Chapter 27: Looting
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The bountiful rewards from the fuel pump left Gu Su ecstatic.
He swiftly stowed the Oil Sprayer, Highly Concentrated Corrosive Oil, and other items in his storage space, his fingers moving with a palpable sense of urgency.
Without waiting for the Skeletons to clear the battlefield, he broke into a run, heading for the small supermarket behind the gas station.
In his eyes, the entire gas station was now a treasure trove of surprises.
This was especially true for the small supermarket before him, which had long been under the protection of the Oil Centipede’s power. He was certain the haul inside would be just as good as what he’d gotten from the fuel pump.
He kicked open the supermarket’s main door, which was hanging crookedly on its frame. A sharp CREAK broke the lingering silence of the battlefield.
Gu Su’s gaze, sharp as a hawk’s, swept across the empty supermarket, instantly locking onto the cash register in the corner that was continuously flashing with a white light.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he strode forward and yanked open the cash register’s drawer.
The moment he pulled open the drawer, a crisp DING-DING-DING erupted through the empty supermarket.
Like a fountain bursting free, countless glittering Gold Coins gushed from the drawer, CLATTERING onto the black, oil-stained floor. Flecks of golden light swirled in the dim supermarket, piling up into a small, dazzling mound of gold in mere moments that was almost too bright to look at.
The torrent of Gold Coins lasted a full half a minute before it finally slowed to a trickle and stopped.
Almost instantly, the familiar system prompt sounded in Gu Su’s ear, right on cue.
[You have opened the Cash Register (White). You have received 2466 Gold Coins.]
Gu Su stared down at the heavy, glittering pile of Gold Coins on the floor, a wide grin spreading across his face.
The cash register’s reward was simple and direct—and it was Gold Coins, the very thing he needed most.
He did a quick mental calculation:
The 2,466 from the cash register, plus the 554 from the oil storage Treasure Chest, plus the 382 he had already saved up in the Graveyard Demon... The grand total was a staggering 3,402 Gold Coins!
The number sent a jolt through Gu Su, followed by a wave of irrepressible excitement.
’I finally have enough Gold Coins to upgrade the Graveyard Demon!’
A huge weight that had been pressing on his mind was finally lifted. A sense of relief and joy coursed through his veins.
Suppressing his excitement, he turned and waved to the Skeletons on standby. He quietly ordered them to gather all the Gold Coins from the floor and store them away safely.
Once all the Gold Coins were collected, Gu Su’s gaze drifted over to the empty shelves lining the supermarket.
The shelves had long been picked clean, holding nothing at all.
However, thanks to the protection of the Oil Centipede’s power, they were in an exceptionally well-preserved state.
The Metal frames were smooth and shiny, without a single trace of rust.
The wooden planks were thick and uniform, also showing no signs of rot or mildew.
It was clear that both the Wood and the Metal looked brand new.
Even without taking them apart, he could tell they were top-quality materials—far superior to what he had salvaged from wrecked cars and the shopping mall.
As Gu Su reached out and ran his hand over the cool shelf, a clear plan formed in his mind.
’I definitely can’t use these to craft weapons or equipment. That would be a complete waste of such fine materials.’
’These should be used as construction materials for upgrading my territory. They’ll surely provide a major boost for the Graveyard Demon’s upgrade and take its Defense and functions to a whole new level.’
At this thought, Gu Su beckoned again, and another group of Skeletons filed in. They started dismantling the shelves, preparing to pack them up for the return trip.
Once the shelves were taken care of, Gu Su finally turned his attention to the last piece of loot in the supermarket.
The strangely out-of-place "oil painting" on the wall.
This oil painting’s colors were bright and fresh as new. Most importantly, it depicted farmers harvesting in a field.
Both its pristine condition and its subject matter clashed with the dilapidated, empty, and oil-stained surroundings, making it look exceptionally strange.
Gu Su strode forward and tore the painting from the wall.
The moment he touched the canvas, the surface layer of paint instantly dissipated like a receding tide, revealing a material underneath that glowed with a faint blue light.
The beautiful oil painting had transformed into a sheet filled with scribbled words.
At the same time, a prompt sounded.
[Simple Hydroponics Technique (Blueprint) discovered. Record this blueprint in the construction list?]
’This wasn’t an oil painting at all, it was an extremely precious blueprint!’
Hearing the prompt, everything clicked into place for Gu Su.
’It’s a blueprint.’
In the game, schematic-type items had clear distinctions: Scrolls, forging diagrams, manuals, architectural designs, and blueprints each had their own use.
Scrolls were used to learn Magic Skills, forging diagrams were for crafting various weapons and equipment, and manuals were somewhat like instruction books.
As for architectural designs and blueprints, only players who had mastered an Earth Attribute Golden Finger could truly bring out their greatest utility.
Among them, architectural designs could be used to directly construct the corresponding buildings in a player’s territory, shelter, or Mobile City.
Blueprints, on the other hand, were schematics used specifically to modify territories, shelters, and Mobile Cities, adding various functions.
Making modifications at will without a schematic was what players referred to as an "unauthorized build" or a "chaotic mod."
The results of such modifications were completely unknown. With good Luck, there might be an improvement, but with bad Luck, it could backfire and even damage the territory’s foundation.
One could imagine how important architectural designs and blueprints were for an Earth Attribute player like him, who possessed the Graveyard Demon.
They were practically priceless, incredibly rare treasures.
’It would be a cosmic joke if I let this slip through my fingers.’
Gu Su almost blurted it out, his tone full of unconcealable urgency and joy, as if afraid that if he were a step too slow, this surprise would disappear.
"Record!"
As soon as the word left his mouth, the blueprint’s detailed information appeared clearly in his mind like a stream of data.
Now, as long as he had enough materials, he could head to his tent to build and modify things without any further complications.
[Simple Hydroponics Technique: Consume 1 unit of Wood and 1 unit of Stone to build a simple hydroponics rack. Can grow more than six types of plants simultaneously, increases germination rate by 20%, increases plant growth speed by 35%, and has a 15% chance to improve plant quality.]
Gu Su laughed as he read the information that popped up before him.
’This is great stuff.’
To other people, this hydroponics technique could be used to grow vegetables and grains, ensuring that the residents of a territory wouldn’t go hungry.
But Gu Su’s territory belonged to the Undead, and they didn’t need to eat.
Aside from growing some food for his own consumption, the most important function of this hydroponics technique was to plant the special seeds Gu Su had obtained.
’Now *this* is the biggest prize of them all.’