Chapter 26: No Matter How Hard You Search, You Won't Find It

"Whoa!"

The sword blade flicked up the Fire-Winged Bird's corpse, slicing it open from belly to chest.

Fang Shi skillfully dug out its energy core, then began searching through its digestive tract.

"Big Brother, how is it? Did you find it?"

Zhai Yan limped over, asking with hope in his eyes.

Fang Shi shook his head; even though this was a Level 4 Fire-Winged Bird that provided him with 120 experience points, there was still no key.

Watching Fang Shi's actions, Zhai Yan's face went pale; he felt his knees hurt even more, as if he could no longer walk.

As if sensing his mood, Fang Shi casually tossed something toward Zhai Yan.

Zhai Yan hurriedly caught it, opened his palm, and saw a ruby-like crystal with a tiny flame flickering in its center, emitting a faint glow.

It looked like a fine craftwork from before the apocalypse.

But Zhai Yan, who had tasted the flavor of primal force, dared not underestimate this red crystal.

Every second, a wisp of primal force seeped from the red crystal, nourishing his entire body; even the scrape on his palm began to heal.

"What is this?"

"It is the energy center of a creature from another world. Wearing it constantly can enhance physical fitness; this is the reward I promised you."

Hearing Fang Shi's words, Zhai Yan quickly tightened his grip on the energy core, not daring to let go for even a moment.

"Big Brother, since you've given the reward, does tonight end here?"

Fang Shi said indifferently, "No, it has only just begun. This is merely an advance on your reward; I was afraid your feet would hurt later and you wouldn't be able to run."

Hearing this, Zhai Yan actually felt a hint of shame, but quickly brushed it aside, saying earnestly, "Big Brother, I will definitely complete the mission."

"Mm, I know; you will definitely complete the mission," Fang Shi said, patting Zhai Yan's shoulder and continuing, "Good job; there is more to come."

Having finished speaking, he turned and walked into the alleyway amidst Zhai Yan's heavy breathing.

The energy core is precious, yet not so precious; it is valuable, yet not that valuable.

The weak are few, the strong are many; individuals and teams have surplus, while great powers lack them.

For Fang Shi at present, Fire-Winged Bird energy cores are too numerous; he cannot possibly use them all, so he might as well use them as rewards.

After all, human material trade has not yet been established; even if Fang Shi held ten thousand energy cores, he could not spend them.

Once material trade is established, will Fang Shi still care about such a small Level 3 energy core?

By then, even more expensive Tier-Entry cores will be obtained with a mere wave of the hand.

"Thud!"

Another Fire-Winged Bird fell to the ground, and Fang Shi hurried forward to swing his sword.

But unexpectedly, it was another disappointment.

"Big Brother, should we continue?" Zhai Yan, having resigned himself to fate, dragged his bandaged knee and slowly walked over.

Fang Shi took out a mechanical watch he had casually picked up from his pocket, and finally shook his head.

It was already eleven-thirty; with only half an hour until the first surge, it should already be too late.

Tonight, he had killed six Fire-Winged Birds in total: four Level 3 and two Level 4, granting Fang Shi 480 experience points.

This advanced him further along the path of Level 4; the only regret was that the key still had not been found.

He could only sigh that he simply did not have the fate for it.

Before his rebirth, Fang Shi had never received a key from killing monsters; he relied entirely on others to lead him into the Mystical Realm.

He comforted himself, saying that being reborn was the greatest luck, so he should not be so ungrateful.

Besides, good items do not come only from the Mystical Realm.

Didn't he obtain a black iron chest tonight, which also yielded a fine pair of boots?

"Striding Boots"

"Tenacity: 5"

"Durability: 10"

"Weight: 1060g"

"Evaluation: A comfortable pair of boots."

The Striding Boots looked like an ordinary pair of men's leather boots, with nothing outstanding on the surface.

Nor did they possess any supernatural power enhancements within.

Yet, being produced by the System, they were naturally different from ordinary boots.

First, they fit extremely well, crafted to perfectly match Fang Shi's foot shape, becoming one with him, allowing Fang Shi to move and run slightly faster.

Second, they were extremely sturdy; a tenacity of 5 points proved these boots were as hard as steel, yet possessed a flexibility steel lacked.

This left no weakness in Fang Shi's feet, preventing awkward situations such as boots easily breaking during combat or movement being hindered.

Overall, these were magical boots that the craftsmanship of pre-apocalypse Blue Star could never produce.

Only after the apocalypse, using the tough leather of some extraordinary creatures themselves, could they be made.

Fang Shi was very satisfied with this; after three days of high-intensity combat, his already poor-quality sneakers had worn out beyond recognition.

Moreover, his combat style was unpredictable; sometimes he pushed off the ground, sometimes he scaled walls, and occasionally he hooked onto sharp protrusions, which caused immense damage to shoes.

Fang Shi had long wanted to change his shoes; otherwise, could he not fight barefoot?

Human feet do not have scales; fighting barefoot would affect combat effectiveness.

"Big Brother, I wonder if there is a possibility that Fire-Winged Birds vomit things out?" Zhai Yan leaned in and said.

"When I raised birds before, I discovered that birds do not swallow things they cannot digest; instead, they spit them out."

"Think about it; the pile of clothing fragments near the carcass proves that Fire-Winged Birds do not eat or digest things they cannot break down."

"The reason Big Brother didn't find the key is probably that the key was too small, heavier than the clothes, and flew very far with a light spit."

"Anyway, it's the apocalypse; zombies won't pick things up, so it should still be there."

Zhai Yan's words inspired Fang Shi, who said directly, "Then what are we waiting for? Call your wife and go find it together."

Zhai Yan's face instantly turned red, stammering, "Xiao Xi is not my wife."

Fang Shi walked while speaking wordlessly, "It's the apocalypse; who still issues marriage certificates? Besides, strength rules in the apocalypse. As long as you are stronger than Xiao Xi, she can be your wife tonight."

Hearing Fang Shi's words, Zhai Yan unconsciously touched the energy core in his chest and nodded slightly.

Fang Shi said no more; a simp is an irrational creature. Unless he figures it out himself, he won't turn back even if he breaks his head.

Around the crime scene, Xiao Xi searched everywhere with a dissatisfied expression.

Working again, working again; tonight it just won't end.

Although Xiao Xi didn't have to lure monsters before, she had chopped meat in the kitchen for a long time.

She dared to slack off, but she didn't dare to truly do nothing.

So, Xiao Xi treated the Fire-Winged Bird's corpse as Fang Shi's body and vented her anger fiercely.

Unexpectedly, Fang Shi and Zhai Yan returned and issued a new emergency mission.

This made Xiao Xi regretful; it was all her fault for talking too much, otherwise she could have rested long ago.

"Pop!"

A leather sound rang out, and Xiao Xi felt her shoe seem to kick something.

"What sound?"

Fang Shi turned around and asked. The night was silent, and with his senses maximized and his expression focused, any rustle of wind or movement of grass could catch his attention.

Xiao Xi intended to explain, but somehow thought of Fang Shi's detestable face.

The words turned in her mouth: "Nothing, just kicked a stone."

Seeing him say so, Fang Shi paid no more attention; time was tight, and they had only ten or so minutes left to search.

Seeing Fang Shi turn, Xiao Xi raised the torch and searched in the direction she had kicked the object.

Unexpectedly, after walking only ten or so meters, she discovered a black object on the road, so conspicuous under the torchlight.

Looking closely, wasn't that a key?

Thinking that the key caused Hong Yuankai and the others to be wiped out, and that this same key caused Fang Shi to make her work overtime.

Xiao Xi's heart stirred; they all valued the key so highly, could it be an extraordinary treasure?

Then she thought of Feng Ren's confession before leaving, where he solemnly claimed he would be qualified to be her boyfriend upon his return.

All signs indicated that this key was absolutely extraordinary.

Then, why not keep the key for herself and say later that she found nothing?

Anyway, that demon wasn't entirely sure the key was still on the street; wouldn't she be able to bluff her way through easily?

Thinking this, Xiao Xi couldn't wait to step forward and pick up the key.

Then, like a thief, she stood up, looked around, and seeing that neither Fang Shi nor Zhai Yan noticed her action, she couldn't help but sigh with relief.

"Random Mystical Realm Key"

"Tenacity: 100"

"Durability: 100"

"Quality: Iron"

"Weight: 5 grams"

"Effect: Opens a random Mystical Realm below level 5 (adaptive level, including level 5). Mystical Realm opening location (XXXX, XXXX, XXXX)."

"During the Mystical Realm opening, those who enter gain the proficiency: Common Language (Proficient)."

"Disappears after leaving the Mystical Realm."

"Restriction: Player level below 5, maximum 20 people."

"Evaluation: Perhaps you will open a young dragon's nest."

As soon as Xiao Xi had the thought of wanting to understand this key, a stream of data flashed across her attribute panel, and the key's information floated directly into her consciousness.

Mystical Realm, what is that? Is it some kind of treasure vault?

Xiao Xi was still full of doubts, and immediately she used her consciousness to check the Mystical Realm opening location.

Suddenly she understood; no wonder Hong Yuankai and that group appeared there abruptly.

It turned out this crime scene was the location where the Mystical Realm opened.

However, it seemed useless to her; Hong Yuankai and so many others suffered heavy casualties, so wouldn't going there be suicide?

But even if she didn't use it, she couldn't give it to that demon.

Thinking this, Xiao Xi stuffed the black key directly under her collar.

She didn't believe it; even if Fang Shi searched her body, could he find it there?

"Bring it out!"

A low voice rang in Xiao Xi's ear, making her heart almost jump out of her chest.

"B-bring... w-what..."

Xiao Xi turned around stuttering and saw Fang Shi standing behind her like an iron mountain.

Fang Shi's face was gloomy: "You know what I mean; don't force me to act."

His perception of 19 was no decoration; perception affected not only the five senses but also involved the sixth sense.

As long as there was no perception suppression, Fang Shi would always obtain information favorable to himself.

Previously, hearing Xiao Xi's words, Fang Shi had felt something was wrong in a vague way, though he couldn't say what.

Thus, she secretly observed Xiao Xi's behavior; as for Xiao Xi's belief that no one had noticed, it was merely her own delusion.

In the three years of the apocalypse, Fang Shi had long learned to observe enemies from the corner of his eye; how could a fledgling like Xiao Xi possibly detect it?

Afterward, he noticed Xiao Xi's actions but said nothing, until she shoved it directly under her collar, at which point he could no longer restrain himself and revealed himself.

Staring at Fang Shi's gloomy face, Xiao Xi finally could not withstand the pressure and handed over the key.

Fang Shi watched her every move the entire time, making no attempt to avoid suspicion, and only turned to leave once the key was in his hand.

Zhai Yan had been standing nearby the whole time, wanting to say something yet holding back, and in the end, he also pulled Xiao Xi back inside the house.