Within the pitch-dark storage room, a moment of silence gave way to a subtle sound, followed by the slow emergence of a single foot from the shadows. This foot was bare, unbooted, its toenails monstrously enlarged, thick, and sharpened to claw-like points, inspiring a chilling dread.
A wave of shock crossed Ye Chen’s eyes as he gazed intently, immediately recognizing it as a corpse. Yet, this was no ordinary dead body; it was grossly swollen and muscular, its fingernails wickedly sharp, the palm bearing what looked like scales. Its expression was ferocious and terrifying, tusks protruding—like a Jiangshi from Chinese Taoist lore, radiating an overwhelming aura of malevolent energy.
“The smart system of this shop is actually hiding such a fearsome corpse!” Kaba exclaimed in horror. “What exactly does it intend to do?”
Ye Chen’s expression grew grave as he watched the shambling figure step by step, slowly backing away. He murmured low, “The infected corpses here are all creatures of darkness, spawned from the Dark Demon Sea. That entire sea is fundamentally an ocean of virulent contagion. The dark creatures themselves are the virus; the fact that they can be infected means this virus is even more terrifying—it has likely infected the smart system as well.”
Kaba’s eyes nearly popped out in disbelief. “No way? This virus can infect even a smart system?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can jump into the Dark Demon Sea. The viruses in the sea alone could infect you,” Ye Chen countered, glaring at the ferocious corpse. He frowned, glancing out past the doorway where over a dozen other corpses were violently slamming against the reinforced, highly adhesive metal-glass, causing the entire pane to tremble ominously, clearly close to failure.
“Let’s head for the elevator first,” Ye Chen whispered. He forced his limbs into motion, stumbling toward the elevator behind him. In normal times, this short distance would have been crossed in a mere thought, but now, simply standing felt agonizing, every step draining the last reserves of his strength.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, drawing nearer to the elevator doors.
Though Kaba couldn’t fathom why Ye Chen chose such a perilous route, he trusted him implicitly. He immediately spun around, grabbing Ye Chen’s arm, and together they lunged into the elevator car.
Click!
The entire elevator sealed shut the moment they were inside.
“As expected…” Kaba managed a wry smile, looking at the locked compartment. “What now?”
Ye Chen gasped for air, feeling the oxygen inside the elevator rapidly diminishing. Staring at the violent corpse rapidly approaching them, he clenched his jaw and tore open the Rune Space, shouting, “Old Man!”
The Green-Rune Old Man inside sputtered in confusion. “What is it? It’s only been a few days, you don’t miss me that much, do you?”
Ye Chen’s voice was sharp as flint. “Get out here, quickly!”
The Old Man sensed the urgency in his tone. He muttered an oath, and his ethereal, soul-like body drifted out through the small opening. He instantly took in the dire situation inside the elevator and the chaos outside. Upon seeing the hulking, violent corpse, he let out a startled yell: “Holy hell!”
Ye Chen pressed him urgently. “Right now, everyone’s lives are in your hands. Do you have any way to breach this shop’s smart system?”
The Green-Rune Old Man paused, bewildered. “What’s going on? Why are you two here? And what’s with these corpses outside? Why break the shop’s smart system anyway? Wait, a mere convenience store like this is equipped with a high-end smart system?”
“We’ll discuss it later. Figure out how to crack this shop’s smart system first,” Ye Chen commanded tersely.
The Green-Rune Old Man rarely saw Ye Chen this serious. He gave him an amused look. “Little Chen Chen, I must say, you only realize how important I am when things get critical, right? Considering we’re colleagues, and since you’ve begged so sincerely, I shall graciously lend a hand. But afterward, remember to upgrade my spaceship. And we won’t need any more of those biological corpses.”
Ye Chen stared at him coldly, remaining silent.
The Old Man grew uneasy under Ye Chen’s scrutiny, offering a nervous chuckle. “I’m just kidding, don’t mind me. I’m on it. A petty smart system—I can deal with it in a few moves.”
Just then, a hatch suddenly opened in the ceiling above the elevator. A transparent screen materialized on the glass above, displaying a disheveled girl with milky-white eyes and a face smeared with blood. She stared menacingly at the occupants below, a cruel grin twisting her mouth, accompanied by a sound like shattering glass: “Heh heh… you think you can escape? You want to break my defense system? Dream on!”
“Holy hell!” the Green-Rune Old Man shrieked. “What is that thing?”
Ye Chen muttered, “That is the smart system.”
Kaba cast a worried glance at the Old Man. “Can you handle it?”
The Old Man felt a prick of offense at Kaba’s doubtful gaze. He puffed out his chest proudly. “A mere child, thinking a gruesome appearance can scare me? Let me tell you, I wasn’t raised to be easily frightened! Just watch, blast it, with my former dashingly handsome and suave looks, I could…”
“You will all die!” the little girl on the screen interrupted the Old Man’s rambling, grinning maliciously. “You will definitely die, you’re done for…”
The Green-Rune Old Man frowned, his expression turning serious. With a cold sneer, his form suddenly blurred, and his soul-like body permeated the glass-like elevator door, vanishing into the network of metallic circuitry within.
Bang!
The instant the Old Man disappeared, the bulky corpse reached the outside of the elevator door. Its expression was savage and violent as it roared, slamming its fists against the metal-glass casing. The impacts reverberated thunderously against the pipes embedded in the door, yet Ye Chen and Kaba inside heard nothing at all.
The metal-glass strength of this elevator far surpassed the exterior glazing; it was rated ‘S2’ grade.
Kaba felt a slight easing in his chest, but having such a terrifying corpse blockading the exit still sent shivers down his spine. He kept glancing over, his grip tightening on the Heaven-Mending Divine Sword, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. He turned to Ye Chen, unable to contain his doubt. “Can that old man really breach the smart system here?”
Ye Chen nodded slightly. “The probability of success is 82%. It just depends on how hard he tries.”
Kaba couldn’t help but ask, “Wasn’t this old guy the smart system for a Demigod-level spaceship? How does he possess such capability?”
Ye Chen glanced at him. “Have you ever seen a smart system from a Demigod ship that traffics in human corpses and is this cunning? This Old Man was originally a Green-Rune from a Rune Civilization. His soul, after death, only fortuitously became the AI for a Rune spaceship. Furthermore, as that spaceship underwent continuous refinement, merging with numerous other vessels, he, as the core entity, has devoured the AIs of so many ships. He is long past being the system that used to scam children.”
Kaba conceded the point, finding it logical. After a moment of thought, he remarked with feeling, “Indeed. His current skills are advanced enough to deceive adults now.”
Ye Chen flicked him a sidelong glance.
Kaba looked toward the dozen-plus corpses outside, close to breaking through the main entrance, and asked, “If the shop’s smart system is infected by that virus, why would it help us? That energy lock on the main door—it could release it with a single thought. And it could open this elevator door, letting those corpses devour us.”
“There is only one reason,” Ye Chen stated flatly. “It has deemed us its private property. Since it couldn't trick us into the elevator initially, it used this corpse right in front of us to force us inside. We must serve some function for it.”
Kaba was stunned. “This was all its plan?”
“Based on the situation, yes,” Ye Chen confirmed. He looked up at the screen, finding it completely dark now, revealing nothing. He frowned deeply, his hand hidden beneath his sleeve clenching tightly, beads of sweat seeping out.
Minutes later, as Ye Chen and Kaba waited anxiously, the energy locks on the shop's main door suddenly deactivated and vanished. The door was shoved open by the dozen or so corpses, who roared and staggered forward, rushing toward the elevator shaft.
Ye Chen and Kaba’s hearts lurched, facial muscles twitching nervously as they stared at the elevator doors. If those doors opened now, this mass of corpses would instantly tear them to shreds!
However, the elevator doors remained still, showing no sign of opening.
The dozen-plus corpses swarmed, completely boxing in the elevator. They thrust out their clawed hands, reaching for the car, baring teeth and claws, their faces bloody and grotesque as they glared at the two men inside.
Ye Chen and Kaba retreated to the very back of the elevator, watching the corpses pressed against the surrounding S2-grade metal-glass. Terror gripped them, the shadow of death pervasive in their minds; even though the glass was S2-rated, under such relentless pounding, it wouldn't hold long before shattering.
“Did it fail?” Kaba felt his hope turning to ash.
Ye Chen clenched his fist, defiance blazing in his eyes. A light flashed in his gaze as he took the Heaven-Mending Divine Sword from Kaba’s hand, focusing intently on the corpses outside. He positioned himself to shield Kaba, ordering in a low voice, “Stay glued to my back, no matter what happens.”
Kaba looked at him, confused. “What are you going to do?”
Ye Chen offered no reply.
Under the assault of the dozen corpses, the metal-glass elevator slowly began to warp, bowing inward little by little, swelling like a taut belly. Especially the massive corpse directly in front—its bulk and strength were more than double that of the others. Under its relentless striking, the nearly transparent metal-glass buckled inwards, and a small hole was ripped open by a claw, allowing a thick, bloody stench to rush in and permeate the entire elevator car.
Boom!
The entire elevator violently burst open. The front section was utterly shredded, and the surrounding corpses tore several rents into the side panels as well. The solidly built elevator was instantly destroyed, and the dozen corpses surged toward Ye Chen and Kaba with guttural roars.