Chapter 25: The Blessing of Lady Luck

Glancing at the time, it was already eight forty. With only twenty minutes left before the supply drop would begin, there was no time to lose—there would be plenty of opportunities later. Pressed for time, the two of them each ate a rice ball: Fang Xia chose the spicy flavor, while Bai Xing had the seafood one.

After yesterday's lesson, Fang Xia was certain that no one would dare try forcing their way through the door today, especially since there weren’t many people left on the twenty-first floor.

The bodies still lay in the corridor, untouched and unclaimed.

“Are there any men still alive? Clear out these corpses—one bottle of water and a loaf of bread for your trouble.”

That was already a generous offer. After calling out twice, a door suddenly opened, and a boy who looked barely out of his teens stepped out.

“I can do it.”

“When you return, I want these eyesores gone. No need to carry them far—just toss them out the window. No pollution, I promise,” Fang Xia instructed, pointing to the corridor window as he dropped a bottle of water and a loaf of bread onto the floor.

There were more zombies in the lobby each day, and the streets outside were teeming with them. At this rate, there’d be no way to search for supply drops in peace tomorrow.

Once the number of zombies reached a certain point, evasion was no longer an option; you could only fight your way through.

“Think you can manage?” Fang Xia asked.

“Yes,” Bai Xing replied, brandishing her dagger with confidence.

With a flurry of swift moves, the zombies in the lobby were cleared out once more. Bai Xing’s luck as a treasure seeker was riding high today.

Out of thirty-seven corpses, she managed to extract six first-tier upgrade crystals.

In comparison, Fang Xia’s hands from the previous day seemed cursed.

Upgrade crystals weren’t just for leveling up—they could also restore stamina and heal injuries. Invaluable, every one of them.

After stowing away the crystals, it was already nine o’clock.

Given the time, they decided to wait for the airdrop rain to pass and use the opportunity to plan their route for the day.

Five minutes slipped by in an instant. The rift in the sky closed again, and whether it was Bai Xing’s presence or sheer luck, fortune smiled on them—a supply crate landed right before their eyes, crushing several zombies in the process.

“I’ll handle the killing, you open the crate.”

They divided the tasks: Fang Xia would distract the zombies, and as soon as Bai Xing finished with the crate, they would retreat.

“Come on, you bunch of fools!” Fang Xia dashed out the hotel entrance, circling the supply crate at speed, luring dozens of nearby zombies away.

In the open, facing dozens of zombies at once—even weakened by daylight—was not something Fang Xia could handle at his current level. He could only fight and retreat at the same time.

Bai Xing seized the chance, sprinted to the crate, and deftly sliced open the small lock with her dagger.

This was her first time opening a crate; she’d only ever searched corpses before, so a twinge of excitement fluttered in her chest.

A lunchbox and a canteen.

The glow hadn't faded yet, and Fang Xia, still fending off zombies, felt his own excitement rise.

He knew it—Bai Xing was the key. Her luck at opening crates far surpassed his own. The first prize was already a high-value start.

The third item: a comic book.

What on earth was this?

“A regular comic book, good for passing the time.”

Was this some kind of joke? In the apocalypse, time was measured by the second—who had time to read comics?

He skipped that one.

The fourth item: battle armor.

They’d actually gotten clothing; even Fang Xia was stunned. The drop rate for clothing was far lower than for weapons, almost rivaling that of storage gear. He hadn’t expected Bai Xing to pull one out.

That single item alone made the crate worthwhile.

As expected, the last item was another lunchbox—the crate was clearly meant for the battle armor.

“Put on the armor. We’ll run east after this.”

The battle armor automatically adjusted to the wearer’s body size—a fantastically handy feature.

After donning it, Bai Xing’s air became even more valiant—she truly looked the part of a general.

“Fang, I’m ready.”

Fang Xia spun around, dispatching six or seven zombies in quick succession before dashing eastward. There was no time to search the bodies now.

“Up ahead—find a wall and climb over it.”

The best way to evade a zombie horde was to scale a wall; zombies lacked intelligence and only knew to charge straight ahead. If you could quickly get over a high enough wall, they’d lose track of you.

For someone like Bai Xing—a first-tier fighter—it wasn’t difficult.

Her body was extraordinarily flexible, and after upgrading, her agility had doubled. Even climbing a high wall, she did it with a certain grace.

Fang Xia followed easily, using the wall for leverage and vaulting over in an instant. The zombies behind couldn’t stop in time and crashed into the wall with a series of dull thuds—it almost hurt to listen to.

“Bai Xing, you—”

Fang Xia had just landed and was about to ask how she was when he spotted another supply crate right in front of her.

Was this the favor of Lady Luck?

He deeply regretted not taking her out with him yesterday.

“Fang, is this a supply crate?” Bai Xing exclaimed, rubbing her hands together with excitement. Before they’d left, Fang had told her that finding these crates was their main task for the next few days, and that it would depend on her.

She’d felt a bit nervous, with all the pressure on her shoulders, but who would have thought it would be this easy—you just had to climb over a wall and there it was.

“Hand me what you’ve got, and open it.”

Fang Xia was a little excited himself; two crates in a row—today would surely be a fruitful day.

Bai Xing reached in: the usual lunchbox and canteen set. When she went for more, the glow was gone…

Pouting, Bai Xing smacked the crate in frustration, clearly displeased.

“It’s fine, low-grade crates are the most common. It’s normal—water and food are essentials after all.”

Fang Xia smiled, ruffling her hair, and the two set off again.

For the next stretch, Fang Xia let Bai Xing choose their path freely, relying entirely on her instincts. In a single morning, they managed to find five more supply crates. Though all were low-grade, the haul was enough to thrill Fang Xia.

“Let’s rest and eat something.”

After finishing with the last crate, Fang Xia decided to take a break right there.

He took out a pile of potato chips and spicy sticks from his storage space, along with a few bottles of drinks. Not one to stand on ceremony, he simply sat down on the ground, Bai Xing nestling at his side.

The rice balls were filling enough, but they were made to stave off hunger, not to satisfy the palate. The snacks he’d brought out—give it a few more months, and a stash like this could probably buy him a woman of Bai Xing’s caliber for the night.

While resting, Fang Xia took stock of their spoils.

From the supply crates, they’d gathered: fifteen lunchboxes, thirteen canteens, three combat knives, two daggers (one was traded), two sets of battle armor, one lantern, and a single comic book.

Just the food and water alone would keep the two of them going for half a year. Compared to his last life, this start was like heaven and earth.