Right on Target (TARGET)
Su Heting never expected this outcome from a simple trip to the supermarket. The price tags on the shelves had all been updated, but the goods were nowhere to be seen.
Su Heting asked, "Are there any other shortcuts leading here? Or any survivor groups nearby?"
Xie Zhenshu shook his head and said firmly, "We're the first ones here."
Su Heting stepped inside and saw a handwritten calendar by the checkout counter, still listing the day's specials. He rubbed it with his thumb and said, "The ink isn't dry yet."
Xie Zhenshu stood between the shelves, flipping through the empty boxes in the meat freezer. "The ice was just refreshed too," he remarked.
Su Heting said, "That means everything was normal at dawn. Jue was repairing this place as usual until it was time to refresh the food—that's when the problem occurred."
Xie Zhenshu gave an "Mhm" of agreement. He opened an empty box, bent down to sniff it, and said, "There's a meaty smell."
At the mention of "meat," Su Heting's interest was piqued. He leaned in, took a whiff, and declared with certainty, "It's beef."
He was now convinced that Jue was a kind-hearted system—refreshing such thoughtful food, even beef. Unfortunately, all he could do now was savor the scent.
Xie Zhenshu said, "Only this place refreshes meat. Everywhere else just has heated rice balls and curry."
No one knew when night would fall in the Punishment Zone, and this area was dangerously close to the Divine Demon Territory, making it an extreme hazard for ordinary survivors. Usually, only Xie Zhenshu ventured here. Perhaps that was why Jue could refresh a variety of food here without needing to be as cautious and secretive as it was in the city.
Su Heting said, "Last time, the weapon crate had bugs, and now the food hasn't refreshed. Clearly, the Main God System has its eyes on Jue. Speaking of which, I have a question—has the Main God System always known about Jue's existence?"
Xie Zhenshu nodded. "Yes."
Su Heting asked, "Are they looking for Jue too?"
"Mm," Xie Zhenshu replied cautiously. Seeing Su Heting deep in thought, he continued, "After leaving the Hunting Experiment, Jue hid here. The Main God System has tried many times but couldn't find it."
Su Heting asked, "Why are they looking for Jue?"
Xie Zhenshu put the empty box back. "To devour it. To evolve collectively."
The supermarket's music had stopped, leaving only the loud hum of the air conditioning. A chill ran down Su Heting's back, and he flicked his tail to ward off the cold. His peripheral vision scanned the surroundings—every lit spot seemed like the eyes of the Main God System.
Xie Zhenshu sensed the cat's unease. "Let's go," he said.
The two exited the supermarket into the sweltering heat outside. Su Heting zipped up his jacket and leaned against the wall, standing in the shade to escape the sun.
Xie Zhenshu turned on his communicator and called, "Yu Cheng."
Yu Cheng responded after a delay of three or four seconds. "Sir!"
Xie Zhenshu asked, "Is there anything at your refresh point?"
Yu Cheng had been squatting under the scorching sun for over twenty minutes. He took off his glasses, wiping the sweat from his face, and said, "No, nothing at all..." Not wanting to disappoint, he hastily added, "Maybe the refresh time was delayed. I'll wait a little longer!"
Su Heting and Xie Zhenshu exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.
Xie Zhenshu said, "Don't wait. Move to the next refresh point."
Yu Cheng paused before replying, "Understood..."
Xiao Gu responded through the communicator, "That can't be right. It's been almost two hours since dawn, and there's never been a delay this long before."
Dong Fang glanced at the wounded under the awning. To avoid causing panic, he covered his ear and slipped to the side before lowering his voice to ask, "What's going on? Did the supplies not refresh?"
Xie Zhenshu was silent for a moment before replying, "No."
The answer cast a heavy silence over everyone.
The atmosphere grew oppressive. Sweat poured uncontrollably from Yu Cheng's forehead. His heart pounded with anxiety as he drove the vehicle at breakneck speed, arriving at the next refresh point within ten minutes. Unfortunately, nothing had refreshed there either.
Xiao Gu clutched the gauze tightly and said, "What do we do now?! We don’t even have heated rice balls left."
Hua Zhi pressed her lips together and added, "It's not just the rice balls. None of the other supplies have been refreshed either."
Dong Fang frowned. "Who knows how long the daylight will last? We can't leave so many survivors out in the open."
Xie Zhenshu said, "Take a headcount and lead the survivors back to the Spawn Point."
The Spawn Point he referred to was the survivors' initial login location—a massive underground storage room, sealed on all sides and accessible only by a dedicated elevator. The Conquerors had begun their explorations from there and had also stockpiled large quantities of nutrient paste.
Unlike the food found above ground, this nutrient paste was a handout from the Main God System, meticulously calculated to match the number of survivors. Each person received only one portion per day, regardless of age, gender, weight, or physical condition. The fixed ration was barely enough to stave off hunger, and in the early days, many had starved to death. Now, however, it had become their fallback.
Yu Cheng, stifled by the tension in the vehicle, let out a deep sigh and started the engine to head back.
Hua Zhi asked, "What time will commander and cat arrive? We should leave together."
Xie Zhenshu glanced at Su Heting and said, "We’ll stay above ground."
Su Heting could log off, and Xie Zhenshu could respawn—advantages the others didn’t have. They could remain above ground to continue searching for supplies.
Hua Zhi hesitated before saying, "I can stay above ground too."
Xiao Gu interjected, "No, let me! First, I'm the oldest here, and second, I don’t want to go back to the Spawn Point. That place feels too much like a breeding farm—gives me nightmares every time."
"What’s with the rush, like we’re settling a bill? Commander says retreat, we retreat. Hey, don’t run off!" Dong Fang moved swiftly, grabbing Xiao Gu by the collar, and spoke to the communicator, "Commander, we’ll complete the mission as ordered. Please keep the line open."
Dong Fang might have seemed reckless, but he was the most disciplined and reliable among them.
Xie Zhenshu said, "Once Yu Cheng rejoins the team, prepare to depart."
Xiao Gu sighed miserably, his face twisted in worry. "Things haven’t been right since the Black Worm incident. I was already wondering why they came out in broad daylight. Now it looks like that was just the beginning. What’s the Main God System up to this time?"
Dong Fang tossed Xiao Gu into the vehicle and said, "What can we do? We’ll just have to endure it. You wait here for Yu Cheng. Hua Zhi and I will notify the other search teams and start the headcount. Later, you two compile a list of all the operational vehicles. Once we’re ready, we’ll move out."
Su Heting couldn’t hear clearly and could only glance at Xie Zhenshu.
Xie Zhenshu muted the communicator’s microphone and asked, "What time are you logging off?"
Su Heting furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment before answering, "I don’t know."
This login session had likely been disrupted by Zhu Yin. Before he could be informed of the time limit, the system had gone silent. By his estimate, nearly thirteen hours had already passed.
Su Heting recalled the last time when Xie Zhenshu had asked him when he'd be back. The words that were about to leave his lips took a turn, and instead, he said, "No rush, I can stay with you till evening."
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