They quickly opened the treasure chest, inside were two items.
"Basic Guiding Technique, Basic Swordsmanship, both are cultivation techniques!" Qin Ming was surprised. He picked them up and tossed the Guiding Technique over, "Perfect, one for each of us."
"Then I won't be polite." Shen Zhiwei took them, clasped her hands together, and absorbed the techniques first, planning to study them later.
Qin Ming did the same.
The two exchanged a glance and headed towards the elevator, which had long since stopped operating.
It was relatively dark here.
Qin Ming took out a flashlight and walked ahead.
They quickly reached the second floor.
This floor mainly contained snacks, drinks, kitchenware, and the like.
There were quite a few zombies,
but not more than on the first floor.
"Blue treasure chest!" Shen Zhiwei suddenly whispered, "Look over there."
Qin Ming looked over.
That area contained bedding, with a faint glow emanating from a corner, though the main body was obscured, but it wasn't hard to spot.
"Watch your left and right!" Qin Ming warned as he walked over, quickly clearing away the zombies on that side.
The difference was ultimately too great.
Suddenly, a black shadow pounced.
It looked like a calf.
Qin Ming narrowed his eyes, raising his battle blade, when a whistling sound came from beside him. A dark figure was sent flying backward, landing on the ground and bouncing a few times before falling silent.
"You're so fast!"
Qin Ming said with a hint of envy.
A mere thought was enough to take an enemy's head.
"To use an old saying, everyone has their own destiny," Shen Zhiwei said softly. "Qin Ming, still be careful."
He nodded and walked over.
It was a dog, larger and more ferocious than the one he had killed in the hotel.
Its muscles were massive, brimming with explosive power.
A blood essence condensed on the corpse.
Qin Ming casually picked it up and tossed it into his spatial ring. In a few steps, he arrived at the treasure chest; there were no other zombies around.
"I'll try!" Shen Zhiwei said eagerly.
"Okay!" Qin Ming stepped aside, wary of his surroundings.
*Snap*...
The treasure chest opened, a sudden burst of light erupting before vanishing without a trace.
"Three mid-level energy crystals, three mid-level blood essences, and a sword technique called Thunder Flash Nine Blades." Shen Zhiwei frowned slightly. "Even if this sword technique is profound, its value should be much lower than the Seven Star Sword. Logically, this shouldn't be the case."
Both are blue treasure chests; the items they contain should be roughly the same value.
Besides, it's nighttime.
The Seven Star Sword is a weapon for mind masters.
Sword techniques, however, require practice, and complete comprehension is not guaranteed.
"Perhaps this sword technique contains extraordinary power!"
"Possibly! Qin Ming, pack everything up. Let's go to the third floor."
"Okay! The third floor? Are we really going?"
"Yes!" Shen Zhiwei said seriously, "If there are good things on the third floor, their value will definitely be greater, and naturally, there will be some danger. However, with our strength, we can handle it. If we can't, then probably no one in all of humanity could." "
That makes sense, let's go!"
Qin Ming wholeheartedly agreed.
On the first day of their arrival, a mind master and a little superhuman with physical abilities approaching fifty—this combination, just as Shen Zhiwei had said, was more than capable of handling any danger.
Third floor.
This floor contained sports and cultural items, and a small children's play area.
It wasn't large,
but it was filled with lush greenery.
"Why isn't there a single zombie?" Qin Ming surveyed the area, quickly scanning the surroundings with his flashlight, but there wasn't a single zombie.
Something was clearly wrong.
"I have a chilling feeling." Shen Zhiwei's eyes narrowed. "Look, there's a flashing light behind the slide; it should be a treasure chest. This light is somewhat dim, different from the three known treasure chests; it should be a higher-level existence."
"A higher-level?" Qin Ming's expression changed slightly. "There's a major threat!"
"Should we fight?" Shen Zhiwei hesitated.
The situation here had exceeded their expectations.
"There are people down there, and more than one!" Qin Ming heard the commotion below; there were many footsteps.
The two exchanged a glance, both hesitant, but quickly made a decision.
They would stay and hide.
A classic case of the snipe and the clam fighting, the fisherman profiting!
They switched off their flashlights and quickly moved inside, staying far from the source of the treasure's light—based on past experience, that was definitely the most dangerous place.
Reaching the back of the shelf, both of them hunched over
, sniffing each other's scent.
The firelight filtering through the window prevented it from being particularly dark,
but both were on edge.
"Do you smell a fragrance?" Shen Zhiwei suddenly asked.
"Yes, I smell it. It's probably residual air freshener," Qin Ming sniffed and nodded. "After all, it's a supermarket, and on the third floor at that; they keep it fresh all the time."
"No!" Shen Zhiwei shook her head. "I sense something strange."
"Strange?" Qin Ming looked over. "Hey, why do you have two heads?"
"Two heads?" Shen Zhiwei's expression changed.
"Hallucination?" Qin Ming realized as well.
"How many is this?" Shen Zhiwei held up one finger.
"Three!" Qin Ming examined it carefully, even getting closer to see. "Three fingers."
"The scent is problematic!" Shen Zhiwei was completely certain, but her body swayed slightly, and she quickly steadied herself on the support. "I feel weak."
"Weak?" Qin Ming sensed himself and shook his head. "No, there are just many double images around me." "
This scent can affect not only the mind but also weaken strength." Shen Zhiwei immediately made a judgment. "I have the talent of superhuman control, my mind is strong, and my resistance is far beyond ordinary, so I can block the illusion. You have a strong physique but a weaker mind, so you can resist the weakness of your blood and qi, but your mind is affected. The scent is poisonous, a double poison, affecting the mind and weakening strength. Qin Ming, let's go!"
She grabbed Qin Ming's arm and was about to leave when she stumbled and almost fell.
The weakness intensified, and she cried out urgently, "Help me! I'll show you the way, let's go quickly!"
"Okay!" Qin Ming realized the seriousness of the situation and reached for her arm, but instead grabbed her waist, quickly letting go. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's alright!" Shen Zhiwei shook her head, offering her arm for Qin Ming to support.
The two quickly moved away,
not caring if anyone was coming up below.
But then, a whooshing sound came.
It was from vines.
"Go!"
Shen Zhiwei quickly manipulated two sword blades, severing the vines with a whoosh.
But there was also a sound beneath their feet.
It was from roots, winding like countless venomous snakes in the darkness.
"Watch your step!"
Shen Zhiwei warned, her two sword blades transforming into afterimages, severing the vines and tearing apart the roots, protecting them in the middle.
Unfortunately, there were more and more.
They were completely surrounded.
"This is the first night! How can there be such a mutated plant?" Shen Zhiwei looked at the dense vines blocking her path and her expression became resolute. "Qin Ming, fight your way out!"
The two charged back the way they came.
"My vision is blurry, I see countless double images, I can barely see the road," Qin Ming said, supporting Shen Zhiwei with one hand while swinging his sword forward.
"Close your eyes," Shen Zhiwei said breathlessly, "Do you see any unusual images in your mind?"
"No!"
"That's good. There are vines wrapping around us at a 30-degree angle to the right, can you hear them?"
"Yes, very clearly!"
Qin Ming used the wind to pinpoint the location and cut the vines in one swift motion.
"It doesn't affect your hearing, just your vision, the situation isn't too serious. If all five senses are affected, that would be a real problem."
The two worked together quite well and quickly broke through the last green barrier. Just as they were about to reach the stairwell, a group of people came up from below.
Two Molotov cocktails were coming towards them.
"Not good, retreat, retreat quickly!" Shen Zhiwei's face changed drastically, panicked.
Qin Ming pulled her and retreated rapidly.
Explosions suddenly erupted ahead.
"Bomb them, keep bombing!" Shouts came from the stairwell.
Boom!
Explosions rang out one after another, flames burst forth, burning and tearing the vines apart, leaving the surroundings in ruins.
"Second brother, two isn't enough?" A young man pulled open his collar, revealing his tattoos, and questioned the man next to him, "We don't have many Molotov cocktails left either."
"Not enough!" the young man in black said, "Boss, we analyzed it when we came in. They cleared out the zombies on the first and second floors, which means they not only have a large amount of blood essence, but they are also very strong, extremely strong. Look at this third floor, those twisted vines are clearly mutated plants. They can't be ordinary people who can fight their way in and out of here. Since they are enemies, we must kill them here from the start, without giving them any chance. And they can also clear out the mutated plants. Obviously, it is the big BOSS here. Once it is killed, it will definitely drop a huge amount of loot."
"Makes sense, then bomb, keep bombing, blast this whole place to smithereens!" The boss waved his hand, and the other six excitedly lit Molotov cocktails and threw them inside.
Boom!
Red light shot into the sky, and shockwaves rolled in.
In a matter of moments, the third floor was engulfed in flames.
Inside.
"Are you injured?" Following the directions, Qin Ming retreated several steps, stopping only at the very back, where he smelled the stench of blood.
"Two cuts, nothing serious," Shen Zhiwei said self-reproachfully. "In my panic, I completely forgot that I could control the Molotov cocktail with my mental power."
"Poisoning, fighting, an accident, and we're not real warriors, it's normal to react in a moment," Qin Ming comforted her. "It's just that I didn't expect those people to attack us so decisively."
"It's simple, they wanted to steal our loot, and knowing we were tough, they struck first," Shen Zhiwei sighed. "We underestimated them. If we had attacked the mutated plant directly or gone downstairs to deal with them first, we wouldn't be in such a mess."
"The main reason is probably that we didn't have the right mindset," Qin Ming also pondered. "With our strength, we could have easily dealt with the mutated plant, instead of trying to profit from it. Cough cough, the smoke is getting thicker, I'm having trouble breathing."
"Yes, it's too late to say anything now. I'm mentally energized, but my body is getting weaker and weaker. If this continues..." Shen Zhiwei couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I'm afraid we'll both be done for here."
"Wouldn't you say I've been caught off guard and gotten myself into trouble?" Qin Ming opened his eyes, his vision blurred by layers of light and shadow. Countless black shadows swirled within the red light, like ghostly apparitions, sending chills down his spine.
"More than that!" Shen Zhiwei clung to him, her voice weak. "I pride myself on being clever and thoughtful, but today I've been betrayed and am now in dire straits. Qin Ming, if there's really no other way, I'll guide you to the window; you can jump out."
The smoke thickened.
Flames spread towards them.
Both of them crouched down.
"Perhaps there's another way!" Qin Ming hesitated, his voice low. "I've also awakened an S-rank talent, the Yin-Yang Blood Pact, a very special ability."
"S-rank?" Shen Zhiwei exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't expect two top-tier talents to appear in one region. This Yin-Yang Blood Pact sounds
sinister; no wonder you were vague about it before. Can you describe its specific abilities?" "When the affinity between the opposite sex reaches sixty or more, a blood pact can be signed, and the pact holder can enhance their abilities by ten percent." Qin Ming hesitated slightly before finally speaking.
Shen Zhiwei was very clever.
Really clever.
Qin Ming felt she was much smarter than him.
Plus, it was an S-rank talent with limitations, so its other functions must be incredibly powerful; otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.
Now, all he needed to do was gain her trust.
"The master can comprehensively amplify basic attributes, with a 10% increase for mortal-level characters," Qin Ming continued. "For the servants, it comprehensively amplifies the percentage of favorability. If the favorability is 60%, that's a 60% increase in abilities, including but not limited to basic attributes and innate abilities."
"That much of an increase?" Shen Zhiwei gasped, her face showing astonishment. "The increase for servants is too heaven-defying, while the increase for the master is too small. No, it should be possible to contract multiple people, and then stack them?"
Qin Ming closed his eyes and nodded. "Up to nine people."
"Nine people? Nine people stacked together, even at the mortal level, would still result in a 90% increase for the master." Shen Zhiwei's breath hitched. "Not to mention beyond the mortal level. S-rank talent, truly heaven-defying, far stronger than mine. Perhaps mine is a lower-level S-rank, while yours is the highest-level S-rank. After all, the stronger the character, the more terrifying your talent becomes."
Shen Zhiwei's eyes flickered: "Since it's a contract, there should be limitations, right?"
"Yes!" Qin Ming knew he couldn't hide it from the other party, so he honestly said, "Whether the contract is terminated actively or passively, the servant's amplification will completely disappear, and his own abilities will be reduced by half."
"All?"
"All!"
"Your ability is quite domineering, and it's specifically for forming contracts with the opposite sex, with an affinity level of over 60. Isn't this just letting you build a harem?" Shen Zhiwei's lips twitched.
"This is affinity, not intimacy or loyalty," Qin Ming quickly explained. "I only seek out like-minded, strong female beings to form contracts with."
"Men, ha!" Shen Zhiwei curled her lip. "If you really want to build a harem, half of your talent is wasted. Is it the opposite sex, or female?" "
The opposite sex, and female!" "
That's truly defying the heavens!"
"How so?"
"Don't forget, this is a post-apocalyptic hellscape. There are ferocious beasts, alien races, and possibly powerful beings like mother dragons, elves, and demons. If you form a contract with such beings, imagine how terrifying it would be with the amplification."
"This..." A shocking image had just surfaced in Qin Ming's mind before he erased it.
"Cough, cough, it's getting hotter and weaker, and breathing is becoming more difficult." Shen Zhiwei coughed incessantly. "Thinking too far ahead is useless! What's my current favorability rating?"
"I can't see it!" Qin Ming said. "It should only show up when it reaches sixty or higher!"
"Sigh!" Shen Zhiwei sighed softly. "Logically speaking, given the life-saving grace, the fact that we're comrades-in-arms, and you're of the opposite sex, plus your good looks, strength, decisiveness, and good character, your favorability rating should have already reached sixty or higher. It's a pity, I'm a science student, and too rational."
A science student?
Plus that family situation.
No wonder.
Qin Ming said, "You point the way, I'll carry you and jump out the window. I'll be on the bottom, you'll be on top. It's only three stories, there shouldn't be any danger to our lives."
"This is a last resort!" Shen Zhiwei shook her head. "Supermarkets are much higher than residential buildings, and we don't know what's down below. If we make a mistake, it will be truly irreversible."
She pursed her lips, speaking earnestly and seriously, "I want to try to sign a blood pact with you, but before that, you have to agree to one condition?"
"Your favorability isn't high enough!"
"Never mind that, just tell me if you agree or not?"
"What condition?"
"If we can, any other blood pacts we sign in the future must be with my consent, no, you have to listen to my opinion."
"Just my opinion?"
"Do you think I can force you?"
Shen Zhiwei rolled her eyes.