Chapter Thirty-Two: I Go to the Shop to Buy a Flying Sword on Credit

In the distance, Xu Nuo’s figure had already been swallowed by the horde of zombies, like a single drop of water disappearing into the sea, not causing the slightest ripple.

“Now that you’re caught in such a predicament, how will you reverse your fate?” Lin Qisheng said with a smile. “I’m eager to see…”

007: [Host, maybe you should hurry up and escape. I don’t think this looks very promising.] If the host dies here, all their efforts will have been in vain.

Xu Nuo replied calmly, “Don’t panic, little Seven. Didn’t I say already? I’m here to win over Lin Qisheng.”

007 had no idea where its host’s confidence came from.

“He’s definitely still nearby, not too far away. Wherever he is, he can see me.” Xu Nuo calmly analyzed the situation while firing at the zombies with a machine gun slung over her shoulder.

007: [Is—Is that so? But what good does that do?]

Xu Nuo grinned. “Time to get started.”

Bang—

Lin Qisheng sensed a bullet whizzing toward him, landing—by pure chance—right at his feet.

Despite the dense horde of zombies, Xu Nuo showed no hint of panic, handling the situation with effortless ease. Within just a few minutes, 007 watched its host switch from guns to grenades and then to fireworks—an arsenal of dazzling variety, creating utter chaos on the battlefield that left anyone watching dizzy.

Several times, 007 saw Xu Nuo teetering on the edge of life and death. It was as if she was completely immune to danger, dancing in the minefield, never dying, always escaping by a hair’s breadth, dragging the poor, innocent system along for a split-second taste of hell.

007 couldn’t help but ask in admiring confusion: [Host, did you study martial arts before?]

Xu Nuo replied, “I used to do odd jobs in a performance troupe. Learned a little bit.”

007 wondered: Just how much is a “little bit” to the host?

Xu Nuo steadily advanced in a single direction—not just mindlessly slaughtering zombies. In fact, with so many of them and only Xu Nuo fighting, no matter how fierce her firepower, she could never hold back the endless onslaught.

Her fighting style was to attack while moving. 007 took note of this and felt a bit of comfort—at least the host now knew how to retreat.

Not far away, Lin Qisheng watched and couldn’t help but sneer. As expected, when stubborn people meet adversity, all they can do is back down and admit defeat. No matter how arrogant Xu Nuo was, this was as far as she could go.

But something felt off. [Host, why are you retreating toward where the zombies are thickest?] 007 said anxiously. [The thinnest spot is at three o’clock—go that way instead!]

“Ah, who said I was retreating?” Xu Nuo tossed aside her empty gun and switched weapons again.

The speed at which she changed weapons made 007 a bit heartbroken. [So what’s your plan, Host? Your weapons must be running low by now, right?]

“Nope,” Xu Nuo said confidently. “I’ve got plenty.” The viewers had been generous before—someone had tipped her an entire armory, and she’d received exactly that. Now she was a walking arsenal, a mobile firepower platform with an endless barrage of artillery.

But to 007, this human artillery platform was just asking to die. It couldn’t fathom what wires had gotten crossed in its host’s brain that she insisted on risking her life to show off.

As Xu Nuo’s escape route became clear, Lin Qisheng found it harder and harder to maintain the detached air of a spectator—she was clearly coming straight for him! How did she figure out where he was?

Bang—

The entire abandoned building trembled, and Lin Qisheng emerged from the shadows.

Xu Nuo greeted him with a bright smile. “I thought you’d be here.”

Lin Qisheng, dust-covered and in a foul mood, said, “Miss Xu, what’s going on with you?”

“We’ve only been apart for a short while, and you’re asking what happened to me? Don’t you know best?” Xu Nuo replied serenely. “Brother Lin, you went to all the trouble to set this trap—wouldn’t it be a shame if I didn’t show up?”

Lin Qisheng’s pupils narrowed, and he gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. “So you knew all along?”

Xu Nuo smiled sweetly. “Uh-huh.”

“Hahaha… and you still came. So what if you knew? Trapped in this swarm, you think you have any hope of escape?”

“You can forget about a helicopter rescuing you. I’ve made sure of that. I’m curious—why stay here alone? Is it blind confidence?”

“Lin Qisheng, I’m curious too. Why are you targeting me?” Xu Nuo half-joked. “Is it because you’ve fallen for me?”

“Tch… As if.” Lin Qisheng frowned, as though someone had stepped on his sore spot. “I’m just interested, that’s all. But since you refused my goodwill and chose the hard way, I had to teach you a lesson.”

Xu Nuo: “What an honor.”

[Lin Qisheng, Heartthrob Value +5]

007: What’s going on? Why is his affection rising even when they’re about to fight?

[This Lin Qisheng’s programming is breaking down. Host, let’s just retreat.] 007 was getting frightened.

Xu Nuo replied, “Why retreat? Our chances of winning are high. Didn’t you see his affection is still going up?”

007: I don’t see it that way.

And if his affection is rising, why would he set you up and put you in danger? Isn’t he supposed to like you? Why would he deliberately hurt you? This doesn’t make sense—something must be wrong. Who plots against someone they’re falling for!

“The more intense it gets, the better our odds,” Xu Nuo seemed to read the system’s thoughts. “That’s just the way he is. The usual route would be too slow—we need to take drastic measures.”

[Drastic measures? His drastic measure is burning us alive!]

Without warning, a sea of flames surged forth, engulfing the area in fire. The zombies, immune to pain, were covered in burning embers as they surged toward the only two living humans left, the scene before them like the deepest circles of hell, devouring all in their path.

The ground baked beneath the intense heat, the air rippled and distorted, the stench of rot and char mingled with the scorching air, making every breath an ordeal.

Xu Nuo said, “Oh, can’t hold back any longer? Ready to start the fight already?”

Lin Qisheng looked supremely confident. “Miss Xu, don’t get too pleased with yourself.”

“Is that so? Then bring it on.” Xu Nuo showed no fear at all, standing amid corpses and fire, waiting for Lin Qisheng to make his move.

“Very good. I like you like this.”

Most people would never charge into fire like this—unless that person wasn’t Xu Nuo.

What a joke. Her outfit wasn’t just for show; it was an ultra-thick shield—fireproof, waterproof, completely impervious to the flames. He could burn as much as he liked; it wouldn’t affect her in the least.

Lin Qisheng kept up the flames until Xu Nuo was completely engulfed, her figure vanishing from sight. Yet she showed no reaction, standing there as still as a post.

Something was wrong. She couldn’t have died so quietly in the fire. But the flames were so intense… Lin Qisheng panicked for a moment and rushed forward to look for her.

“Looking for me?”

Xu Nuo’s voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear.

“You…!” Lin Qisheng didn’t even finish his sentence before a heavy punch landed on his face, sending him flying into the burnt debris.

Looking up from the ground, he saw Xu Nuo standing there, completely unscathed, not the least bit disheveled—not even a hair out of place. She looked nothing like someone in a battlefield; with her refined dress and makeup, she seemed more like an heiress heading to a ball.

“You…” Lin Qisheng was momentarily stunned, unable to react.

“Get up, let’s keep going,” Xu Nuo said, nudging Lin Qisheng with her foot.

“Haha, as expected of someone I admire. I was too careless—that’s how you got the drop on me…” Lin Qisheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with some resentment.

Xu Nuo gave him no chance to save face. “Don’t kid yourself.”

“You played dirty just now,” Lin Qisheng retorted, a bit embarrassed. “One more time—I won’t let you trick me again.”

Xu Nuo smiled. “Come on, then.”

The second time, Lin Qisheng went down again.

He protested, “Impossible! How can you be so fast?”

Xu Nuo replied, “Of course I’m this fast. You also fall down quickly.”

“Again!” Lin Qisheng shouted.

He refused to believe he could lose to Xu Nuo. He was the most powerful ability user… Suddenly, his vision spun.

Xu Nuo said coldly, “You’ve lost again.”

“No, impossible!” He’d set this trap specifically for Xu Nuo—how could she be overpowering him? He hadn’t even seen how she struck.

Xu Nuo looked at him with pity. “Want to keep going?”

Lin Qisheng gritted his teeth. “Keep going! I refuse to yield until I defeat you!”

“Still want to fight? Hold on—the zombies are coming.” Xu Nuo calmly dealt with the encroaching zombies. “Why don’t you rest for a bit, recover your strength, and then we’ll fight again.”

“Damn it…” Lin Qisheng felt his whole worldview collapsing. How could he not beat Xu Nuo? He had always been the best, the strongest, no matter where he went. Even in the apocalypse, he was the top—he was the protagonist!

Xu Nuo’s only purpose was to highlight his own power—at least, that’s what he’d always believed until today.

He admired Xu Nuo’s strength and mystery—only the strong deserved to stand beside him. But that didn’t mean he was willing to lose to her. He, Lin Qisheng, was the lead!

Boom—

A wall of fire swept over them, swallowing everything in sight. Xu Nuo staggered back a few steps, and Lin Qisheng’s vicious attack followed.

At this moment, Lin Qisheng was like a crazed wolf, attacking with reckless abandon, all offense and no defense.

Xu Nuo tested a few attacks, but Lin Qisheng only grew more ferocious, as if he had lost all reason.

007 couldn’t bear to watch. [Host, let’s retreat. I’ll prepare you an escape tool.]

Xu Nuo still had time to chat with her system. “What kind of tool?”

[It’s a means of transport—a flying sword from the immortal cultivation world. Lin Qisheng has tampered with this area, so technological tools like helicopters won’t work. We’ll have to rely on something from another system.]

Xu Nuo: “Sounds pretty cool. What do I need to do?”

[…I’ll go to the shop and get one on credit. The shopkeeper should agree, for my sake.]

Xu Nuo: “???”