"Congratulations, dear! You’ve collected 61 zombie cores so far! Keep up the good work!"

The system’s shrill and slightly excited voice rang out again in her mind, sounding far more enthusiastic than she felt at the moment. Bai Li only gave a small nod, her expression barely changing as she stood there for a second, looking at the fallen bodies. Her attention quickly shifted though, not to the kills, but to her hands again. More blood. Even more than before. It coated her fingers, her palms, even slightly dripping from the edge of her wrist. That same disgusting smell hit her nose again, stronger now that she was standing still.

"...Seriously..."

She muttered softly, clearly annoyed.

Without wasting time, she quickly checked the rest of the supermarket. Her steps were light as she moved between the aisles, scanning every corner, every shelf, making sure there were no more zombies hiding somewhere. The place was quiet now, only the faint hum of electricity and her own footsteps echoing slightly. After confirming that it was clear, she returned to the entrance and pulled the door shut, securing it from the inside so nothing could just wander in easily.

Only after that did she head straight toward the restroom.

The moment she stepped inside, she turned on the tap without hesitation and immediately splashed water onto her face. The coolness of it helped a little, but the smell... it was still there. Strong. Stubborn. Almost like it had sunk into her skin.

She frowned slightly.

"I’ve never smelled anything this bad..."

Even in her previous life, she had dealt with blood, injuries, even worse things, but this... this was different. Zombie blood had this foul, rotten, almost toxic stench that just didn’t compare to anything normal.

Still, she didn’t stop.

She kept washing her face again and again, rubbing her skin firmly, trying to get rid of that lingering smell. But water alone wasn’t enough. The smell stayed.

That’s when she gave up on being gentle.

With a slight annoyed sigh, she took off her denim jacket, which was already stained in several places, and tossed it aside without caring much. Underneath, she was left in a black tank top, her arms exposed. Her figure was lean and toned, not bulky, but there was a clear strength in the way her muscles were defined, especially when she moved.

But she didn’t care about that at all right now.

Her focus was somewhere else.

She pulled off her hair tie, letting her hair fall loose, and the moment she did, she caught it.

The smell.

Stronger than before.

Her brows furrowed deeper as she realized that blood had splashed onto her hair as well, especially during that last fight inside the narrow supermarket aisles. It made sense. The space was tight, and the blood had nowhere to go but onto her.

"...Great."

She didn’t hesitate any longer.

She grabbed whatever she could find nearby, face wash, shampoo, shower gel, not even bothering to check brands or anything, and immediately got to work. First, she leaned over and started washing her hair, pouring water again and again before applying shampoo generously. She scrubbed thoroughly, not once, not twice, but four full times, making sure every strand was cleaned properly. Foam built up and washed away repeatedly until the faint reddish tint in the water finally disappeared.

Only when her hair started to feel somewhat normal again did she stop.

Then she moved on to her face, using face wash twice, rubbing carefully but thoroughly, making sure no trace was left. After that, she used more shampoo to rinse through her hair again, just to be sure, using more than necessary, but she didn’t care. She just wanted that smell gone.

Finally, she washed her hands again, this time properly, scrubbing every finger, every corner, until her skin almost felt raw.

After that, she picked up her jacket and washed off the blood stains as best as she could, applying sanitizer over the areas and even onto her own skin again, just in case.

Only after all that did she finally stop.

She stood there for a moment, breathing lightly.

The smell... was gone.

Or at least, almost gone.

That alone made her feel a lot better.

"...Finally."

She muttered softly, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

For the first time since earlier, she felt clean again.

..

..

After washing herself properly and finally getting rid of that disgusting smell, Bai Li stood inside the small supermarket for a moment, feeling a rare sense of relief. But that feeling didn’t last long. Almost immediately, her stomach reminded her of something she had completely ignored until now. She was hungry. Not the kind of hunger that made her weak, but the kind that quietly built up after all the fighting and movement, slowly draining her energy without her noticing. She didn’t hesitate at all and walked straight to the nearest shelf, grabbing a few protein bars. She tore one open casually and started eating while standing there, not even bothering to sit down. The taste wasn’t anything special, a bit dry and plain, but right now it felt good enough. She finished one quickly, then opened another and ate that too, her movements calm and unhurried, like this was just a normal routine for her.

After eating a couple, she didn’t stop there. She grabbed as many protein bars as she could carry and stuffed them into her backpack without thinking twice. She knew very well that food like this would be extremely useful later, especially when she wouldn’t have time to cook or sit down properly to eat. Then her eyes moved to another section of the store, and she paused for a second before picking up a bottle of shampoo, a face wash, and a body wash. What she experienced earlier had already made it clear to her that staying clean wouldn’t be easy in this new world, and she absolutely didn’t want to walk around smelling like rotten flesh again. Without overthinking, she added all of them into her bag as well.

Once she was done packing, she pulled out her phone and checked the time. There were still a few hours left before the interdimensional market would open, but she knew that time would pass quickly if she wasted it carelessly. According to the system, the market would only stay for ten minutes, and if she missed that small window, it would disappear completely. Just thinking about that made her feel a little more serious. Whatever that place was, it was definitely something important, and she couldn’t afford to miss it.

With that thought in mind, she adjusted her backpack, slung it over her shoulders properly, then picked up her jacket and wore it neatly. After that, she tied her hair back into a simple ponytail, making sure it wouldn’t get in her way during movement. Once everything was set, she walked toward the entrance of the convenience store and stepped outside without hesitation.

As soon as she stepped out, she paused for a brief second and looked around her surroundings. The area was quiet in a strange way. There were zombies, yes, but not too many. Just a few scattered here and there, wandering aimlessly like they didn’t even know where to go. Compared to the chaos she had seen earlier from a distance, this place felt almost calm. It was clear that because the Jianghu Riverside complex was located on the outskirts of the city, it hadn’t yet faced the full impact of the outbreak. For now, at least, things here were still somewhat manageable.

Bai Li didn’t stay still for long. She simply adjusted her grip on her bag slightly and started walking forward, her expression calm as ever, already preparing herself for whatever came next.

As Bai Li walked ahead with steady steps, the quiet surroundings didn’t last long. The moment she entered a slightly more open area of the complex, the few scattered zombies nearby immediately reacted to her presence. Their heads snapped toward her almost unnaturally, their dull, lifeless eyes locking onto her like she was the only thing left in their world. Low growls started rising one after another, and then, almost at the same time, they began moving toward her. Some limped, some dragged their legs, some moved in an awkward jerking motion, but all of them were heading straight for her without hesitation.

Bai Li didn’t even stop walking at first. She just watched them for a second, her eyes calm, almost bored. She had just cleaned herself not long ago, and the last thing she wanted right now was to get splashed with that disgusting blood again. So without even thinking twice, she decided to use her crossbow instead.

In one smooth motion, she brought the compound crossbow forward from her back, her hands moving quickly but without any panic. She reached into her backpack and pulled out three arrows at once, sliding them into position with practiced ease. The loading process looked effortless, like her fingers already knew exactly what to do without needing her to think about it. The slight clicks of the mechanism were soft, almost lost in the silence of the area.

She raised the crossbow and aimed toward her left.

A zombie was about thirty meters away, slowly stumbling toward her.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

No hesitation.

Her finger pulled the trigger.

"Shiiing—"

The arrow cut through the air so fast that it almost left a faint blur behind it. The sound was barely there, just a soft whoosh as it split the air. The next second, the arrow pierced straight through the zombie’s forehead, exiting from the back of its skull. The body dropped instantly, collapsing like its strings had been cut.

She didn’t even look at it again.

Her hands had already shifted.

Now she aimed forward.

Another zombie was closing in, about twenty meters away, arms stretched out, mouth open in a silent snarl.

Another shot.

Another clean hit.

The arrow went straight into its forehead again, perfectly centered, as if measured beforehand.

Two shots. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Two kills.

Bai Li’s lips curled up slightly.

There was a faint sense of satisfaction in her eyes now.

She had always been a top-tier shooter in her previous life, someone who could land shots others wouldn’t even attempt. But now... this felt different. Her current body made everything feel easier, smoother, more controlled. Her breathing stayed steady, her hands didn’t shake at all, not even a little bit. Every movement felt precise, almost mechanical.

It was like her body had removed all the small imperfections that existed before.

Every shot landed exactly where she wanted.

Every time.

But even while enjoying that feeling slightly, her mind was still clear.

Arrows.

She was using too many.

Even if she had prepared a lot, it wouldn’t last forever if she kept firing like this without thinking.

She needed a method.

Her eyes flickered slightly as she thought.

"...Kill first, collect later."

That was the simplest solution.

With that decided, she didn’t slow down at all. She continued loading and firing, her movements becoming faster and more fluid with every shot. Zombies that were still far away were taken down one by one before they could even get close. Some dropped mid-step, some fell backward, some just collapsed instantly.

But not all of them stayed far.

One zombie suddenly rushed in from the side, a little faster than the others, its broken leg dragging but its upper body lunging forward aggressively.

Bai Li reacted instantly.

She lowered the crossbow in the same motion that her other hand reached for the kukri at her waist. The blade came out smoothly, the curved edge catching a faint glint of light.

She stepped forward instead of back.

The moment the zombie came within range, her arm moved.

A strong slash.

The kukri bit deep into its neck, the force behind it enough to cut through muscle and bone partially. A burst of dark, foul-smelling blood sprayed outward, but Bai Li had already shifted her body slightly, avoiding most of it.

.

.

.

To be continued.