young man's enormous appetite.

Yet, he wasn't particularly surprised; in this age of widespread internet, one sees all sorts of characters.

Chen Cheng scanned the QR code, paid the bill, and felt a creeping sense of crisis.

His strength had grown, but so had his appetite, and his Little Gold reserve couldn't keep up with his consumption.

Without a new source of income, Chen Cheng was on the fast track to bankruptcy.

Just then, a new mission from the system echoed in his mind.

"Ding... Mission issued. Host, collect 1000 white crystal nuclei. A random attribute will be rewarded."

"Superpowers? Wow, what's this? Could it be Superman?"

Chen Cheng, buzzing with excitement, immediately started gearing up for his journey into the apocalypse.

Upon his arrival, he realized he was back at the very spot where he had vanished. This time, he was fully prepared with medicines, food, tents, radiation protection gear, and more. He had packed his system space to capacity, leaving just enough room to squeeze himself in. His trusty watermelon knife had been upgraded to a hefty machete and a crossbow.

This mission had cost Chen Cheng his entire life savings.

It was an all-or-nothing gamble, setting the pace for his desperate struggle in the apocalypse, knowing that once the mission started, there was no going back to his own world.

Armed to the teeth and donning a protective suit with a mask, Chen Cheng found breathing tough, but it was a vast improvement from his first experience.

He meticulously searched the room for anything of value—gold jewelry, high-tech gadgets—anything, considering he was now penniless in the real world. Regrettably, the room's contents were either broken or decayed, and it was clear someone else had beaten him to the punch.

"Why do other protagonists always stumble upon gold right at the start, or at least find some money-making system? Why is my luck so terrible?"

Chen Cheng had devoured countless apocalyptic zombie novels where the heroes effortlessly struck it rich.

But this was the harsh reality of the apocalypse, not the pages of a novel. He steeled himself for another round of zombie hunting.

Killing a thousand zombies for a thousand white crystal nuclei was a daunting task, especially for a rookie like Chen Cheng.

Outside, an eerie silence prevailed.

"Huh! Something's off. Weren't the zombies swarming at the door before? Where have they all gone now? Could someone have passed through, or were they lured away by something?"

Chen Cheng peered warily through the door's crack, his brow furrowed.

The dimly lit room reeked of an odd odor, with skeletons strewn about and stains of red and black blood, creating an unsettling and horrific atmosphere.

Crossbow in hand, Chen Cheng was ready to let arrows fly into the zombies' skulls.

He had practiced his marksmanship; while not perfect, he was confident he could hit his target at least 50-60% of the time.

"The zombies are gone. Could someone have been here before me?"

Chen Cheng approached one of the open doors with caution and nudged it open.

Inside, two skeletons—one larger, one smaller—lay on a decrepit bed, a trail of blood leading from the floor to the bathroom.

A few red paw prints were scattered nearby.

The bathroom door was shut tight, with a skeleton sprawled across the threshold. Half its torso was missing; one hand gripped the doorframe, the other clutched a knife buried in its skull.

"It seems this skeleton was trying to keep something trapped inside before he died."

Chen Cheng conducted a thorough search of the room. Other than the sealed bathroom, everything seemed normal.

"There's definitely something off about that bathroom."

He slung his crossbow over his shoulder and gripped his machete, cautiously twisting the doorknob.

Chen Cheng pushed open a narrow gap in the door, and a pungent odor of decay wafted out. Unable to see much through the sliver of space, he reluctantly pushed the door further.

With a loud clang, Chen Cheng caught sight of a dark mass inside. It had canine features on top, but below was an indistinct black blob surrounded by what appeared to be dry, withered limbs. "My god, what kind of creature is this?"

His disgust intensified.

The entity before him resembled a grotesque fusion of dog and human.

With a roar, the dog-like creature seemed to detect Chen Cheng's presence and began to bark furiously.

Regrettably, it appeared to be entangled in something, immobilized.

"This is bad. I can't let it keep barking; it'll draw more zombies."

Chen Cheng was ready to move in for the kill.

But then, the creature's lower half began to stir. Two dark heads emerged from the other side, howling at Chen Cheng, while the limbs flailed about in a frenzy.

"Conjoined monstrosity!"

That was Chen Cheng's immediate thought.

Terrified by the sight, he quickly backed out of the bathroom.

"What in the world is this thing?"

Before Chen Cheng could gather his wits, the creature crawled out of the bathroom, revealing two heads on either side of its body, complete with arms and legs.

At the center stood the upper half of a dog, spanning roughly 1.5 meters in width.

Its movements were exceedingly sluggish; the fact that it had managed to emerge from the toilet was nothing short of miraculous.

"No problem," Chen Cheng said with ease.

He nonchalantly grabbed a few sofas and tables, hurling them toward the creature to impede its lumbering advance.

Then, he slung the crossbow off his back, took aim, and fired at one of the heads.