Chapter 139: Receiving the Goods

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Receiving the Goods

Seeing their main body in critical danger, the leaves wrapped around the corpses frantically began to chew on the prey inside. CRUNCH CRUNCH. A grotesque mixture of blackish-red blood and mangled flesh dripped continuously from the dense spikes of the leaves. It was an incredibly eerie sight.

Not to be outdone, the roots buried deep underground writhed and attempted to flee.

"Trying to run?"

Kevin Keane acted with lightning speed. He quickly whipped out two grenades, pulled the pins, and hurled them at the roots. "Get down and take cover!"

The group immediately dropped to the ground, shielding their heads with their hands. BOOM! Following the deafening explosion, countless fragments of branches and roots blasted in all directions, splattering corrosive liquid all over the floor.

Their clothes were instantly burned through with multiple holes. Ignoring the pain of their seared and blistered skin, they scrambled to their feet and rushed straight toward the root system.

Sensing the Flytrap’s binding force weaken, Little Sweet Potato instantly whipped out a vine and accurately plunged it into the core of the roots.

A moment later, the vine—still smoking with white vapor—lifted out a translucent Fourth-stage Crystal Core streaked with threads of cyan-blue.

"AARGH! The roots are completely full of corrosive liquid too!"

Little Sweet Potato shrieked in pain, angrily shaking its vine in utter dissatisfaction.

Deprived of its Crystal Core, the mutated Flytrap instantly lost its vitality. All of its leaves slumped limply to the ground, and the fluorescent glow across its body gradually faded into darkness.

"HISS—"

"TSSS—"

Only then did the group finally pause. Shocked by the searing pain radiating from various spots on their bodies, they rolled their shoulders and stretched, checking each other’s injuries.

"This corrosive liquid is absolutely disgusting."

As his adrenaline faded, Kevin’s vision blurred, and his tears flowed uncontrollably.

The intense heat of the corrosive liquid had singed his eyes earlier. The pain from his numerous injuries made him wince and bare his teeth.

He knew very well that if Little Sweet Potato hadn’t desperately pinned the creature down, the three of them would never have dispatched it so easily.

He pulled out a bottle of Superpower Supplement Liquid. GLUG GLUG. He chugged down a few mouthfuls, and after using some water to rinse out his eyes, he could barely pry them open to a narrow slit.

Lynn Shelby clutched a palm-sized wound on his arm. A three-to-four-centimeter gash from the splattered corrosive liquid marked his face, making him look exceptionally fierce.

Wincing through the pain, he walked over to the other two and forced a smile. "How can we improve our abilities without life-threatening battles? This is what makes it fun."

Blake Blue walked over with an awkward expression and sighed. "My lower back feels burning hot and freezing cold at the same time. Did the acid burn right through me? Take a look for me."

When he had dropped to the ground for cover, he only focused on protecting his head and completely neglected his back, which ultimately cost him.

Little Sweet Potato was busy using its vines to weave a small pouch, perfectly sized to hold the Fourth-stage Crystal Core that was nearly as large as itself.

It cast a sideways glance at Blake’s lower back and remarked casually, "Human males are so troublesome. So what if your butt is a little exposed? What are you afraid of? Luna Dawson often wanders around bare-naked inside her spatial dimension."

Kevin immediately stiffened. Lynn and Blake also fell silent, and the air remained dead quiet for several seconds.

Startled, Blake hurriedly let out two light coughs to change the subject. "T-The weather is cold."

Little Sweet Potato considerately wove a vine waistband for Blake to cover up the exposed wound.

The men quickly gathered themselves. Fighting through the pain of their injuries, they turned and headed back.

Meanwhile, the group scavenging for supplies had an incredibly smooth run.

From the fifth floor down to the first, there were only about thirty zombies left in total.

Luna Dawson led the way while carrying Little Tiger. Rhonda Dawson and Nancy Sullivan walked in the middle. Rollo and Tina darted back and forth on both flanks, while Shane Shaw brought up the rear.

The moment they reached the fifth floor, two First-tier Zombies lunged at them.

"Leave them to us," Rhonda and Nancy said in unison as they charged forward to meet the threat.

The machete in Nancy’s hand glinted with a cold light. She raised her arm and hacked straight at the zombie’s head with clean, decisive force. SNAP! The zombie collapsed rigidly to the floor.

Rhonda, on the other hand, wielded a baseball bat riddled with long metal spikes. Luna had specifically asked Blake to customize it, jokingly calling it her sister’s "Lucille."

With a crisp THWACK, Rhonda swung her arm and sent the zombie flying. It slammed brutally against the staircase handrail, its head bursting like a balloon and splattering yellow and white brain matter all over the floor.

Nancy stared, wide-eyed. "Sister Wendy! Your strength is absolutely insane!"

Standing at the back, Shane’s mouth twitched. He thought, "Luna’s family genetics are genuinely absurd. There isn’t a single ordinary person among them. She looks so soft and delicate, yet she fights more ruthlessly than anyone. She’s practically a battle-ready healer."

Rhonda expertly pulled out a small knife to dig out the Crystal Core, smiling sweetly. "Who knows? Ever since the apocalypse started, my strength has been increasing like I’ve unlocked a cheat code."

After Nancy finished retrieving her own Crystal Core, she nodded enthusiastically like a woodpecker. "Me too, me too! My physical fitness is so much better than before. I need to hurry up and advance my rank. I can’t keep being the dead weight holding the team back!"

The group chatted as they searched. The fifth floor consisted entirely of restaurants and eateries. The main doors were tightly shut, making it obvious that no one had been here.

Shane expertly wedged his blade into the lock and popped it open in a few swift motions. "Let’s go."

Nancy and Shane headed straight for the kitchens and storerooms. Before they had even finished sweeping half the floor, Nancy called out gleefully, "Shane! My spatial dimension is almost full! Rice, flour, cooking oil, seasonings, dried meats—I’ve packed it all in! This feels amazing!"

She happily twirled around a couple of times, her eyes shining like stars in the dim light.

Meanwhile, Luna focused entirely on a scorched-earth looting run. She skipped the frozen meat in the refrigerators for fear of contamination—and she didn’t lack for meat in her own spatial dimension anyway.

As for everything else—pots, pans, bowls, tables, chairs, and even the cash registers and wine cabinets—she swept it all into her space, making sure not a single speck of dust was left behind.

Nancy watched her with envy and smacked her lips. "I have to save some room. We still need to grab daily necessities and clothes from the supermarket downstairs, otherwise I’d want to pack all of this away too!"

Shane rubbed the top of her head. "Don’t worry. Just kill more zombies along the way. We’ll try to get you promoted to the Second Order by the time we head back, and your spatial dimension will expand again!"

Nancy was instantly pumped full of motivation. She and Rhonda practically monopolized all the zombies on the next few floors.

They specifically left the five Second-tier Zombies for Shane to practice on.

Every time they encountered a Second-tier Zombie, Tina would dash out like a bolt of lightning and tackle it to the ground. Before the zombie could even struggle, Shane would manipulate a sharp metal blade to plunge precisely into its head. He could even twist it nimbly inside the skull, directly popping the Crystal Core out.

Although his superpower reserves weren’t incredibly deep yet, his control was genuinely masterful.

Luna praised him as she walked the dog, "Not bad at all, Shane."

Shane’s face turned completely red at the compliment, leaving him no choice but to throw himself into killing zombies with even more effort.

Once Nancy’s spatial dimension was completely full, the sibling duo strapped on two small backpacks and stuffed them with cigarettes and chocolate bars. Only then did Luna make her move, collecting all the remaining usable supplies from the Walmart. As she walked, items vanished into thin air, making Nancy’s eyes sparkle with sheer awe.

Luna couldn’t stop grinning. "This trip wasn’t for nothing. We made an absolute killing!" Her footsteps became noticeably lighter.

Shane couldn’t help but feel concerned. "Kevin and the others went down to the first basement level. It’s a Fourth Rank mutant down there. Do you think they’ll be okay?"

Luna glanced at some moldy rice on the floor, her heart aching at the waste, and replied casually, "Don’t worry about it. Those guys are too proud to admit defeat and would rather suffer in silence. They wouldn’t even let us listen in on the comms earpieces. They’re probably getting beaten black and blue right now but are gritting their teeth through it. If something were seriously wrong, they would’ve screamed for help by now. Besides, Little Sweet Potato is with them."

Shane’s mouth twitched. He thought, "So you really aren’t worried at all!"