Chapter 56: Pea Paste Hot and Sour Noodles

The three swaggering supernatural beings were all second-tier. To the ordinary people of Urban Village 44, they were undoubtedly the overwhelmingly powerful faction.

The old woman sitting behind the counter remained silent for a long time before compromising. "Take it and leave," she said.

"Hmph, you know what's good for you!"

The leading man stuffed the second-tier crystal back into his pocket, flourishing a sharp butterfly knife with exquisite technique. The blackened blade had undergone special treatment, ensuring it wouldn't reflect white light even under direct sunlight, thereby preventing detection when lying in ambush outdoors.

"Second brother, give me your dagger."

The second brother obediently handed over an ordinary dagger.

The butterfly knife collided with the dagger, leaving a distinct notch on the latter.

"Boss, this knife is really something else, cutting through metal like mud! I never expected a weaponsmith with this level of craftsmanship to be hiding in the urban village!"

Judging solely by the boss's expression, he was beyond satisfied, yet his words remained mercilessly sarcastic. "What weaponsmith? Just a cowardly old hag. If I came to this ghost town to have her forge a weapon, I was just doing her a favor!"

"You're right, Boss!"

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked out, passing right by Su Su, who was just walking in.

"Stop right there."

A crisp, clear voice halted the three supernatural beings. They looked over in surprise, only to discover that the speaker was a young woman.

Pale-faced and slender, she looked exceptionally easy to bully.

"Well, well, I didn't expect such a pretty little thing in the urban village!" The boss's attention quickly shifted from the butterfly knife in his hand to the beauty, his appraising gaze mixed with blatant obscenity. "Why did you stop me, darling? Could it be you've taken a fancy to me and want to follow me?"

Su Su calmly pointed at the butterfly knife in his hand. "You didn't pay the crystal for your knife."

The man let out another amused scoff.

He hardly expected this fragile, delicate woman to dare stand up for that dead old hag. "Want to collect a debt for that dead old hag? Fine! I'll return the two crystals to her, and you can come away with me. How about that?"

"I'm not discussing this with you." Su Su lowered her gaze, gently stroking little Hei on her wrist. "I am informing you. Either leave the crystals, leave the knife, or else—"

Before she could finish, the man impatiently reached out with his palm, cursing as he spoke. "Or I'll just snatch you right now! Let's see if this little frame of yours still dares to play the hero!"

*Whoosh!*

A small burst of blue flame spewed straight at him, and the man's palm ignited instantly.

Cries of agony rang out quite frequently.

Only then did Su Su have time to finish the second half of her sentence: "Or leave your life behind."

"Boss!" The other two companions rushed over in a fluster. "Are you alright?"

The man shook his burning hand, beside himself with rage. "Does it look like I'm alright, you idiots? Hurry up and get me some water!"

"Oh, oh, oh!"

The two hurried out of the shop, rushed back with a bucket of water snatched from next door, and prepared to douse the flames on their boss's hand—

"Put that down!"

The man violently shoved the two fools away, his face contorted with agony as he plunged his right hand straight into the bucket of water.

However, the blue flame scorching his flesh did not extinguish; instead, it blazed even more fiercely underwater!

"Impossible! This is impossible!"

Su Su watched the scene with cold eyes. "Burn for a few more minutes, and your right hand will turn completely to charcoal."

The man stared at her in disbelief.

After a two-second pause, he finally understood—the woman standing before him was no mere bottom-feeder of the urban village! The snake she kept could breathe fire, and her supernatural ability was certainly no lower than his! She was at least a third-tier supernatural being!

In this apocalyptic era, those who adapt to circumstances are wise.

The man endured the excruciating pain, using his unharmed hand to fish two second-tier crystals from his pocket. "Take—take them, spare me! I was blind and failed to recognize a superior being. Please, have your snake take back the fire, will you?"

Su Su's gaze shifted to the old woman, who had stepped out from behind the counter.

The man instantly caught the hint and handed the two second-tier crystals to his companion. "Hurry up and give the crystals to Granny! Why make Granny walk over herself?"

The two companions bowed and scraped as they placed the crystals on the counter.

"Now—can you spare me now?"

Su Su lowered her gaze. "Little Hei."

*Whoosh!* The blue flames that had scorched the man's palm into a swollen trotter vanished instantly!

Realizing he had provoked a ruthless character, the ringleader completely lost his fierce demeanor, bending forward until his waist was practically parallel to the ground. "The crystals are handed over. Can we leave now?"

Within the base, open bloodshed was ostensibly forbidden.

Su Su glanced at him. "Get lost."

The three of them scrambled out in a panic.

The open-air shop had already attracted a crowd of onlookers since the trouble began. Seeing how terrifyingly strong this newly arrived young woman was, they all began to calculate their own positions.

"Granny Niu! You've encountered a great benefactor!"

"Those were three second-tier supernatural beings! Little sister is truly formidable!"

"Oh my, a newly awakened supernatural being came to my shop, and I didn't even dare collect his crystals. This world has truly gone to ruin!"

"..."

Regaining her composure, Granny Niu furrowed her brows, decisively closed all the doors except the front entrance, and chased away the crowd lingering outside to watch the spectacle.

"Out! Get out of here right now!"

"Stay a second longer, and see if I don't bash your skull in!"

Though advanced in age, Granny Niu was still a second-tier supernatural being after all, retaining a formidable deterrent effect over the ordinary people around her.

The crowd scattered in an instant.

Granny Niu's gaze finally fell back upon the abruptly appeared young woman, though her facial expression remained cold, bearing no resemblance to someone facing a benefactor who had just come to her rescue.

She pushed the two second-tier crystals on the counter forward slightly. "What you exacted belongs to you."

Su Su was already accustomed to her cold expression. She shook her head and said, "Keep them. That butterfly knife exhibits exquisite craftsmanship; it's easily worth three second-tier crystals."

Granny Niu was silent for a moment, raising her head to stare directly at the stranger.

"You stood up for an old hag like me. What are your motives?"

Her question was blunt, and her tone even harsher, making anyone else think this old woman was thoroughly unlikable.

Su Su had already prepared her wording.

She walked up to the counter, unzipped her backpack, and revealed a collection of various cutting tools inside.

"I heard that Urban Village 44 has a weaponsmithing supernatural being who is exceptionally skilled. I'll provide the materials; you forge a weapon most suited to my combat style. Name your price." Relying on a butcher's knife to hack at zombies was hardly a long-term solution.

Granny Niu pulled the backpack closer and examined it carefully.

A random assortment of daggers, kitchen knives, nail clippers... Who would have guessed that a seemingly frail young girl was carrying a backpack entirely filled with lethal blades?

"One third-tier crystal."

A single third-tier crystal was equivalent to ten second-tier crystals. The crux was that while third-tier crystals could be broken down into second-tier ones, very few people could ever manage to pool ten second-tier crystals into a third-tier one. Thus, this exchange rate existed almost exclusively in theory on the market.

Anyone else would have flown into a rage at Granny Niu's "open-mouthed demand for an exorbitant price."

Instead, Su Su directly produced one third-tier crystal plus a second-tier crystal, generously sliding them across the counter.

Granny Niu said calmly, "You can pay a deposit first."

"I prefer to pay in full."

With that, Su Su chuckled softly to herself.

She never imagined that she, who in her past life had to risk venturing outside the city walls to slay zombies just for a single first-tier crystal, would one day be able to speak with such opulence.

"Then this second-tier crystal..."

"Is for the rent," Su Su said candidly. "I just entered the Southern Base and haven't found a place to stay yet. Granny, you still have an unrented room here, right?"

For a supernatural being to bypass the northern district where such individuals congregated and insist on renting a place in the dilapidated southern urban village was thoroughly abnormal.

Granny Niu scrutinized Su Su searchingly for a long time.

"The southern district is the most densely populated; where would I have any spare rooms?" she said indifferently. "The ten-square-meter single room upstairs already houses three people. It's long been fully occupied."

Su Su bit her lip and produced yet another second-tier crystal. "How about now?"

Seeing her resolute determination, Granny Niu fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Since you're offering more crystals, you can stay with me on the second floor. Four bedrooms, one living room, and a balcony, move-in ready with a bathroom and kitchen. The base supplies electricity for one hour every night at eight, water usage is capped, and any monthly excess requires a triple payment in food rations."

"Deal, I'll go right up!"

Happily taking the key, Su Su turned and walked up the side staircase.

Granny Niu stared at her retreating figure for a long while before finally withdrawing her gaze. She gathered the scattered tools to one side and began pondering what kind of weapon she should forge for the girl.

Upstairs.

Stepping once more into a room she knew with absolute familiarity, Su Su drew a deep breath.

She chose the very room she had inhabited in her past life.

"Little Hei, bring out the bedding first."

Ever since entering the room, the black snake had resumed its two-to-three-meter length. It slithered to the doorway, its vertical pupils sweeping over the bed and sofa before it artfully regurgitated a set of bedding.

Su Su was long accustomed to sharing a bed with Little Hei and found nothing amiss at the moment.

While cleaning and arranging the room, she earnestly instructed the cold-blooded creature: "Don't judge that granny by her harsh attitude; she's the type who is cold on the outside and warm on the inside. She saved me many times in the past. Since we'll be living together from now on, you're not allowed to attack her casually, understand?"

"Hiss?"

The black snake didn't understand. When on earth had that withered old hag ever saved her?

Su Su perceived Little Hei's confusion, but chose not to offer a detailed explanation.

In her previous life, the entry fee she handed over was meager, and the staff had casually dismissed her to Urban Village 44. Even bearing facial scars, malicious gazes of predatory men had constantly tracked her as a young woman.

Moreover, by that point, she had completely run out of food.

Ultimately, Su Su had collapsed from hunger right outside Granny Niu's shop.

Before anyone else could scavenge her belongings, the unsmiling little old woman had carried her into her own home.

During her first two grueling years within the base, it was Granny Niu who gave her odd jobs, letting her work as an assistant in the forge and occasionally tag along to clear out low-tier peripheral zombies, allowing her to scrape by and survive.

It was only regrettable that a few days before Su Su awakened her speed-type supernatural ability, Granny Niu had gone alone to deliver weapons to the northern district's supernatural apartments—

Twelve hours later, her corpse was carried back.

The blood covering her entire body had already congealed into a dark, dried crimson, and her wrinkled face had turned a chilling blue-white.