Chapter 4: I Paid for It, Okay?

"4150 survival points now, just a step closer to that ten thousand points."

Zeng Shen closed the attribute panel and left the abandoned hospital, heading towards the back entrance of the park to return to his small apartment.

On the way home, there were a few quiet, secluded alleys.

Normally, Zeng Shen would avoid crowded places and take these alleys.

But this time, he decided to go where there were more people.

First, to explore the mechanism of acquiring survival points.

Second, to gain some understanding of the world after the apocalypse through the information provided by the system.

In the evening.

The setting sun cast a glow over the park's square, where a group of elderly women was enthusiastically dancing.

[Warning! You are approaching a group of enslaved humans, stripped of their divinity, serving as cheap labor for a deity. Your presence might provoke the hostility of this Tier 3 Fire Deity, and you might also be enslaved, stripped of divinity, becoming ordinary.]

Watching the enthusiastic dancers, Zeng Shen quietly walked past them. 

[The host bravely moved forward, not provoking the fire deity in the square. Survival points +1000.]

Leaving the park, he crossed an empty alleyway and arrived at a commercial street.

Instantly, his mind was filled with frantic warnings, and panels with bright red warning text vibrated incessantly before his eyes.

[Warning! Warning! You are entering an abandoned and perilous commercial street, where terrifying, fierce beasts and fallen, dangerous deities with their slaves lurk. Please leave immediately.]

Ignoring the vibrating virtual panels, Zeng Shen leisurely strolled down the street, buying some dog food, cat food, cat litter, a cat bed, a dog house, some fruits, and household supplies before leaving the commercial street.

[The host, bold as a lion, fearlessly plundered resources from other deities on a perilous commercial street, escaping unscathed. Survival points +1000.]

"..."

I paid for it, okay?

[Warning! This sidewalk is occupied by many beasts, and other deities are hunting here. Please leave quickly.]

Sidewalk, intersection.

Zeng Shen saw the traffic light turn green and calmly crossed with a cat and dog in his arms.

[The host calmly crossed a sidewalk occupied by beasts, without disturbing the strong deities lingering there. Survival points +1000.]

Good Luck Apartments.

[Warning! Warning! This apartment is extremely dangerous, occupied by a Tier 3 Curse Deity and its followers. With the current strength of the host and his followers, you are no match. Leave quickly to avoid being cursed and enslaved.]

Apartment, top floor, 902.

Zeng Shen, looking at the vibrating virtual panel, expressionlessly opened the door and stepped into his small apartment.

The small apartment had a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

The lighting was good.

Upon returning, Zeng Shen threw the black kitten and the white puppy into the bathtub, applied some foam, and thoroughly washed them.

The cat and dog, having never touched water, yelped in fright and splashed around.

However, Zeng Shen did not stop, and after washing them, he used the hairdryer to dry them thoroughly.

Soon after, both were completely transformed.

The black kitten's emerald-like eyes sparkled with an extraordinary spirit, its fur glossy and smooth to the touch.

As for the chow chow puppy, it lived up to its reputation as the "lion king" of the dog world, sporting a mane of beautiful white fur around its neck, looking majestic, with deep almond eyes full of spirit.

"I wonder how such a fine breed ended up as a stray."

Zeng Shen muttered, carrying the refreshed cat and dog out of the bathroom and placing them on the sofa.

"Little Black,Little White, this is your home now. We're family."

Little Black was the name Zeng Shen gave to the black kitten, and Little White to the chow chow.

As if they understood, the kitten and puppy responded.

"Meow~"

"Woof~"

"Ha-ha, you two play on the sofa while I set up your beds."

Zeng Shen said, and with a thought, he took out two flat-packed pet houses from his inventory grid and began assembling them.

Finally, he placed the assembled cat and dog houses next to the sofa.

"Alright, you two will sleep here from now on."

Zeng Shen pointed to the two houses, speaking to the cat and dog on the sofa.

"Meow~" "Woof~"

"Gurgle."

After a busy day, Zeng Shen was hungry too. He cooked a simple meal, then sat in front of his laptop, opening the system log to sift through information for insights and guesses about the future post-apocalyptic world.

1. At the start of the apocalypse, humans and other creatures have different starting points. Humans will become divine beings and can transform into deities through faith, while other creatures will either become beasts or evolve into prized intelligent races.

2. Humans can plunder divine energy from intelligent races, beasts, and even other humans to empower themselves. They can also enslave them for labor or other purposes, while intelligent races and beasts can do the same to humans.

3. To become a powerful deity, strong believers, pets, and resources are essential.

4. Unlocking a divine domain requires at least a million faith points.

As Zeng Shen pondered, he documented these post-apocalyptic speculations in a file.

Additionally, he summarized the experience of earning survival points.

Currently, gaining followers and pets provides the most survival points, but these seem to be one-time points.

Earning favor from strong beasts or deities, or safely escaping from their encirclement, seems to allow for repeated point earning.

He planned to test this hypothesis the next morning.

After all, activating the lottery wheel required ten thousand survival points.

Once activated, he could use survival points to draw the resources needed to cultivate believers, advancing rapidly when the Deity Era arrived.

Satisfied with his plan, Zeng Shen renamed the document to "Novel Setting Collection" before closing the laptop, stretching, and lying down to rest.

The next morning, the sun was bright.

[April 2, 2119, your believers contributed 20 faith points.]

Zeng Shen glanced at the system log, then left the apartment with Xiao Hei in one arm and Xiao Bai in the other.

In the next moment, a system voice echoed in his mind.

[The host, skilled and daring, rested peacefully overnight in an apartment occupied by a powerful curse deity and its followers. Survival points +1000.]

"..."