Chapter Ten: Weapons, Equipment, and the Abandoned Factory That Appeared Out of Thin Air

Having finished speaking, Xu Feng ignored Tang Zhen and turned to get into his car to leave.

Seeing that Xu Feng was about to leave, Tang Zhen felt a surge of anxiety. Unwilling to let him go, he immediately grabbed him and explained, "What are you thinking? Do you think I'm that naive? Look, I'll be honest with you. I need to collect some old goods in the mountains soon. I'm not familiar with the place, so I want to get something for self-defense and to scare people off."

"I'd be a fool to believe you. I'm telling you straight, I can't get it."

"Damn it, are we brothers or not? If we are, help me out this once. Don't tell me you can't get it; you can't fool me."

Xu Feng paused, slowly turned his sturdy frame, and frowned. He scanned Tang Zhen’s face a few times, and just as Tang Zhen was about to lose his temper, he spoke, "Fine, we’ve been brothers for a long time. I’ve said what I needed to say, and if you won't listen, I can't help it. Since you’re begging me, consider this a favor. I have one here, comes with ten thousand rounds of ammunition. Do you want it or not?"

"No problem, I'll pay you right now."

Hearing this, Tang Zhen felt a surge of joy and nodded in quick agreement.

In fact, Tang Zhen had wanted to get a shotgun, but that would be too conspicuous, so he hadn't mentioned it this time. After nodding, he asked, "By the way, when can I pick it up? The sooner, the better."

"Wait on the side, let me make a call."

Xu Feng rolled his eyes at Tang Zhen, pulled out his phone, and dialed. After muttering a few words, he hung up.

Less than ten minutes later, a black Honda pulled up in front of them. A muscular man, standing at least 1.9 meters tall, jumped out and bowed to Xu Feng, saying, "Brother Feng."

Xu Feng tilted his head to point at Tang Zhen. The muscular man looked him over carefully, gestured for Tang Zhen to sit in the back seat, and then turned to pull a black plastic bag from the passenger seat.

Tang Zhen got into the car and opened the bag to inspect it. Inside was indeed a brand-new black pistol, visually striking. Along with the pistol, there was a magazine and several dozen rounds of ammunition.

Seeing Tang Zhen’s clumsy handling of the firearm, Xu Feng curled his lip in disdain, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes, but he said nothing.

"The goods are good. I'll take it!"

Tang Zhen nodded with satisfaction. Although there was no way to test the weapon, he could skip that step given his relationship with Xu Feng.

He pulled a stack of crisp bills from his leather bag and handed them to Xu Feng, but the man didn't take them. Instead, the big man nearby took them, checked the amount, and shoved them into his pocket.

Getting out of the car, Tang Zhen felt the heavy weight in his bag, and his sense of security increased significantly.

After Xu Feng finished his cigarette and discarded the butt, he turned and tapped Tang Zhen’s chest with his finger. "Use your head. If you run into something you really can't handle, come find me. I still have some pull in these surrounding districts. But if you're hell-bent on a suicide mission, don't blame me for not having time to collect your corpse!"

Tang Zhen laughed and retorted, "I wouldn't dare trouble you. You're too busy, Young Master Xu. Aside from chasing women, you never have any free time. We've been brothers for nearly twenty years; don't say I didn't warn you: lust is a bone-scraping blade. Better to quit early."

Xu Feng scoffed and laughed, "Consider that comment as nothing more than a fart."

With that, Xu Feng coolly started the car, extended his left hand out the window to wave, and sped off.

After Xu Feng left, Tang Zhen hailed a taxi and headed home.

As he got out of the cab and turned onto the street where he lived, a black BMW drove toward him and stopped at the side of the road, thirty meters away.

As the car door opened, a tall, beautiful girl in a black silk skirt stepped out from the passenger seat, accompanied by a slightly delicate-looking young man in designer clothes.

Tang Zhen’s eye twitched slightly as he stood there and watched the two pass by.

The woman in the black silk skirt felt a sudden, inexplicable tension when she saw Tang Zhen, and a hint of hesitation appeared on her face.

Tang Zhen was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, waved his hand, and said, "What a coincidence. Is this your boyfriend?"

He gestured toward the man with his eyes, smiling naturally.

Fang Yujia gave an unnatural smile and murmured a soft "Mhm."

It was neither warm nor cold, like a mere acquaintance.

Tang Zhen looked at the young man, examined him for a few seconds, and nodded at him.

The young man smiled politely and then turned his gaze back to his girlfriend.

They exchanged greetings and passed each other—a scene as normal as it could be.

But for some reason, an indescribable emotion lingered in her heart, as if she had lost something important.

Seeing the strange expression on Fang Yujia's face, the young man asked with great concern, "Jiajia, are you not feeling well? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?"

Fang Yujia smiled and shook her head, saying she was fine. At the same time, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the departing Tang Zhen, secretly comparing him to the young man beside her.

The result of the comparison remained unchanged. In her view, although Tang Zhen was sincere and honest, and his height and appearance were far superior to the young man beside her—even his temperament seemed completely different from before—his family background...

Forget it, why think about all that mess? She was never meant to be with him!

With this thought, Fang Yujia smiled at the young man and walked toward her doorstep with his arm in hers. As she stepped inside, she glanced intentionally or unintentionally in Tang Zhen’s direction before quickly looking away.

Tang Zhen was in a bad mood, partly because of the unexpected encounter with Fang Yujia, and partly because of the man beside her.

He was no longer the person he used to be, and his future was full of opportunities. If Fang Yujia knew about his wealth, would she have a change of heart?

And if she truly became his girlfriend because of it, would he still love her as he had for the past five years?

Tang Zhen’s mind was a mess. He simply sat down on the side of the road and lit a cigarette.

Another morning came. After washing up and eating, Tang Zhen took a bus to a nearby hardware market. After wandering around, he went to a stall, picked out a piece of scrap spring steel from a Soviet-era vehicle, bought some steel pipes and thin iron sheets, and headed to the next stop after paying.

Back home with his haul, Tang Zhen rested for a bit before plugging in his equipment and getting to work. Due to his hobbies, Tang Zhen had some experience in manufacturing weapons and armor, so the process went very smoothly.

By midnight, Tang Zhen had finished his work. Looking at the results, he stretched and drank a glass of water before starting to put on and adjust his gear.

It was a simple but practical set of armor made of leather and thin steel plates, which didn't feel cumbersome when worn.

A long blade, forged and tempered from spring steel, had the perfect weight and balance—a lethal weapon. He had a recurve bow bought from a shop, paired with a quiver of carbon fiber arrows with hunting tips, and a sharp, pointed spear.

Wearing these weapons, along with other miscellaneous items, made walking feel quite inconvenient. Fortunately, the existence of his storage space helped him bear much of the weight.

After two more days of preparation, Tang Zhen had adjusted his mental state to its peak. After locking his door, he initiated the teleportation.

When the dizziness from the teleportation faded, what appeared before Tang Zhen was not the overgrown weeds he had left behind, but a stretch of dilapidated buildings.

Tang Zhen felt a sudden jolt. He immediately drew his pistol from his waist and disengaged the safety.

With a weapon in hand, his confidence surged, and he began to carefully observe his surroundings.

Judging by the appearance of the buildings, they seemed to be factory workshops, and he was standing in the middle of the factory grounds. The area was large and appeared to have been abandoned for years, with some parts already collapsed. Tang Zhen concluded that this was a newly spawned "Wild Tower," but for some reason, he didn't see any monsters.

Weeds over a meter high grew in the courtyard, including many strange plants covered in hard, sharp thorns. Fortunately, Tang Zhen’s pants were thick; otherwise, he would have been covered in bloody scratches.

Holding his breath, he moved forward cautiously while activating the map function, carefully observing his surroundings to prevent any monsters from jumping out.

Just as he was trying to peer into one of the workshops through a window, a shrill scream echoed from the ruins.

Tang Zhen paused, instantly recognizing it as a human scream, and it sounded like a young girl. He quickly locked onto the direction of the sound and carefully rushed toward it.

After running about three hundred meters and rounding a workshop, Tang Zhen arrived at a clearing with sparse weeds and saw the owner of the scream.

It was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, her clothes in rags, frantically waving a small knife ground from a piece of iron, desperately shielding a little girl wrapped in a burlap sack who was trembling with terror.

The girl’s face was filled with despair and regret. Her thin cheeks were streaked with tears, and her clear, wide eyes were overflowing as she roared like a wounded beast. She wore a garment fashioned from a plastic woven bag, and her exposed arms and legs were covered in bloody scratches from the thorns.

Tang Zhen only glanced at the girl before his attention was drawn to the five creatures surrounding her and emitting strange, guttural noises.

The five monsters were only about 1.1 or 1.2 meters tall, with hunched bodies and large heads that looked like a cross between a dog and a rat. They brandished iron rods and wooden clubs, and a stench like rotting fish emanated from them.

They were opening their maws wide enough to swallow an adult's head, spraying foul air from their interlocking fangs, and staring at the girl with drooling, predatory gazes. Even with Tang Zhen’s sudden appearance, they didn't shift their focus.

Tang Zhen’s heart tightened. What kind of monsters were these?

Just as he wondered, a set of red data appeared before him.

[Carrion Goblin, Level 1. Extremely filthy, weak eyesight, massive bite force.]

So, these monsters were called Carrion Goblins and possessed Level 1 combat power. If he was careful, he should be able to handle them.

With this in mind, Tang Zhen began to run, charging straight toward the monsters.