Chapter 152: First Slaying of a Strange Monster

Lin Meng suppressed her instinctive fear, stared straight at the suddenly appearing monster, and quickly noticed something was off.

Although the creature was covered in filth, one could see an apron tied around its chest, and on its split‑open head it was obviously wearing a squashed chef's hat askew.

This person was originally the chef of this restaurant?

At that moment, the half‑human monster suddenly looked toward Lin Meng, dragging its two knives as it lifted a leg and slowly approached her, emitting a low growl from its throat.

Lin Meng's heart leapt to her throat, yet she was no longer as panicked as before, gripping tightly in her hand the laser gun Ye Heng had given her.

Aim, fire, done in one smooth motion, without hesitation.

The blue laser instantly pierced a large hole in the humanoid monster's chest, and the next second it collapsed with a sound, motionless.

Lin Meng was about to get up to check, but time was up; she was forcibly pulled out and returned to the space.

The Mysterious Gate once again displayed a twenty‑four‑hour countdown; Lin Meng could only sigh.

What a pity; she was about to study that humanoid monster up close, but time had run out.

Three minutes is too short, far from enough for her to explore.

Lin Meng darted out of the space, sat cross‑legged on her cultivation mat, and reviewed what had just happened.

That humanoid monster somewhat resembled a zombie; it had previously been human.

However, that humanoid monster was of a higher grade than an ordinary zombie, capable of using human weapons.

So far, its fatal weakness lies in the chest area, not the zombie's headshot weak point.

Just now, at the instant Lin Meng's laser gun struck the monster's heart, she seemed to see black smoke rising from the wound.

She did not know what that black smoke signified.

In short, she currently knows nothing about that world and can only explore bit by bit with the mere three minutes she has.

After the review ended, Lin Meng finally could relax a little; the earlier tension and excitement left her with a lingering fright.

This was her first time firing a gun, her first time killing a monster, and also her first time directly facing a death threat.

Fortunately, after undergoing marrow washing and tendon changing, Lin Meng's psychological quality had been tempered.

Moreover, with the bolster of her cultivator identity, facing such slow‑moving humanoid monsters, she did not fall into utter panic.

But Lin Meng did not therefore relax, thinking herself superior.

Having read many novels, everyone knows there is such a thing as a beginner village.

That street might very well be a beginner village; the monsters inside are merely the lowest grade, so killing them singly is no cause for self‑congratulation.

After a brief pause, Lin Meng decisively dialed Sun Yao's phone.

"These few days, please help me purchase some things; later I will give you the list, and also advance you three million as expenses, with any excess refunded and any shortfall made up."

She plans to stay indoors these few days, just guarding the three spaces.

On Ye Heng's side, they need to recruit talent and expand the Bi Hu Suo, requiring greater investment of resources.

However, she currently has no spare capacity to split herself, and the purchasing task does not need her to do it personally; assigning it to Sun Yao will suffice.

Soon, Lin Meng sent the list she had drafted to Sun Yao.

After Sun Yao received the message, he immediately went to find Ye Chenjing to report.

Ye Chenjing was handling a jewelry merger acquisition; upon hearing it concerned Lin Meng, he decisively set aside his work and carefully examined the list Lin Meng had given him.

After a moment, Ye Chenjing said thoughtfully:

"Just follow what she said, help her purchase with all your heart, and don't ask about any excess."

Sun Yao nodded; in the coming days he will be Lin Meng's assistant, going out to help her procure supplies.

After Sun Yao left, Ye Chenjing also had no mind to handle official duties.

The large quantity of supplies on that list left him bewildered; what is Lin Meng planning to do?

Buying so much grain, flour, and oil, they also need to purchase a large amount of clothing—clothes for men, women, old and young, all sizes—seeking not brands but fabric quality.

Besides that, Lin Meng also requested the purchase of medicines, some of which are prescription drugs.

This point does not stump Sun Yao, but purchasing such a massive amount of daily necessities inevitably raises suspicion.

After thinking, Ye Chenjing picked up his phone and called Lin Meng.

Ye Chenjing's call came; Lin Meng was not at all surprised, knowing Sun Yao would surely report.

After the call connected, without waiting for the other party to speak, Lin Meng said:

"You must be curious what I intend to do with those purchased items, right?"

"Hn." Ye Chenjing gave a low hum, then heard the other side speak in a relaxed tone:

"I've been making money too fast lately, feeling unsettled, so I plan to donate some supplies to mountainous areas, do some good deeds; General Manager, any objections?"

Lin Meng's words were not an excuse; indeed, part of the purchase list is what she intends to donate.

First, it can conceal people's eyes and ears; second, she has indeed earned quite a bit recently, her wealth has grown, so she ought to give back a little, accumulating some virtue.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chenjing said nothing more, but after thinking, said:

"I may be relatively busy these days; if you have any matters..."

Before Ye Chenjing finished speaking, Lin Meng already knew what he was going to say next, and she decisively spoke up.

"How coincidental; I've also been quite busy lately, so let's just not disturb each other and focus on our own affairs, General Manager—you go ahead and get busy, bye‑bye."

Lin Meng hung up the phone, then took out a small notebook and began to review the situation inside the Mysterious Gate, utterly unaware that on the other end of the call, Ye Chenjing's face was grave, his heart filled with an indescribable feeling.

Ye Chenjing remained in the posture of listening to the phone, his body stiff, his inner self feeling very uneasy.

"This girl truly has no conscience; originally he had intended to show some concern for her, but she just hung up the phone as soon as she said she would."

"He originally wanted to say, although he is busy, whenever Lin Meng has something and seeks him, he will be there."

"But Lin Meng, with a heart of iron, uttered those words of not disturbing each other, which is truly chilling."

After a while, Ye Chenjing helplessly sighed, his face showing a hint of indulgent smile that even he himself had not noticed.

"Never mind; although he doesn't know what she is busy with, his intuition tells him that matter is very important to Lin Meng, so it's better not to disturb her."

Anyway, that girl never seemed to take him to heart, and she certainly wouldn't think about him.

But it was him—his emotions had long been led by the other party, yet he felt as if he were drinking sweet nectar.

After swallowing a Grain-Avoiding Pill, Lin Meng began sitting in meditation to cultivate.

Without spirit stones or pills that provide spiritual energy, her cultivation speed is very slow; she can only wait for Ye Fan to emerge from closed-door cultivation.

As for the Aperture-Opening Pill, its effect on her now is negligible, practically worthless; instead, it gave Lin Meng another idea.

It's useless for her, but for others, this Aperture-Opening Pill remains a medicine that can change fate.

Once she figures out exactly what kind of world lies beyond the Mysterious Gate, she should also make plans.

In the blink of an eye, it became late at night; during that time, Sun Yao would regularly report on the procurement progress, diligent and responsible.

Lin Meng handed the advance payment to Sun Yao, showing that she trusted him.

Being able to serve as Ye Chenjing's special assistant for so many years, Sun Yao must have exceptional abilities—there's no need for Lin Meng to worry.

Finally, the twenty-four-hour countdown ended, and Lin Meng stepped into the inner world again.

This time she headed straight for the noodle shop; oddly, the humanoid monster she had slain was gone, but the ground was left with a bloody, mangled residue.

Lin Meng's nerves instantly tensed up.

There are still monsters nearby, and they will devour each other!

Just then, the bar counter behind her suddenly emitted a buzzing electric sound.

Immediately after, an old-fashioned radio emitted a strange mechanical sound.

"Recently, the number of anomalies has surged; please, survivors who have not yet reached the safe zone, do not go out unless necessary."