Chapter 40: Inventory Slots!

Lu Feng glanced at Lin Jiao, who immediately understood and tossed two loaves of bread and two bottles of water to Chen Tao and Chen Hao.

Naturally, this did not mean Lu Feng trusted the two men. Trust is not something built in a few words; it requires ongoing observation. Who knew if these two brothers were sincere or merely putting on an act? If they were sincere, then congratulations to them for making the right choice. If they were not, then the most painful thing would be reverting from a life of satisfying, full meals back to the misery of constant hunger.

In any case, he had nothing to lose. After all, what he was paying was merely some food. And was food even a concern for him?

After receiving the bread and water, Chen Tao and Chen Hao shoved the food into their mouths and gulped down the water greedily. Having eaten only a small biscuit in two days, they turned into gluttons the moment a loaf of bread was placed before them.

Lu Feng continued, "Since you are going to work for me, then for the time being, you will join Lin Jiao and Xu Bin in helping me search this department store for jewelry shops. With over 30 floors, I assume there are still jewelry stores here, and I need that gold."

Chen Tao took a gulp of water and immediately replied, "I know which floor has a jewelry shop."

"You do?" Lu Feng was surprised. This was truly an unexpected windfall. If what Chen Tao said was true, then a loaf of bread and a bottle of water were more than a worthwhile investment.

Chen Hao chimed in, "On the 23rd floor. We were scouting yesterday for the department store's offices to see if there was any food, and that’s when we saw it. However, it’s very dangerous. There is a mutant beast there. If we hadn't run away quickly, we would have been done for."

"Take me to see it!" Lu Feng said immediately. Having already killed one, he didn't care much about mutant beasts. It just so happened he still had two gas canisters in his apartment. Based on the power of the last one, two canisters should be more than enough to finish off the beast.

The brothers exchanged a look, hope dawning in their eyes. The fact that this man chose to investigate immediately upon hearing about a mutant beast, rather than showing fear, proved he truly wasn't afraid. This meant he might actually be able to lead them out of this department store.

So, once the brothers finished their bread and licked the crumbs from their hands, they stood up to lead the way. Lin Jiao and Xu Bin picked up their steel spikes and large axe, and Lu Feng grabbed his steel blade.

The brothers had clearly scouted the path the day before, so they didn't encounter any zombies on their way up. If they did, the group would dispatch them instantly, without even giving Lu Feng a chance to intervene. Soon, the group arrived at the 21st floor.

From this point on, Chen Hao and Chen Tao became cautious. Lin Jiao and Xu Bin were equally vigilant, fearful that a mutant beast might pounce from somewhere. Passing the 22nd floor, they arrived at the 23rd.

Being on the higher floors, there were almost no zombies here; when the apocalypse began, people fled downward, and those who turned into zombies remained below. Passing through the circular corridor, the group entered a display area.

The brothers signaled for silence and leaned against a corner wall. Chen Hao peeked out and turned back, whispering, "The mutant beast was in that corner hallway yesterday. It hasn't left, and the jewelry store is right there."

Lu Feng leaned out to look and indeed saw the mutant beast—a "Slaughter Hound," just like the previous one—lying there resting.

"You all go back down. I will handle this guy!" Lu Feng said, already scanning the surroundings for a shop suitable for setting a trap. He quickly found one, ducked inside, and with a thought, logged out of the game.

Seeing this, Lin Jiao and Xu Bin turned and walked downstairs without hesitation. They trusted their boss could handle it, and they didn't want to worry about the beast waking up and targeting them. Chen Tao and Chen Hao followed suit. Although they were curious to see how he created such a massive commotion as they had witnessed before, the mutant beast was still too terrifying for them.

Back in his apartment, Lu Feng immediately took the two rigged gas canisters into the game, opened the valves, and set them up just like before. Soon, the smell of gas began to permeate the shop.

Feeling it was enough, he took out a lighter and grabbed an empty bottle from the shop before stepping outside. He stood almost directly opposite the beast, then tossed the bottle. It slid in an arc and smashed onto the ground in front of the creature.

*Clatter!*

The sound of shattering glass startled the beast, causing it to instinctively stand up and look around. Naturally, it saw Lu Feng—a delicious meal—the moment it looked up. It roared and lunged at him without hesitation, clearly having been starving for a long time.

Watching the ferocious beast charge, Lu Feng, having gained experience from last time, calmly retreated into the shop. A moment later, the beast surged into the shop, only to be met by a flickering lighter.

Lu Feng had already logged out of the game, vanishing from the spot.

In that instant, the flame erupted, spreading into a sea of fire that ignited the gas canisters. There seemed to be a force that began to expand violently.

*BOOM!*

A terrifying roar echoed as a massive shockwave, accompanied by a dragon of fire, engulfed the mutant beast, followed by a harrowing force of destruction.

Downstairs, Lin Jiao, Xu Bin, Chen Tao, and Chen Hao felt the walls around them vibrate. The power was truly astonishing. They knew what had happened and stopped in their tracks.

Lin Jiao said in surprise, "The boss acted so quickly this time."

Xu Bin nodded in amazement; last time, the boss had waited much longer before making his move. The group turned back and headed upstairs to investigate.

...

Lu Feng appeared back in his apartment in reality, and a notification followed:

[Congratulations on killing a mutant Slaughter Hound. Gained 100 EXP!]

The power of two gas canisters was indeed sufficient. His experience increased by 100, bringing him to Lv 4: 310/800.

He looked into the game world. The shop had been blown to pieces, and the mutant beast’s body was shredded; however, there wasn't much blood, as the wounds had been cauterized by the intense heat. The fire had triggered the department store's sprinkler system, and the water mixing with the soot made the shop look muddy.

Lu Feng entered and immediately used his steel blade to split open the beast's head, retrieving something from inside:

[This is the Crystal Core of a mutant Slaughter Hound. It has significant value and can be used as currency or energy. Crystal Core Value: 12!]

The energy value of this core was 1.5 lower than the previous one. It seemed the energy value of cores from the same type of monster was not identical, which perhaps related to the individual strength of the creature.

Next, Lu Feng was drawn to a glowing sign hovering beside the monster's carcass, wrapped in white light. It resembled the life skill sign for "Qingfeng Tea" he had seen before, floating there quite prominently. He realized what it was; in the game, killing monsters and bosses could indeed drop these special item signs.

While he was stunned, the four others arrived at the shop and walked inside. Seeing the corpse of the mutant beast, they were stunned. This creature, which was so terrifying to them, had been killed for the second time.

However, Lu Feng looked at the four of them with surprise. They didn't seem to see the glowing sign; otherwise, they wouldn't have reacted with such indifference. He quickly took advantage of their distraction to secretly grab the sign, using the game's inspection function:

[This is a special Backpack Slot Exchange Token. Using it will unlock one additional backpack inventory slot!]