Chapter 32: Browsing the Armory, Purchasing Second-Tier Corpse Artifacts

The group followed Huang Qian into a small door in the corner of the lobby, which led to a long corridor.

"You probably aren't very familiar with this place," Huang Qian said, taking the lead. "The Zombie Hunter branch office is more than just a place to accept and turn in missions."

She pointed to the rooms lining both sides of the corridor. "These rooms are combat training suites. You can train your physical fitness, combat awareness, and other skills here."

The group looked through the glass and saw large rooms filled with various equipment, where many people were already deep into their training.

"Many people lack strong combat awareness. Training here can help you improve quickly, which will increase your chances of survival when you face danger."

Everyone felt a stir of excitement. After all, they were just ordinary people; they only knew a couple of moves, and their survival against zombies so far had mostly been a matter of luck.

"Can we train here too?"

Huang Qian turned back and smiled at them. "Of course you can, but... it costs money."

As expected, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Soon, they reached the end of the corridor, where a high-tech door stood guarded by two people. After their credentials were verified, the group was allowed inside.

Once inside, they realized it was an armory. It was as large as a basketball court and stocked with cold weapons: swords, spears, clubs, brass knuckles, collapsible batons, and more.

"Damn, this place is cool!"

Huang Qian cleared her throat. "This is the cold weapons section, divided into three zones. The items near the entrance are suitable for Tier 1 or below. Since you are all Tier 2, you can head further in."

The five of them walked deeper until they saw the signs for Tier 2 weapons.

"Weapons are graded?"

Huang Qian nodded. "Of course. These graded weapons are collectively known as 'Zombie Tools.' That long sword you were issued earlier is a Tier 1 tool, which is why it was so ineffective against the Tier 4 zombie."

She pointed to a black, meter-long battle axe nearby. "Try this Tier 2 one and you’ll see. The weight and quality are far superior to a Tier 1 tool."

The five gathered around and each picked up an axe. It was indeed significantly heavier and felt substantial, and it didn't look like it was made of pure iron.

Liu San swung the axe twice. "If we had this today, that zombie would have been much easier to handle!"

They nodded and split up to find weapons that suited them. Huang Ya and the others checked out the Tier 3 tools, but they were so incredibly heavy that they struggled to even lift them, so they quickly moved on.

Li Xingyue didn't look at anything else; he felt the long axe in his hand was perfect—it could be used for both hacking and crushing, making it highly cost-effective.

The other four eventually chose the same black battle axe. When they checked the price tag, they were shocked to see it cost 200 points each!

"Damn, that's expensive!" they exclaimed in unison.

"You think these are ordinary weapons? The materials used are... well, you wouldn't understand anyway. This is already cheap; Tier 3 tools are even pricier!" Huang Qian rolled her eyes, sounding annoyed.

"Fine, the price is actually fair. It's worth it." Li Xingyue paid the 1,000 points.

"By the way, do you have other weapons, like firearms, ammunition, or grenades?"

Huang Qian curled her lip. "Of course we do, but they are even more expensive."

She led them to the end of the Tier 3 section, where a white door stood. After she swiped a card, the iron gate opened. They found themselves in another corridor, this one guarded by several men carrying firearms.

At the end of the hall, they entered a smaller room, but it was packed with modern weaponry. They were on the walls, on the tables, and even on the floor.

"Holy crap, is that an AWM?!"

"My goodness, an M416!"

"Hey, a flare gun! Pew pew!"

Men seem to have an innate fondness for these things; once inside, they couldn't keep their hands off them, touching and examining everything. However, everything here had a price tag. An AWM sniper rifle cost 600 points, excluding ammunition. The M4 was even pricier at 1,200 points. By comparison, handguns were much cheaper; the most basic model cost just over a hundred points—the exact same model Li Xingyue was already carrying.

Li Xingyue pondered for a moment before looking at the others. "I think we should each equip a handgun with two magazines, and then we should buy one rifle or submachine gun for emergencies."

The group agreed with the proposal. They each picked up a handgun and two magazines. Following Huang Qian's recommendation, Li Xingyue chose an MP5 submachine gun; since their combat with zombies was almost always close-quarters, a submachine gun was more suitable than a rifle.

The MP5 was priced at 1,000 points, and a 30-round magazine was 100 points; Li Xingyue bought two. Including essential accessories like a silencer, the firearms cost them 2,200 points.

Li Xingyue considered buying some grenades, but Huang Qian stopped him. She shook her head. "Boss, look at your combat uniforms. Don't you think it's time for an upgrade? Follow me!"

They were led to another room filled with combat clothing, boots, hats, and backpacks. Huang Qian pointed to a set of black gear. "Advanced combat uniform. 500 points a set, fully equipped from head to toe!"

"Damn, so expensive!" Li Xingyue exclaimed.

"Damn, so stylish!" Huang Ya gasped.

Well, it was a necessity. They had to buy it! Another 2,500 points were spent, leaving Li Xingyue with very few points left.

Back in the lobby, the group looked brand new. While the style of the uniforms was identical to their old ones, the materials were vastly different; it was likely that ordinary zombies wouldn't even be able to tear the fabric.

The others were thrilled, while Li Xingyue felt a wave of melancholy and frustration.

Huang Qian patted his shoulder. "Hey, Captain, don't be like that. Tell you what, dinner is on me tonight! You guys did help me earn a nice commission with this shopping spree."

Hearing this, Li Xingyue’s spirits lifted. He looked at the other four. "Since Boss Qian is paying, we have to show some appreciation. Let's head to the Liberty City Roast Duck Restaurant!"

It was already past seven, and they were indeed hungry. Huang Qian waved goodbye to her colleagues and followed the group as they headed into the city.