Paige Summers was feeling a bit absent-minded as she re-entered the pharmacy.

However, after browsing the ordinary medicines, they moved on to another counter, and the items on display quickly caught her attention.

Power Enhancement Potion?!

Type I Zombie Virus Antidote Injection?!

Levi Young muttered in shock, "T-this... is this real?!"

Paige Summers, however, chose to ask directly about the most surprising item. "Excuse me, can this injection really cure the Zombie Virus?"

The young woman behind the counter had probably seen plenty of Superpower Users like them—from small bases, unexposed to the wider world. She nodded with a smile. "It only targets one type of the virus, though. According to researchers from the National Academy of Sciences, the structure of the Zombie Virus is incredibly complex. To date, our nation has discovered six different mutant strains. This dose can be used to clear the toxins from one of them." As she spoke, she took out the Antidote’s display placard and handed it to them. "You can refer to this for the detailed symptoms."

At the very top of the placard, a line of enlarged text read, "This injection must be administered within four hours of being bitten!"

Four hours... That was a harsh requirement.

Paige Summers instantly understood why something like this would be sold in a pharmacy.

Her suspicions were confirmed after she asked the clerk.

If you could make it back to the city within four hours of being bitten by a Zombie or Zombie Beast, congratulations! You would receive a free dose of the Antidote from The Government, which would be administered immediately.

But now, the Zombies and Zombie Beasts around Central City had been more or less cleared out. Unless you were cursed with terrible luck, what Hunting Squad didn’t run into these things while on a mission far from the city? Make it back in four hours? You’ve got to be kidding! Therefore, it was better to carry a dose yourself as a precaution. It was, at least, a one-in-six chance.

The only problem was the price. Although it was paid in Credit Points, just counting the zeros was enough to make your head spin...

In comparison, the Power Enhancement Potion, though more expensive, had a much broader range of applications and thus garnered more of Paige Summers’s attention.

The display placard for this one was much more detailed.

’But to summarize,’ she thought, ’the gist is this: The Enhancer doesn’t work for everyone. If you use it and see no improvement, then sorry, that’s an issue with your own constitution, and all claims for compensation will be rejected, no excuses! If it does work, don’t get too excited, because there’s also a usage limit! As for which dose will hit that limit, see point number one: it depends on your individual constitution. All in all, don’t think you can just ride a rocket to the top ranks of Superpower Users. That’s impossible!’

That was the reality of it.

’Was she disappointed?’

Paige Summers wasn’t. In fact, the appearance of a universal antidote or a potion that could enhance superpowers without any limits would have been far more terrifying.

The situation as it stood only proved that she was still living in a human society!

Levi Young wasn’t disappointed either. On the contrary, he was even more excited.

’In fact, it wasn’t that he hadn’t considered researching these two types of medicine,’ he thought. ’He just lacked the necessary equipment. But here, right in front of him, was the fruit of the National Academy of Sciences’ labor. If he could get his hands on these semi-finished products and continue the research, could it lead to a breakthrough?’

His heart pounded at the thought.

But another glance at the price sent a chill down his spine.

Five hundred thousand Credit Points... One million Credit Points... Someone with a balance of zero on their Identity Card couldn’t handle this!

He struggled to pull Paige Summers out of the pharmacy.

"What’s the rush? I wasn’t done looking!" Paige Summers muttered. But when she saw the look of utter dejection on his face, she immediately understood. She smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don’t worry! You’ll get a chance to study them." ’Study them, maybe,’ she thought, ’but I have no intention of actually taking that Enhancer. It feels like taking synthetic medicine—it might cure one problem, but it plants a hidden seed of trouble in your body for later. I’d much rather rely on diligent Cultivation with Crystal Cores or meditation!’

Levi Young shook his head. "We’ll worry about the future when it comes. For now, we should focus on the energy experiment."

"Yeah." ’He sounds so mature now,’ she thought.

A slow smile spread across Levi Young’s face. "Alright, let’s go to the weapon shop now!"

In this commercial district, weapons were displayed on counters with clearly marked prices, just like any other merchandise. Of course, this was limited to melee weapons. As for firearms, they found those in a private shop where, after the owner took a liking to Paige Summers and considered her a kindred spirit, they were given the honor of seeing the shop’s so-called crown jewel: the Blast Bomb Gun.

Supposedly, the concept for the gun came from some pre-apocalypse science fiction novel. Compared to ordinary firearms, its technology was more intricate and complex. Most importantly, every bullet contained a massive amount of high-yield explosives that would detonate mere milliseconds after impact!

Levi Young’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ’If that’s true,’ he thought, ’wouldn’t having this gun mean you could take on the world?!’

Paige Summers, however, simply turned the gun over in her hands, examining it from every angle before giving a silent smile.

She refused to give her assessment in front of the owner. It wasn’t until they were outside that she told Levi Young the truth. "It’s just for show..."

Though she primarily crafted melee weapons, she knew a fair amount about firearms as well. The gun’s propulsion base and charge pack clearly wouldn’t be able to handle the kind of rocket-like velocity the owner claimed. And as for the bullets, she was certain the owner couldn’t possibly procure purified deuterium cores, to say nothing of the other necessary components.

Levi Young thought for a moment. "But what if The Government was the one developing it? Could they succeed?"

"Maybe. But even if they did, they could never mass-produce them. The cost would be astronomical."

...

Their trip to the commercial district was an eye-opening experience. They gathered a lot of valuable information and were left with much to think about. Discovering that the world hadn’t become completely absurd and that there was still plenty of room to survive, they finally made their way back to their lodgings at a leisurely pace.

They were all assigned rooms on the second floor of a two-story apartment building.

Paige Summers took a room for herself, Claire Chapman and Levi Young shared one, and the Forrest Siblings also bunked together in a single room to save money. The units consisted of just one room and a bathroom. Fortunately, they came with standard-issue furniture, even if it was a bit old...

As one could imagine, in a place like this—more akin to a dormitory—the resident turnover was extremely high. The Superpower Users who lived here either died or moved on. In short, there were very few long-term residents, so the relationships between neighbors were quite distant. When their group moved in the day before, they hadn’t attracted much attention.

Paige Summers was very grateful for that.

Since arriving in Central City, she had discovered that a Sixth-level Superpower User, who would be considered a powerhouse in a small base, was nothing special here. Even the registration administrator in District Four hadn’t batted an eye.

Therefore, keeping a low profile was the best policy.

They entered their rooms quietly, only to find that Claire Chapman was already back, a look of delight on his face.

The moment the door closed, he eagerly announced his good news.

"I found a mission with great pay! A single run will cover our expenses for a month. What do you say? Let’s do it together!"

He thought everyone would jump at the offer, but after a moment’s thought, Paige Summers said, "If it’s just for living expenses, I have a better idea."