The skyscraper next to the plaza stood forty-five stories tall.
From its rooftop, one could surely get a clear view of everything happening in the surrounding area.
At this point, all electronic devices of the old era had become useless junk.
Phones and computers had lost all connection and signal, and the city's power grid was completely paralyzed.
Only vehicles running on gasoline could still roar through the streets.
But none of that mattered to Bai Qiu.
The spear in his hands weighed over ten kilograms—something that had once taken all his strength to barely swing with both hands.
Yet now, with his increasing level and attributes, the heavy weapon felt almost weightless, moving effortlessly in rhythm with his stride.
The Strength attribute encompassed endurance, physical power, and more.
Dragonfang Soldiers came swooping at him from every direction, only to be knocked from the sky by his sweeping strikes.
Under normal circumstances, his enhanced physique should've allowed him to reach the plaza in just ten minutes.
However, because of the relentless harassment of the Dragonfang Soldiers, the ten-minute journey stretched into half an hour—and he was still only halfway there.
After burning through much of his stamina, Bai Qiu ducked behind a supermarket for cover.
He grabbed a bottle of mineral water and chugged it down in big gulps.
Thankfully, many drinks were still displayed outside the store, which was a huge help.
Most supermarkets and shops had shut down entirely, but the outdoor vending machine had been left behind, allowing Bai Qiu to enjoy what was essentially a "zero-cost shopping spree."
That said, drinks alone wouldn't sustain him.
Bai Qiu suddenly remembered that, in his excitement, he hadn't eaten properly in the past twenty-four hours.
Just as he was pondering how to find food, the nearby shutter door suddenly creaked open a crack.
A head poked out from inside, and a voice whispered urgently,
"Get in here—quick!"
Bai Qiu glanced around.
He was the only one outside.
But seeing that the door had only been lifted thirty centimeters, he frowned slightly.
A shrill screech sounded behind him—one of the Dragonfang Soldiers!
As the person inside called to him again in panic, Bai Qiu swiftly drew his spear, turned around, and struck.
With a single precise thrust, he brought the creature down and finished it off with a clean stab.
After collecting the dropped loot, he walked up to the half-shut door and pulled the rolling shutter all the way open, revealing several pairs of startled eyes staring at him from inside.
The young girl who had opened the door earlier froze mid-motion, instinctively wanting to cry out—but quickly covered her mouth.
Bai Qiu stepped inside openly and then pulled the shutter down again behind him.
To the people inside, his calm and casual movements seemed utterly foolish—the loud clattering of the door would definitely attract more monsters.
Inside were a couple and their two children.
The girl who had opened the door looked about fifteen or sixteen.
From her eyes, Bai Qiu could see a mix of curiosity—and a trace of fear.
"Don't worry about the noise attracting monsters," Bai Qiu said calmly.
"The Dragonfang Soldiers outside are just small fry. I'll clean them up later when I head out. Anyway, do you have anything to eat here?"
His words sounded abrupt and out of place, but that was simply because Bai Qiu wasn't the sociable type.
With the city's power completely cut off, a few candles had been lit in the corners of the supermarket, giving the room a faint but usable glow.
Before long, Bai Qiu was eating hot instant noodles, along with braised eggs and sausages.
From their conversation, he learned that the people here were a family—the owners of this very supermarket.
Their job classes were Duo Archer and Duo Saber respectively, though Bai Qiu couldn't tell if that was mere coincidence or some sort of hereditary trait.
What mattered more was the piece of information he got from them—something truly useful.
Alongside Job Change and Weapon Cards, there also existed a certain tool that came with the world's sudden change.
It was a spherical object—one Bai Qiu had previously found but never figured out how to use.
He'd tossed it into his backpack after some failed attempts.
But now, after hearing the family's explanation, he finally understood: the item was a map.
By pressing and twisting a hidden mechanism, the sphere would unfold into a holographic map that displayed his current location, nearby roads, and special icons.
For instance, a small house icon indicated the nearest safehouse, while beast-head icons marked areas inhabited by powerful monsters nearby.
However, most of the map remained shrouded in darkness.
After studying it, Bai Qiu realized that the illuminated sections represented the regions he had already explored.
Once the group exchanged their findings, Bai Qiu quickly learned how to operate the map on his own—it was a huge upgrade for him.
Now, he no longer needed to climb to the skyscraper rooftop to survey the city; he could simply use the map to locate high-level monsters and hunt them efficiently.
Still, since he'd just eaten their food and learned something valuable, Bai Qiu couldn't just walk away without giving anything in return. So he said,
"I can team up with you temporarily and escort you to the safe zone. But I suggest you start leveling up as soon as possible. Since this morning, the lowest-level Dragonfang Soldiers I've encountered were already LV.2. They'll only keep getting stronger with time. When that happens, I can't guarantee the so-called 'safe zones' will remain safe."
"So, it's best to make preparations early."
The family of four began chattering anxiously among themselves, while Bai Qiu silently studied the map again.
He had lived in this city for two years.
Though reclusive by nature, he still remembered most of the main roads and side streets.
Using that knowledge, he compared the layout with the map to determine where the marked high-level monsters might be lurking—and which one he should hunt first.
There were three such markings, each denoting a powerful creature.
One of them was alarmingly close to the safe zone.
"Um… sir," the girl finally spoke up timidly, "we've decided to head toward the safe zone. But… could you maybe leave a few Dragonfang Soldiers for us—so we can level up a bit on the way?"
After their discussion, it was the girl—the one who had first lifted the shutter door—who spoke to him.
Bai Qiu nodded and agreed to her request.
After all, the four of them were still only Level 1, while the Dragonfang Soldiers outside were already at least Level 2.
They wouldn't need to kill many to level up, and the experience they'd gain from a few kills wouldn't even raise Bai Qiu's own experience bar by ten percent.
Once they confirmed the plan and safety details, the four began gathering supplies from the supermarket.
Since they had "Storage Cards", items that functioned like inventory systems in games, they decided to empty out the store—after all, who knew if the so-called safe zone would have any food at all?
At their enthusiastic invitation, Bai Qiu also picked out some supplies after a moment of thought—mainly instant noodles, bottled water, and chocolate, convenient provisions for travel and battle alike.