Samsara Space: They're all begging me to heal them one more time.

"Kendor... a gun shop?"

The blond-haired man stared at the neon sign above him, teetering on the brink of collapse amidst the smoke of gunpowder. He struggled to read the name aloud, then his eyes lit up instantly. "Holy crap! A gun shop?! Do they have guns inside?!"

"What else? A bakery?"

Zhang Yuan glared at him, but instead of barging in, he cautiously pressed himself against the broken shop window and peered inside.

As a classic scene from Resident Evil 2, he knew very well what had happened there. The shop owner, Robert Kendo, was a sharpshooter, but it was precisely this overconfidence that led to his downfall.

The store was a mess. Shelves had collapsed, and shards of glass were scattered all over the floor.

In the dim light, a burly middle-aged man in a plaid shirt stood with his back to the door behind the counter. He seemed to be clutching something tightly in his hand, and his shoulders heaved with heavy breathing.

"Hey! Is anyone there?"

The blond-haired man couldn't wait to rush in, shouting, "Boss! I want to buy a gun! I have money!"

Upon hearing the sound, the middle-aged man abruptly stopped.

"roar……"

A low, guttural roar, as if blood were stuck in his throat, rang out.

Kendo slowly turned around.

At that moment, all four people present gasped.

That could no longer be called "human." Half of his face looked as if it had been torn apart by something; the flesh was rolled back, revealing his stark white cheekbones and gums. Where his eyes should have been, only two bloodshot, crazed, grayish-white eyeballs remained.

The most terrifying thing was his right arm. That arm was abnormally swollen, with bluish-black veins bulging out like earthworms, tightly "embedded" a Remington M870 shotgun in his hand, as if, due to his obsession in life, the gun had become an extension of his flesh and blood.

[WARNING: Encounter with an elite unit – a mutated zombie (Kendor, the gun shop owner)]

[Danger Level: E+]

[Characteristic: Gun Instinct (Due to a strong obsession with firearms in his previous life, he retains the muscle memory to pull the trigger even after mutation. Although he cannot aim precisely, every twitching shot is extremely threatening.)]

"This...this is also a zombie? What kind of zombie has a long gun?!" The blond-haired man took a step back in fright.

"Don't retreat! Retreating means death!"

Zhang Yuan's pupils contracted, and he shouted sharply, "Fatty! Raise your shield! Push forward!!"

Almost at the same time Zhang Yuan shouted, the shotgun stained with black blood in the mutated Kendo's hand suddenly rose—it wasn't his conscious will, but just a violent spasm of the nerves in his arm.

boom--!

A burst of orange-red flame shot from the muzzle.

They weren't aiming at anyone in particular, but rather at the general direction of the entrance. Countless lead bullets sprayed out in a fan shape, instantly covering the area in front of the entrance!

"ah!!"

The fat man let out a scream. Driven by his life-or-death instinct, he desperately held the large trash can lid in front of him, curling himself into a ball.

Ding ding ding ding!

A dense barrage of bullets pounded against the metal roof, making a crackling sound like popping beans. Although they didn't penetrate it, the immense impact still sent numbness through the fat man's arms, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Still alive?! Then hold them off!"

Zhang Yuan gave them no chance to breathe. The cross on his back shone brightly, emitting a golden light that struck the dented lid of the trash can.

"[Weapon Blessing]!"

hum!

A golden light infused the trash can lid, which was originally just ordinary sheet metal, now shimmered with a metallic sheen.

[Spell Target...Target: Trash Can Lid (Shield)]

Physical Attack +10, Strength +4.

"Get up! As long as the shield doesn't break, you won't die!" Zhang Yuan roared.

Looking at the glowing "shield" in his hand, the fat man suddenly felt emboldened. He roared and got up again, blocking the doorway like a wall.

Seeing that he hadn't died from the first shot, the mutated Kendo roared and tried to pull the bolt to chamber a round. But his mutated fingers were clearly not as nimble as they were in life, and he could only rely on instinct, using his swollen and deformed hand to stiffly and choppy pull the handguard.

"Now! Blonde! Cut his flank!"

Without Zhang Yuan needing to say anything more, the blond-haired guy, who had long coveted the gun, had already climbed in through the broken window on the side.

"Hand over the gun!!"

With a roar, the blond-haired man swung his buffed fire axe, leaving a golden afterimage, and slashed fiercely at Kendo's mutated arm that was attached to the gun!

puff!

"roar!!"

Kendo let out a painful howl. Although his mutated muscles were incredibly tough, with the blessing of [Weapon Blessing], the axe still managed to sever his wrist tendons!

The Remington shotgun clattered to the ground, still attached to a piece of dark red tendon.

"Glasses! Finish off! Shot in the head!" Zhang Yuan's calm command came again.

Li Mo, who had been hiding outside the door and waiting for the right moment, trembled as he reached out his pistol and pulled the trigger on Kendo's ugly head.

boom! boom! boom!

Despite his terrible aim, at such close range, a bullet still managed to pierce Kendo's eye socket.

Black blood spurted out.

Kendo's massive body swayed, and finally, unwillingly, he knelt down, twitched twice, and then remained motionless.

[Combat Prompt: Defeat the mutated elite Kendo (E+ rank).]

[Base reward points: 50 points.]

[Distribution is being made based on team contribution...]

[Teammate A-Qiang (Yellow Hair): Dealed 65% damage and crippled the target, highest contribution. Received 25 reward points.]

[Teammate Wang Defa (Fatty): Taken crucial damage, second in contribution. Received 13 reward points.]

[You (Support/Commander): Provided crucial buffs and tactical guidance, third in contribution. Received 9 bonus points.]

[Teammate Li Mo (Glasses): Delivered the fatal blow, fourth in contribution. Received 4 reward points.]

Before Zhang Yuan could react to the series of allocation data displayed on his retina, his dark golden talent notification arrived as expected.

[Talent Trigger: Divine Tithe takes effect.]

[Teammate A-Qiang has gained 25 points -> You gain an additional 2.5 points.]

[Teammate Wang Defa has gained 13 points -> You gain an additional 1.3 points.]

[Teammate Li Mo has gained 4 points -> You gain an additional 0.4 points.]

Total rewards for this battle: 9 (base) + 4.2 (tax) = 13.2 points.

Although Zhang Yuan, as an "AI" that didn't take any action, didn't receive a large basic reward, his total earnings, including taxes, actually surpassed the fat man's and were second only to the blond-haired guy who risked his life to kill people.

"No need to work so hard, and the profits can still rank second."

Looking at his bank balance, Zhang Yuan's smile deepened. "This is the happiness of a capitalist."

"Huff... huff..."

The three of them collapsed to the ground, staring at the horrific corpse, feeling both lingering fear and an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

This was the first time they had managed to take down a monster wielding firearms through teamwork.

"Stop lying there like a corpse. Loot the spoils, we only have five minutes."

Zhang Yuan strode over the broken glass on the ground and issued commands like a true master.

The blond-haired man immediately lunged at the Remington M870.

"Mine! This is mine!" He stroked the cold gun barrel with great affection, the heavy texture making him feel instantly invincible.

"Yes, that's yours. Remember to check if you have any bullets." Zhang Yuan didn't try to grab the gun.

A shotgun with only a few bullets and requiring close-range combat to be effective is perfect for blond-haired cannon fodder.

Meanwhile, the fat man also discovered a body wearing a SWAT uniform in a corner of the store. Although the body was highly decomposed, the black tactical vest he was wearing was still intact.

"Holy crap! Brother Yuan! Bulletproof vest! I found a bulletproof vest!" The fat man excitedly ripped off the vest, which was still stained with black blood, and desperately tried to put it on. Although it was a bit tight, the thick Kevlar gave him a great sense of security.

Zhang Yuan glanced at it and nodded slightly. With this, Fatty's role as a meat shield finally became somewhat decent.

He walked straight to a small safe behind the counter.

Based on the observation just now, Kendo protected this position until his death.

Zhang Yuan took a bunch of blood-stained keys from Kendo's body, inserted them into the lock, and gently turned them.

Click, the cabinet door popped open.

There was no gun inside, only three things: a bottle of green first aid spray, two boxes of high-purity gunpowder, and a bronze key with a heart tag.

[Item Obtained: Heart Key (Key Item in the Story)]

[Description: Can open all locks inside the police station that are engraved with the heart symbol.]

Zhang Yuan calmly swept all three items into his backpack, then turned to look at his three teammates who were still fighting over bullets, revealing a gentle smile.

"Looks like we were lucky this time; everyone got something out of it."

"The blond guy got a gun, the fat guy got armor, and the glasses guy got bullets."

"And me..." Zhang Yuan patted his bulging pockets, "I only took some unwanted junk. How about that, fair?"

"Fair! So fair!" The blond-haired guy, clutching his shotgun, grinned from ear to ear. "Brother Yuan is so generous! From now on, I'll handle all these chores!"

Looking at his adorably silly teammates, Zhang Yuan's smile deepened.

Guns are consumables; once the bullets are used up, they're just scrap metal. But the key is the only credential to access the police station's armory.

"Let's go."

Zhang Yuan pushed open the door and looked at the towering, gloomy police station building in the distance.

"The real 'stocking' has only just begun."