"I haven't had a good night's sleep for two days. Today I'm just going to kill these zombies and wait here. I have to buy a pack of cigarettes no matter how much they cost."
"Me too. Everything I eat tastes bland."
"My agony, only cigarettes can understand."
A group of people looked at this pretentious bastard who just spoke. If they weren't so tired from killing zombies, they would have punched him already.
The first ray of morning sun pierced through the mist, illuminating this devastated city.
The three cigarette sale points in Future City were crammed with people.
There were barely any friends and family left alive, and no one knew when they would die. Those two variant crystals weren't much use. Cigarettes were better.
That was what most people thought.
Those without strong enough willpower were destined to be at the bottom of society, whether it was the end times or before.
Eight o'clock.
The cigarette sale points of the three major powers opened their doors at the same time, as if they had agreed on it. The price also rose from 2 variant crystals per pack yesterday to 4 today.
Since there were so many more zombies now, they could earn two packs after some hard work at night. It seemed reasonable.
They cursed but still needed the cigarettes. 4 variant crystals hadn't completely crossed their bottom line yet. This was the result of the three major powers discussing all night.
At nine, the supply drop rain arrived on schedule. Also arriving was another piece of news.
The Harem Gang had also started selling cigarettes.
Apparently their leader liked smoking, so the girls had stocked some too.
Moreover, the Harem Gang said to prevent malicious hoarding and reselling, purchases were limited to one pack per person.
This news had those who hadn't managed to buy cigarettes the last two days cheering for the girls.
And the crowds at the three major cigarette sale points instantly halved.
When people arrived in the north of the city and found large quantities of low-end cigarettes for sale, they became even more excited.
Smoking expensive cigarettes made them cough, but was expensive.
"Don't rush, the girls weren't too clear on cigarette prices before, so they charged randomly. Let's categorize them first, then you can line up."
Several girls maintained order at the gate of their territory. After waiting so long, no one minded waiting a little longer.
At nine thirty, Xiao Jun's Harem Gang cigarette sale point officially opened for business.
On the second floor of the villa, Xiao Jun watched everything happening below through the window.
Before the apocalypse, Star City had a permanent population of over 10 million, including migrants.
Since the apocalypse began until now, over eighty percent had probably died. That still left at least 2 million people.
Add in those who had come from nearby cities and counties below, conservatively there were still around 3 million people left.
The vast majority of them were men.
If each person bought one pack, it would be enough to wipe out all of Future City's cigarettes.
But of course not that many people would come.
The forces in Future City now probably numbered over 100,000.
Adding up the many other big and small forces, there were a few hundred thousand people total.
Xiao Jun's gang occupying a large area but having only 1,000 people was extremely rare. But their overall strength far exceeded those mixed forces.
Minus those people, plus those who had already bought cigarettes the last two days, and those who hadn't gotten around to reselling their cigarettes yet.
After calculating, there had to be at least over 100,000 people!
Damn, they really were going to strike it rich!
Everyone reaching third rank was not a dream anymore!
Excited, Xiao Jun directly hugged and passionately kissed Jing Yi next to him. Let's see who still dared to call her a flower vase.
Jing Yi stood right beside Xiao Jun, watching the situation below. She had single-handedly planned all this out.
Xiao Jun had seized this unexpected advantage.
Elder Sister squatted behind stealthily eating spicy strips, earned by giving Xiao Jun a back massage today. Her eyes turned red seeing this scene.
[Oh no, I'm not going to be the big sister and she the little sister now, am I?]
Uh...
Xiao Jun looked at Elder Sister speechlessly. Younger Sister was also dumbstruck looking at Xiao Jun.
This was still her first time being kissed by a man, not counting when she was little.
[Rogue.]
In the corner, Jiang Wei stealthily raised her presence again.
"Ahem, keep an eye out, I'm stepping out for a bit."
Xiao Jun slipped away.
Younger Sister's eyes were too innocent, and Elder Sister's thoughts too frightening. Xiao Jun couldn't handle it.
He quietly left his territory. It was chaotic everywhere outside the city, all frantically scrambling for the supply drops.
He even ran into Wan Qianya on the road, and didn't even get to say hi before seeing her lead people sprinting towards a supply drop.
Xiao Jun stopped and kept watching until they had seized the drop before leaving.
West of the city, at Guo Yu's home.
Guo Yu was resting today instead of going out.
"Drinking Iron Goddess tea now? Not bad."
Looking at the steaming tea in his hands, Xiao Jun praised.
"Hehe, Bro Jun, I reached third rank now. I'm a squad leader already."
Guo Yu proudly showed off to Xiao Jun.
Guo Yu's mother smiled as she watched at the side.
Her son was rather introverted to begin with. When the apocalypse suddenly came, if not for Xiao Jun, she really didn't know what would have become of her and her son.
Now not only were they living well, her son had become much more open too. This could be considered extremely fortunate amidst such misfortune.
She was sincerely grateful to Xiao Jun from the bottom of her heart.
"Third rank already? That was fast."
Xiao Jun praised him briefly. This was not perfunctory at all.
The forces in Future City now exceeded 100,000 people. Standing out from 100,000 people was not easy at all.
Reaching third rank so quickly demonstrated Guo Yu's strength, or rather, capability.
"Bro Jun, guess what extra skill I got when I reached third rank?"
Guo Yu looked extremely mysterious.
[Hehe, Bro Jun definitely can't guess. My Berserk ability is really powerful. All attributes double when I use it, simply invincible.]
[Double all attributes, that's attack, defense, speed, and even vitality doubled without any weaknesses.]
Xiao Jun stroked his chin and fell into thought. A few minutes later, Guo Yu finally couldn't stand it and was about to speak.
"I guess your skill must be especially powerful, with no weaknesses and strengthening you comprehensively, that kind of skill?"
Xiao Jun used a somewhat uncertain tone, bluffing the dumbstruck Guo Yu.
"Such a powerful skill must have a matching name, right?"
"Could it be, Berserk?"
Guo Yu's eyes widened and he couldn't help swallowing. His face was filled with disbelief.
[Is Bro Jun a god? How does he know everything?]
Xiao Jun mysteriously smiled. Children were so easy to fool. Now, his image in Guo Yu's mind was undoubtedly even more powerful.
No matter how Guo Yu asked later, Xiao Jun just said two words - guessed it.
The two fooled around for a while. Then Xiao Jun brought up his purpose for coming today.
"Right, I came this time because I need your help with something."
Speaking of business, Xiao Jun's expression became a bit more serious.
Guo Yu immediately sat up straight. Finally there was a chance to help Bro Jun. He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”

he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...

ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!