Chapter 12 A Golden Artifact Emerges

Chen Du was absolutely right about one thing—no one in their right mind would choose to battle zombies while burdened by illness.

The cold medicine may have come at a steep price, but what use were those supplies if you didn't survive to enjoy them? Without life, they'd merely become spoils for the next scavenger.

Chen Du's backpack brimmed with an arsenal of combat gear: crossbow bolts, bows, daggers, hand axes, and other essentials.

To his surprise, someone even bartered grenades—a resource Chen Du hadn't expected to encounter so soon.

Meanwhile, in the chat channel, some players continued hurling threats at Chen Du.

ID 54321: "1945, fate works in mysterious ways. You just wait."

ID 123321: "Once my cold clears, I'll make sure to scatter your ashes, 1945!"

Chen Du, engrossed in sorting through his newly acquired weapons, glanced at the chat and chuckled softly.

ID 1945: "I'll be waiting (smiling emoji)."

With that, he closed the chat window and turned his attention back to his inventory.

"Plenty of Molotov cocktails, ten grenades, iron traps, and a healthy stockpile of crossbow bolts… Should I add rust for a tetanus effect?"

As he inventoried his gear, Chen Du realized he now possessed the firepower equivalent of an entire team.

At least compared to the rival group in the villa district, as long as he had time to prepare, taking them down solo wouldn't pose much of a challenge.

Just as Chen Duo was about to shut down the system and rest, an advertisement popped up on the trading platform.

[Breaking News! A Gold-tier blueprint has appeared: Fortress Wall (This is the first Gold-tier blueprint ever listed on this platform!)].

Chen Du's heart raced with excitement.

It was as though fate itself had delivered exactly what he needed.

He'd been fretting over how to fortify the villa against zombie invasions, and now, with this Fortress Wall blueprint, that concern would vanish entirely.

Without hesitation, Chen Du opened the trading platform, located the Gold-tier blueprint, and muttered under his breath, "This time, failure isn't an option."

The appearance of this Gold-tier blueprint sent shockwaves rippling across the apocalyptic world's chat channels.

No one had imagined that barely a week into this new reality, someone would already unearth a Gold-tier item.

Gold-tier items were practically unheard of; even Silver-tier goods were scarce, with most finds relegated to Bronze-tier.

The chat channel buzzed with envy.

ID 546262: "Unbelievable! There's no way this isn't a scam. How could anyone get so lucky? It's infuriating!"

ID 15424: "Seriously, who stumbles upon something like a Fortress Wall? With it, you could seal off a shelter and keep zombies at bay effortlessly."

ID 857857: "Wow, he's actually putting it up for auction! But the starting bid is outrageous—1,000 essential supplies, with each increment set at 50. Completely out of reach…"

Amid the chorus of complaints, numerous factions fixated on the Fortress Wall blueprint.

They'd already identified shelters, and this blueprint couldn't have arrived at a better time.

In another villa district, a shirtless, muscular man stared intently at the blueprint on the trading platform, his face lighting up with determination.

"That Fortress Wall is mine! Anyone who tries to stand in my way, Niu Yao, will regret it!"

With that declaration, the burly man threw on his shirt, descended the stairs, and began rallying his companions to gather resources for the upcoming auction.

…

Inside a signal station, a group of people surrounded a handsome young man, awaiting his command.

"Young Master Zhou, just say the word, and we'll mobilize our forces to collect resources for the auction—or track down the seller," said a man in black, mimicking a throat-slitting motion with his hand.

Zhou Yu waved dismissively and took a sip of red wine.

"No need. This Gold-tier blueprint has undoubtedly caught the attention of multiple factions. Ambushing the seller is impossible—the system safeguards are too robust. Besides, I, Zhou Yu, don't resort to such underhanded tactics. Smith, prepare the resources. We're participating in the auction."

Smith bowed deeply. "Understood, Young Master Zhou. I'll rally the men immediately and ensure we secure the blueprint at any cost."

Zhou Yu smirked confidently.

His reserves of essential supplies were vast.

Who else could possibly outbid him?

Out there in the chaos, the common folk were likely still struggling to secure their next meal. How could anyone hope to compete with him?

In the same villa district as Chen Du, Ethan watched the Gold-tier blueprint with keen interest.

Though the number of zombies in their area had dwindled, he'd already spotted traces of Chen Du's presence.

If other players arrived, he doubted his ability to hold them off.

But with the Fortress Wall blueprint, all concerns would evaporate.

Their team could withstand any potential zombie waves and deter opportunistic players.

Unfortunately, after surviving a recent battle, their resources were depleted, leaving them unable to participate in the auction.

Frustrated, Ethan slammed his fist against the marble coffee table.

…

Perched high in a tree in the wilderness, Qian De, a bespectacled man, gazed mournfully at his nearly empty backpack of essential supplies.

All he had left was the Gold-tier blueprint: Fortress Wall.

He sighed heavily.

It wasn't that he wanted to sell the blueprint—it was his only choice.

"I hope plenty of people join the auction and drive the price higher. That way, I might live a little longer."

Adjusting his glasses, Qian De waited anxiously for the auction to begin.

Soon, the trading platform's auction house opened its doors.

This was a special auction held exclusively for the Gold-tier blueprint.

According to the platform's rules, only Gold-tier items qualified for the auction process.

And currently, the Fortress Wall was the sole contender.

Eligible factions pooled their resources, determined to claim the coveted blueprint.

After all, for them, this item was indispensable.

In the chat channels, the Gold-tier Fortress Wall blueprint also captured the attention of lone wolf survivors scattered throughout the wasteland.

ID 46543: "Who do you think will end up winning the auction for this Gold-tier blueprint?"

ID 254318: "Hard to say, but in the eastern district, there's a faction led by Niu Yao. They're known as the strongest group around and recently seized control of a villa area. My bet's on them—they've got a solid chance of success."