The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm

Chapter 5: Let the Plan Begin

Zhang Mu gazed at the crowd in silence. He had seen too many similar things happening in the future and he knew that this was just the beginning. If it wasn’t because these lower level zombie only focused on the preys they had caught, none of these people would be able to escape alive.

Zhang Mu remembered the mechanical voice’s last words with a contemptuous look.

The so-called debugging period was his best opportunity to strengthen himself, he won’t just let it go. However, it was indeed very dangerous.

After the new era started, every big city would have an era merchant. The first five people who traded with the era merchant in their city became his sub-merchant and helped the merchant trade with other cities.

In Zhang Mu’s past life, because he was too hungry and found that the zombie suddenly became sluggish after three days, he had run out of his hiding place.

Fortunately, he came to the People’s Square and saw the mysterious era merchant. That meeting eventually changed his whole life. Even though he was just an ordinary person who didn’t have any potential to evolve, he still survived ten years into the future.

At that time, Zhang Mu used five first-rank zombies’ crystals to trade with the era merchant. After that, he became the last sub-merchant of Luo Yang city.

However, after a year, he finally understood what he had missed when he chatted with other sub-merchants.

To be the first sub-merchant, one had to make the first transaction and to trade with an era merchant during the debugging period. Every point he had missed had diminished his chances of becoming one of the top sub-merchants.

Zhang Mu licked his chapped lips, slowly drawing out his tailored Tang sword, then putting the sheath and the backpack on the ground.

His right hand held the Tang sword and his left hand carried the black rubbish bag. He nimbly walked to the square.

At this time, body parts were strewed all over the square and blood stained the originally white ground red.

Although Zhang Mu had rich experience, he didn’t dare to let down his guard. After all, his current body was weak. Right now, he was just a thief who was forced to train his hands by his master. He knew that his body was nimble, but if he were to be surrounded by these zombies, there wouldn’t be any chance for him to survive.

Zhang Mu had made a plan in his heart. He lowered his body and observed the zombies on the square, searching for the appropriate targets.

Got it. That zombie looks suitable.

It was a female zombie who once was a young, slender girl. However, it’s eating speed wasn’t inferior to other zombies. Zhang Mu saw that she had almost hollowed out the male corpse under her and was still tirelessly putting bloody flesh into its mouth with her sharp claws.

Compared to other zombies, this female zombie should be the weakest one. After all, a zombie’s abilities were based on their original physical qualities. This zombie was a very thin girl and she was wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes. It shouldn’t be difficult to kill.

The most important thing was that there weren’t any other zombie near her and she had almost finished eating the “food” in front of her.

“They often boasted that the zombie in the first three days are incredibly strong. It’s time to verify it by myself now.”

Zhang Mu stared at the female zombie not far away with excitement. He had taken the zombie as the best object for him to adapt to his new body and to test his Tang sword.

Zhang Mu saw that the female zombie had finished eating. He drew out a thing from the black rubbish bag and threw it towards the zombie.

It was a little bit of coagulated chicken blood.

The female zombie sniffed. It smelled the blood and turned around, seeing the broken chicken blood on the ground. It immediately gave up the remaining meat in front of it and rushed toward the coagulated chicken blood.

Peng!

It was another bit of coagulated chicken blood, but this time, it was put closer to Zhang Mu.

Zhang Mu quietly calculated the distance between them.

The female zombie’s speed was about 2.5 times that of an ordinary person’s. He should be able to dodge its first attack. After that, he didn’t need to worry about its second attack because its high-heeled shoes would become its obstacle.

Zhang Mu didn’t know how powerful its explosive force would be, but he thought that it wouldn’t be more than three times stronger than an average adult man.

Zhang Mu thought through his plan again, then moved out. He dashed toward the female zombie, immediately drawing close the distance between them as he threw a stone he just picked up from the ground at the female zombie’s head.

Bang!

It missed. The stone slid past the female zombie’s hair.

Zhang Mu blushed. He embarrassedly said to the female zombie, who had stood up from the ground, “Oops!”

This kind of low-level monsters didn’t have any intelligence or self-consciousness. Besides, in order to not eliminate too many people at the beginning, they given a certain attack range. When a zombie was eating and you were standing outside its attack range, it wouldn’t actively attack you, unless you foolishly provoked it.

Unfortunately, Zhang Mu was that fool.

Zhang Mu valued time highly. If these zombies all finished eating, the attack range would naturally disappear. If they found him then, he wouldn’t have any better choice than running away.

However, before they finished eating, Zhang Mu didn’t need to worry about anything. Even though the stone he threw made a loud noise, the zombies didn’t even glance at him.

Zhang Mu’s behavior provoked the female zombie. Within a second, the female zombie had rushed at Zhang Mu and reached out its claws, scratching Zhang Mu’s chest.

It was faster than Zhang Mu’s expectation!

Zhang Mu was scared. He immediately bent his body and narrowly dodged its claw.

He underestimated it. Even though it was just a zombie that transformed from a thin girl, its speed was still three times faster than an ordinary person’s.

The debugging time was really difficult.

Fortunately, Zhang Mu’s body was about two times faster than an ordinary person’s. Although there was still a huge gap between the zombie and himself, it was enough for him to dodge its attack.

Crack!

As he had expected, as the female zombie tried to launch its second attack, one of its high-heeled shoes broke. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. Taking this opportunity, Zhang Mu brutally stepped on its neck, making it lose its strength.

Well, Zhang Mu was really good at selecting his enemy, but that was because he had no choice. He was too weak and had to use tricks.

Zhang Mu didn’t waste time. He quickly drew back his foot and brandished the sword.

The Tang sword deserved to be the Soldier King’s masterpiece. It easily chopped down the zombie’s head. Zhang Mu expertly stabbed the sword blade into the zombie’s neck, picking out a white pentagonal crystal.

In contrast to the dirty zombie, the crystal was incredibly transparent and pure. Zhang Mu carefully looked at it, which could be used as ordinary people’s cultivating material and merchants’ currency.

“Long time no see, my old friend.”

Soon afterwards, Zhang Mu frowned.

“It’s a pentagonal crystal? Shouldn’t it be hexagonal? Are the first-rank zombies in the debugging time equivalent to the second-rank zombies in the future? If so, it’s ten times better than a normal first-rank zombie! After all, a second-rank zombie wasn’t just two times stronger than a first-rank zombie. They were more dangerous.”

It should be a bug that only appeared in the debugging time.

Zhang Mu immediately realized it. He showed a vicious smile at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m gonna be rich now!”