Apocalyptic Sequence

Chapter 8 Blade Qi

After completing the mission, Lu Fan obtained the second silver treasure chest in his life.

The first silver treasure chest yielded a Z-virus antibody, freeing Lu Fan from his fear of the zombie virus.

Lu Fan was eagerly anticipating what he would get from the second silver treasure chest.

There are too many people and distractions on the street, so it's not a good time to unpack it.

Besides, it was already late, and it was very close to bedtime.

So Lu Fan hailed a Didi ride-hailing service and went straight back to his studio apartment.

As for the nighttime dormitory checks at Jinling University, he no longer cared. He was like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water. He had already skipped his classes during the day, so he didn't care if the dormitory checks at night resulted in a deduction of his participation points.

Returning to his studio apartment, Lu Fan closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed with great excitement, and prepared to open the treasure chest.

He has a total of two treasure chests: one black iron chest and one silver chest.

The Black Iron Treasure Chest came from his duel with Jia Fei, who was judged as an elite zombie by the idiot panel. Winning the duel with Jia Fei would earn him a Black Iron Treasure Chest.

As for the silver treasure chest, it was a contribution from the Mother Monarch's mission.

Let's try our luck by opening the Black Iron Chest first!

With a thought, Lu Fan took out the black iron treasure chest from his backpack.

A black treasure chest, only the size of a palm, appeared in his palm. This was the treasure chest, and what it contained might be larger than the chest itself, but before it was opened, the contents remained sealed inside.

It must be said that the backpack space is quite convenient, as it can hold treasure chests and other items.

Lu Fan planned to put some emergency food and wilderness survival tools into his backpack, which would take up about half the space, just in case.

"Activate!"

Lu Fan silently opened the black iron treasure chest, and the next moment, the black treasure chest turned into starlight and scattered.

[Hint: You have obtained a windproof Dupont lighter (Men's Style Edition)!]

"Hiss, only a lighter came out?" Lu Fan was initially disappointed, but when he saw the lighter in his hand clearly, he couldn't help but gasp.

Dupont lighters, isn't that a luxury brand under the French company Dupont?

Is this a luxury item?

The lighter in front of Lu Fan was entirely gold, inlaid with obsidian, tiger's eye, and other stones, giving it an exceptionally noble and luxurious feel.

Unconvinced, Lu Fan opened his phone and searched online for the specific price.

Dupont, a famous French luxury brand, has a men's fashion line priced at 50 Donghuang coins.

In other words, the lighter in Lu Fan's hand is worth approximately 500,000 yuan.

That's half again as much as the money he made from online loans!

"Such expensive luxury goods..."

Lu Fan fiddled with the lighter in his hand, liking it more and more the more he looked at it.

Unfortunately, the apocalypse is about to break out, and the value of luxury goods will drop significantly.

If it were peacetime, Lu Fan would definitely sell the lighter and exchange it for bright red banknotes.

It's too late to cash out now. Besides, Lu Fan doesn't plan to save too much money. Once the apocalypse breaks out, cash will become worthless. Only gold has collectible value.

"Keep it; the craftsmanship of this luxury item is impeccable."

"I can also use a windproof lighter."

Lu Fan happily put away the lighter and turned to take out the second silver treasure chest.

"Activate!"

Lu Fan decisively opened the treasure chest, and the next moment, silvery-white light poured out of the chest.

As the light faded, a silver revolver came into Lu Fan's view.

A... a revolver?!

Lu Fan was taken aback. He knew that the Eastern Empire Federation was unlike other countries. Its control over firearms was as strict as that of drug prohibition. A normal person might never have the chance to touch a real gun in their entire life.

Now, Lu Fan opened the silver treasure chest and pulled out a revolver.

And it wasn't just any ordinary revolver.

As soon as Lu Fan's gaze focused on the gun, a notification sound popped up on the panel—

[Hint: This is a revolver loaded with anti-magic bullets, totaling six bullets!]

[Hint: The Exorcist's Pistol, that's its name!]

Demon-Slaying Bullets? Analyzing the literal meaning, Lu Fan could easily deduce that the bullets from this revolver contained special effects that could ward off evil creatures, hence the name "Demon-Slaying Bullets."

Strictly speaking, zombies are also demonic creatures and should be countered by anti-magic bullets... Lu Fan seemed to understand something, and his attention to the revolver increased. Obviously, this could be his ultimate trump card.

The only downside is that the Silver Treasure Chest didn't come with many bullets; it only had the six anti-magic bullets that came with the revolver.

Once the bullets are used up, given the Eastern Federation's control over bullets, there will be no way to replenish them.

After putting away the revolver and placing it in his backpack, Lu Fan began to examine himself.

In addition to the two treasure chests, Lu Fan also had 700 experience points.

These experience points can be invested in general skills to further enhance one's abilities.

Without a doubt, the Black Tiger Blade Technique should be upgraded first.

Lu Fan's Black Tiger Blade Technique has reached Lv.4, which is considered to be an advanced level in the eyes of ordinary people.

With this level of Black Tiger Blade Technique, Lu Fan easily defeated Jia Fei, who had entered the school earlier than him.

If he can continue to improve, Lu Fan's strength will be no less than that of the famous masters in the Fuling Knife Hall.

It can even be elevated to the extreme, to the point that even the museum owner can demonstrate it.

"Add some points!"

With a thought, Lu Fan injected experience points into the Black Tiger Blade Technique.

[Notification: You have consumed 100 experience points, and your Black Tiger Blade Technique has reached Lv.5!]

The moment he reached Lv.5, a vast amount of knowledge flooded Lu Fan's mind, all of it related to the Black Tiger Blade Technique.

At the same time, his body underwent a subtle but gradual improvement.

[Notification: Your Black Tiger Blade Technique has been upgraded to Lv.5, increasing your Strength by 1 point!]

[Hint: Your Black Tiger Blade Technique has reached Lv.5, and you have successfully mastered the secret of 'Blade Qi'!]

Two lines of text appeared on the panel, causing Lu Fan to freeze in place.

My strength has increased?

Moreover, he has mastered the secrets of sword energy?

Lu Fan was somewhat bewildered, not expecting that the Black Tiger Blade Technique would have such great benefits after reaching Lv.5.

Putting everything else aside, just the 1-point increase in physical strength is comparable to the boost from half a dose of antibody medication.

Secondly, there's the secret technique of sword aura. Just like its name suggests, its specific effect is easy to guess: it generates sword aura when wielding a sword, allowing for mid- to long-range attacks.

As a result, the Black Tiger Blade Technique's lethality increased significantly.

"The Lv.5 Black Tiger Blade Technique has a secret of blade energy. Does that mean that all the masters of the Fuling Blade Hall have mastered the secret of blade energy, which is a level higher than the entry level?" Lu Fan guessed silently, feeling a little excited.

He wanted to try his knife skills right away, but there were no knives in the apartment.

"The apocalypse is coming, I need to prepare a set of knives and a fencing suit as protective gear..."

Lu Fan silently pondered, preparing to take care of this matter tomorrow.

Since he didn't have a suitable knife, Lu Fan could only find a clothesline pole to use as a temporary weapon. Facing the open space in front of him, he decisively swung the clothesline pole.

Wow!

With a whooshing sound, a burst of blade energy erupted from the end of the long pole and struck the built-in wardrobe on the wall.

Instantly, cracks appeared on the surface of the wardrobe door, as if it had been split open by the blade's energy.

If Sister Hong saw this, she would definitely make him pay more rent.

But Lu Fan was excited and overjoyed. Sure enough, the power of the sword energy was remarkable, greatly increasing his attack range.

When dealing with zombies, Lu Fan can kill them using his sword energy while maintaining a medium distance. This fighting style is much safer than close combat.

Next, Lu Fan adjusted his facing direction and released his sword energy onto the wall without a wardrobe.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

A series of blade energies struck the wall, causing devastating damage.

Soon, a layer of white powder peeled off the surface of the wall, revealing the effect of being slashed by blades.

At this moment, Lu Fan felt a surge of weakness and his body swayed slightly.

Is it that the 'mana value' has been used up? Lu Fan seemed to understand. Although the panel did not indicate the mana value, everyone's body should have a certain internal energy limit, and the sword energy consumes internal energy.

When internal energy is exhausted, the body will naturally feel tired.

Mana, inner strength, and spiritual power are all the same thing, just different names.

"It seems I still need to improve my physical attributes; internal strength should be related to the level of my attributes."

Lu Fan muttered to himself, then turned around and put away the clothesline.

With 600 experience points remaining, Lu Fan considered for a few seconds before channeling them all into the Black Tiger Blade Technique.

After the Black Tiger Blade Technique reached Lv.5, the experience bar indeed increased, and leveling up required 200 experience points.

[Notification: You have consumed 200 experience points, and your Black Tiger Blade Technique has reached Lv.6!]

[Notification: You have consumed 200 experience points, and your Black Tiger Blade Technique has reached Lv.7!]

[Notification: You have consumed 200 experience points, and your Black Tiger Blade Technique has reached Lv.8!]

After the upgrade was completed, Lu Fan's body was infused with knowledge, and his mastery of the Black Tiger Blade Technique became increasingly proficient.

Although the Black Tiger Blade Technique did not acquire any new abilities, compared to the Lv.5 level, the Lv.8 level of the Black Tiger Blade Technique possessed much stronger practical experience, greatly enhancing Lu Fan's combat power.

These combat experiences are like instincts, deeply imprinted on Lu Fan's body.

Lu Fan's current combat strength is probably no less than that of the famous masters of the Fuling Knife Hall, such as Lei Yun.

"So sleepy..."

"Time to take a shower and go to bed."

Just as he was about to take a shower and go to bed, his phone suddenly rang.

Who called?

Lu Fan opened his phone and found that the caller ID was "Class Monitor".

The class monitor called? Lu Fan seemed to understand, reached out and pressed the green button, and the next second, the class monitor's voice, "Ji Guxuan," came from the other end of the phone:

"Lu Fan, why did you skip all afternoon classes today?"

"Ms. Xiao Ya, who teaches your class, took attendance today and found that you hadn't been there all afternoon. She was very angry."

"Xiao Ya has a bad temper. If she skips a few more classes, you'll fail your English course..."

Ji Guxuan chattered on and on, all about Xiao Ya.

Before Lu Fan could speak, Ji Guxuan reminded him again, "Besides, you weren't in the dorm at night. The dorm inspectors reported it, and apparently you'll lose points on your participation. Lu Fan, you're someone who has a chance to get an honors scholarship."

"If you skip classes and stay out all night, your scholarship is gone!"

Hearing this, Lu Fan felt somewhat helpless. Although the other party was doing this out of kindness so that he could get the scholarship, Lu Fan knew that the apocalypse was about to break out, and the scholarship had become irrelevant.

Three days from now, that is, the day after tomorrow, will be the time when the apocalypse begins.

Who cares about scholarships anymore?

However, Lu Fan couldn't tell the other party the truth, so he could only say it tactfully:

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time."

There won't be a next time!

Ji Guxuan said firmly and angrily, "Don't you dare skip class tomorrow."

"That might be difficult. I recently joined the Fuling Knife School and am learning knife skills. I hope to become a formal disciple. Even the martial arts instructor said I have a lot of talent..." Lu Fan found an excuse. Anyway, he did join the Fuling Knife School, but his motives were completely different. It was a cause-and-effect relationship.

"you!"

Ji Guxuan was so angry that she couldn't speak. She said with a look of disappointment, "You are a top student from Jinling University. After graduation, you can work hard and enter the middle class and live a wealthy life that everyone envies."

"What's the use of learning swordsmanship? Do you think you can unleash sword energy with every move like those masters on TV?" Ji Guxuan kindly advised the other party.

Unfortunately, Lu Fan replied very perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, I will try my best to balance my studies."

"You, you, you... Ugh, I can't be bothered with you anymore."

Seeing that her persuasion was failing, Ji Guxuan was about to hang up the phone in a huff when she heard Lu Fan suddenly say seriously, "By the way, class monitor, do you believe me?"

"Believe in what?" Ji Guxuan was a little confused.

"Something big is going to happen soon. The day after tomorrow, don't go to crowded places. Find a quiet, secluded spot and deliberately hide. Don't show your face," Lu Fan earnestly advised the other party.

"There's a large lecture hall class the day after tomorrow. Do you want me to skip it like you?" Ji Guxuan was a little annoyed and couldn't help but say, "I'm not going to talk nonsense with you anymore. Bye, remember to come to class tomorrow!"

After saying that, Ji Guxuan hung up the phone.

Lu Fan sighed; this was all he could do.

Whether the other party survives or not is entirely up to fate.

........

At the same time, inside a dormitory building at Jinling University.

"I'm so angry! Why won't this stubborn mule listen to reason?"

"What's so great about swordsmanship? Does he think he can cut through steel with his sword energy like those masters on TV?" Ji Guxuan said to her phone, her face puffed out in anger. She had good features and could easily score seven out of ten with light makeup. She was definitely a pretty girl with excellent looks.

Hearing this, the female roommate on the upper bunk chuckled and joked:

"Ji Guxuan, you haven't fallen for him, have you?"

"I don't like stubborn mules!"

Ji Guxuan snorted, but Lu Fan's appearance appeared in her mind. In terms of looks alone, Lu Fan was definitely one of the best in the class and even the entire department. He was a fair-skinned, beautiful, and quite capable male succubus.

"Tch, I think you've fallen for him. He's such a handsome guy, I'd have a crush on him too," my female roommate boldly stated her thoughts.

Sometimes, girls in dormitories are much bolder in their conversations than boys.

"Hmph, guess whatever you want."

Ji Guxuan didn't want to talk to him and was about to take a shower when suddenly, Lu Fan's last words came to mind: as the class monitor, should she trust him?

"Don't go to crowded places..." Ji Guxuan muttered to herself. For some inexplicable reason, she suddenly felt like staying in her dorm the day after tomorrow and trying out what it was like to skip class.

This idea, like a tree bud, took root and sprouted in Ji Guxuan's heart.