Chapter 34: The Scroll of Illusions

What a strange sensation, the fat man thought in amazement, but then he inadvertently caught sight of a headless corpse not far away. As he was still wondering who the unlucky soul might be, darkness engulfed his entire consciousness.

A chorus of screams broke out at the bloody scene before them. Seeing the young man who had suddenly appeared standing before the girl like a god of slaughter, none of the crowd dared approach her any longer. In a panic, they scrambled to flee the scene.

By now, the stalemate between the puppy and Zhang Hao was drawing to a close. Earlier, Zhang Hao had abandoned all defense in order to entangle the dog-headed creature, causing his health to drop rapidly. Later, when he saw his own brother beaten to the brink of death and even having his leg hacked off, he was so shocked that he lost focus, allowing the puppy to bite him several more times. At this point, he himself was nearly dead.

Seeing that his presence had frightened off the crowd, Kong Zhe let out a cold snort, lifted his knife, and strode toward Zhang Hao. He had no intention of sparing the main culprit who had just tried to incite the mob to seize Xiao Lei.

The puppy, realizing that Kong Zhe had regained control of the situation and was walking over, knew his intent. With a sharp swipe, he struck Zhang Hao's head with his paw, then retreated to a vigilant position not far from the girl.

"What—what do you want?" Zhang Hao stammered, swallowing nervously as the young man, exuding murderous intent, approached him.

"What do you think?" Kong Zhe sneered, the blade in his hand glinting coldly. "Of course, I'm here to kill you!"

"W-wait!" Zhang Hao's face froze in terror as he saw Kong Zhe raise the knife high. His eyes bulged. "Don't kill me! I can give you equipment—daggers from a wooden treasure chest, silver coins, food, women, all yours! Please, spare me!"

But Kong Zhe paid his pleas no heed, his motion unyielding. In Zhang Hao's terrified gaze, the blade flashed—severing his neck in a single stroke.

"If I want something, I'll take it myself. And you dare offer a mere wooden treasure chest as a bargaining chip?" Kong Zhe flicked the blood from his blade with a faint air of disdain. But Zhang Hao would never hear these words.

This time, Kong Zhe gained over 160 experience points—a considerable sum, even after the system’s reduction for killing other players. Clearly, the original amount would have been four or five times what one would get for slaying a monster of equal level. Kong Zhe could not help but reflect that this system all but encouraged murder.

Yet, if one thought of this apocalypse as a kind of game, it made sense—killing other players always yielded more experience than killing monsters.

As soon as Zhang Hao died, his body dissolved into a cascade of light. This was one of the rules of the new world: once awakened, the body was digitized, and as a result, not even a corpse was left behind after death.

Where his body vanished, a pile of items now lay scattered. Upon death, an awakened’s inventory and equipped items had a certain chance of dropping; the higher the quality, the greater the likelihood.

Kong Zhe glanced through them—mostly clothes and food. By luck, the dagger had dropped, along with three silver coins.

He took only the dagger and the coins.

The dagger was a green-grade item.

Murloc Ripper: Increases agility by three points; deals fifteen extra damage to murlocs.

Kong Zhe nodded in satisfaction. Though such a weapon seemed of limited use elsewhere, here in Golden City—a coastal town overrun with murlocs—it was exceptionally practical.

Putting the dagger away, Kong Zhe made his way toward Zhang Qiang, who lay sprawled on the ground not far away.

Seeing him approach, Zhang Qiang’s eyes flashed with irrepressible anger—after all, his own brother had just been slaughtered before his eyes.

But the anger quickly faded, replaced by deep fear, for he could see that Kong Zhe had no intention of negotiation, only dragging his knife slowly toward him. The screech of the blade scraping against the floor sent Zhang Qiang’s heart racing. He had planned to bargain, but one look at his brother’s fate made all other thoughts vanish. He hurriedly called out, “Wait, wait! Let’s talk! I’ll follow you—I’ll give you everything—!”

Kong Zhe ignored him completely, his expression unmoved as he raised his knife, poised to bring it down on Zhang Qiang’s neck.

Now Zhang Qiang was truly terrified. He finally realized he had provoked someone far beyond his ability to handle. As the killing blow neared, he cried out in desperation, “I can give you an Illusion Scroll!”

The blade stopped less than a centimeter from his neck. Kong Zhe glanced down at him, speaking coolly, “Where is it? Hand it over.”

Inside, Kong Zhe was far less calm than he appeared. An Illusion Scroll—only obtainable from a silver treasure chest—was among the highest-tier items at this level.

This scroll would randomly transport the user into an independent fantasy scenario to complete a quest, with generous rewards depending on performance. It was, in essence, a dungeon instance from a game, but the treasures and enhancements gained within could be brought back to reality.

Most importantly, the conditions within these scenarios were usually far better than the harsh world outside. If lucky enough to find a copy of the technological era, one could for a time enjoy all the comforts of the old world: sunlight, beaches, villas, fine food. For those struggling to survive in the apocalypse, such a thing held irresistible allure.

In his previous life, Kong Zhe had heard of Illusion Scrolls being auctioned for prices rivaling divine artifacts. Even so, they were exceedingly rare—he had only ever heard tales, never possessed one himself.

He never imagined this man would be so lucky as to get such a treasure.

Zhang Qiang, sweating profusely as the blade hovered so near, felt a wave of relief. Thank goodness he’d spoken quickly, or his death would have been in vain. He was certain the young man had not been bluffing.

Swallowing hard and forcing himself to remain calm, Zhang Qiang said, voice trembling, “I’ll give you the scroll, but you must promise not to kill me!”

Kong Zhe said nothing, simply looking at him in silence.

But that only made Zhang Qiang more anxious. He could not discern how much Kong Zhe cared for the Illusion Scroll, nor whether he had already angered him. Would he be killed like his brother?

“Give me the scroll, and I’ll consider sparing you.”

“Really?” The words were like music to his ears. Zhang Qiang finally exhaled with relief—it seemed the young man did value the scroll. Not daring to delay, he quickly took out a scroll shimmering with violet light.

Kong Zhe took it and glanced at it.

Illusion Scroll (Unidentified).

Scenario: unknown.

Maximum participants: unknown.

Activation level: 15.

Most of the information was unknown, as expected. All blue-grade and above items required appraisal before use.

Kong Zhe only checked to confirm its authenticity, then stowed it away.

Seeing his precious scroll accepted, Zhang Qiang finally relaxed. When he first obtained it, the pile of unknowns had been a headache, especially since it could not be used for some time. He would have preferred a weapon or equipment instead, something that would immediately boost his strength.

Now, though, it was clear how valuable the scroll was—otherwise, the young man would not have cared so much. At this thought, Zhang Qiang began to scheme anew.

“Hmph, does he really think my things are so easy to take? As long as I survive today, there will be plenty of chances for revenge. Not only will I take back the scroll, but his equipment, his pet, and that woman—they’ll all be mine! Hahaha…”

But just as he was congratulating himself, he caught, from the corner of his eye, the young man raising his knife once more.

His eyes widened in horror. “You—you’re breaking your promise!”

“Who said I was breaking my word? Didn’t I say I’d consider it? Now that I’ve considered, I’ve decided to kill you after all—to eliminate future trouble!” Kong Zhe sneered, and in Zhang Qiang’s despairing gaze, brought the blade down, ending him for good.

There was no ripple of emotion in Kong Zhe’s eyes as he gazed upon Zhang Qiang’s lifeless body. He was not someone who would do anything to achieve his aims, but he understood the importance of eradicating threats at the root. When he killed Zhang Hao, he had seen the venomous hatred in Zhang Qiang’s eyes. He had never intended to let him live.

Circumstances forced people to change. He had once been a callow youth, lacking both resolve and cunning, but three years of apocalypse had smothered what little kindness and wishful thinking remained in his heart.

He stooped to rummage through the items dropped at Zhang Qiang’s death. Regrettably, the green axe had not dropped, but there were over a dozen silver coins, and a white-grade shoulder guard, all of which he took and equipped immediately.

As he turned, a sweet scent swept over him—Xiao Lei flung herself into his arms, clutching his shirt, her small frame trembling. Soon, he felt his chest grow damp with her tears.

Kong Zhe sighed and gently patted her head in comfort. Although he still knew nothing of the girl’s background, it was plain she had grown up sheltered, even more innocent than most her age. Now, this pure, unblemished girl was forced to confront the world’s brutality, bloodshed, and squalor—it was no wonder she could not bear it.

After crying for a while, she seemed to feel a little better, slowly raising her head, though her eyes remained swollen and red.

Kong Zhe gave her a reassuring pat on the back, then turned to begin collecting the food supplies from the area.