Apocalypse: System of lotteries



Rat-a-tat-tat!

Ming found driving the tractor to be quite delightful, enjoying the open air and breathing in the fresh atmosphere. Simultaneously, it had the peculiar effect of luring the zombies. Zombies that hadn't been drawn out by the cacophonous machine now emerged from their hidden corners.

Ming gazed proudly over the entire area, surrounded by fields waiting for his cultivation. He had transformed from an archer to a carefree landowner, as well as a wildlife caretaker and chef.

Leaping from the tractor, Ming located a puppet amongst the zombies to establish a connection. When close to the area's center, he instructed his new second-ranked puppet to lead the horde of zombies into a dilapidated building to wait. He would collect them later and take them home.

Time: 08:30

Ming parked the tractor near the center of the area, anticipating the arrival of the shared boss drop.

With time to spare, he opened his attribute panel, switched to his secondary profession as a Puppet Master, and checked the status of Lopene in his puppet slot.

[Ming's Puppet]

[Five-Star King Lopene]

[Defense Value 10,000/10,000]

[Equipment: A set of nurse's attire]

[Treasury: 19,021,932]

"…"

"!!!"

Nearly 20 million gold coins?

"Does each zombie have a treasury?"

Ming inspected the puppet he had recently connected with in his puppet slot.

[Ming's Puppet]

[Three-Star Elite Cross]

"No treasury!"

Ming touched the tip of his nose, understanding that the treasury was a unique feature of his first puppet, Lopene, and not something every zombie possessed. It was neither a talent nor a skill, but rather a special existence. No wonder he hadn't discovered the 'treasury' when he initially used his [Hawkeye] skill.

How incredible!

Ming suddenly realized that if he placed his money with Ropayn and then stored the puppet in the puppet space, it would become a super secure, double-encrypted vault! He wouldn't have to fear opponents with money-draining abilities anymore.

"But, you only took 8 million from me; how do you have over 19 million?" Ming asked Lopene.

"Hehe~"

Of course, Ming still didn't understand Lopene's hehe, but considering the puppet had used its skill three times, almost leaving Ming penniless, the extra 11 million likely came from the previous survivors in this area. Now, they had turned into zombies. No wonder he had encountered many with only a few coins on them - it was all Lopene's doing.

Thump!

Ming punched Lopene in the nose, remarking that the puppet had quite a fortune. Since Lopene's defense value had recovered, a punch wouldn't cause any harm, and the puppet didn't seem to mind.

"Wait a moment." Ming suddenly remembered, could he take money out of Lopene's treasury? He looked at Lopene and said, "Give me 1,000 gold coins!"

"Hehe~" Lopene opened its mouth.

ding~ Gained 1,000 gold coins!

"Good heavens!"

This was absolutely exhilarating. Ming had foolishly considered giving Lopene a prescription earlier. Now, he realized that as Lopene's master, spending 1,000 gold coins from its treasury was no big deal.

"Once more!" Ming checked his gold coins balance, which stood at over 1 million. He then told Lopene, "Take my money."

"Hehe~"

[You invest 1 million, and after 10 seconds, the success or failure of the investment will be determined.]

"Damn!"

Thump! Lopene took another punch.

[Your foodie looks at you, holding a comb, gently grooming the porcupine's quills, a tender expression on its face with a hint of a smile... Foodie looks at the porcupine, creating a rather nauseating scene...]

Ten seconds later, Ming released the porcupine's head, took out some perfume, and sprayed it on himself. The hallucinatory scene he had just experienced was unspeakable. He glanced at the porcupine, "I didn't mean to imply you're dirty; I just stink after holding you. Don't overthink it."

Porcupine: ...

"So, you hallucinated me, huh?" Ming looked at Lopene. He couldn't give money as directly as Lopene and had to go through a 10-second hallucination. Indeed, depositing money came at a price.

"Give me 3 million gold coins!"

"Hehe~"

Ting-a-ling~ Gained 3 million gold coins.

"It really works!"

With over 19 million, minus his own 8 million, he had made a neat profit of 11 million. Splendid! Today, he had stumbled upon a treasure: a puppet capable of both saving and earning money.

"Congratulations, you're the first zombie to receive a Ming family exclusive name."

"Hehe~"

"Wait a moment; I need to verify your money-making ability."

"I hope you won't disappoint me."

After finishing, Ming checked the time: 9:00.

Dozens of beams of white light fell to the ground, heralding the shared drop! As the owner of Zone 1521, this was the first time he had welcomed the shared drop. As the white light dissipated, dozens of humanoid zombies rushed out and charged toward him!

Roar!!

The bear stood up and roared angrily! The porcupine prepared to charge.

[Your froglets perch on the tractor's hood, unimpressed by the thrill of fighting zombies. "What's so fun about that?" they seem to say, referring to the inexperienced lot. "Little Bear, we're not talking about you..."]

"Everyone, stay put! Let me handle this!" Ming stepped forward, wrapping his left hand in gauze. He tossed a card to his left, and a colossal stone pillar several meters tall erupted from the ground—The Chalice of Strength!

He threw another card to his right, and the ground shook as another giant pillar broke through—The Chalice of Speed!

He cast a card forward, and the earth split open—The Chalice of Music!

These three cards were obtained from defeating Hahn, Tony, and the wandering minstrel, Kespin.

He placed them all at the center of the zone! Strength and agility were increased, and the Chalice of Music provided a +1 to the intensity of all choir skills in the area.

"Come on!" Ming clenched his right fist and charged headlong into the incoming horde of zombies, an unstoppable force like a tiger among sheep!

Activating Extreme Evasion, he weaved through the zombie horde like a streak of black light, incapacitating each with a single punch. After knocking them all down, he approached and bridged a zombie, sending it into the puppet space.

He disconnected the bridge and moved on to the next one. Since these creatures were already in space, they couldn't escape even after the bridge was removed. Moreover, the talent description didn't mention that they would automatically escape upon disconnection. Indeed, they all remained obedient inside the space.

"Huh?" Ming noticed that the puppets he had thrown in were all wearing clothes. So, the talent description stated that non-living items couldn't be placed inside, but it didn't say puppets couldn't be clothed while being stored.

Moments later, the last zombie was successfully bridged.

Boom! A massive beam of light descended upon the ground, and a tall figure emerged, wearing a white top hat, a white double-breasted coat, black trousers, and black leather shoes. In its left hand, it held an iron pot, and in its right, an iron spatula.

Eagle Eye scanned:

[Malevolent Five-Star Head Chef]

[Five-Star King-Level BOSS]

[Weakness: Probably cooks delicious meals...]