Apocalypse Supermarket: I Exchange Noodles for Artifacts

Chapter 4: Cold Face-Slap and First Blood

Jax stood still behind the glass, staring at the black veins spreading across Sterling’s arm. The sight was terrifying, but Jax felt no pity.

Sterling had stepped on him for half a year, treating him like a slave, and now the ruthless boss was begging for mercy.

"Jax! Take the money! Open the door!" Sterling screamed, slamming the thick stack of bills against the glass. Blood dripped from his mouth as his skin turned paler by the second. "Ten thousand dollars! It's yours! Just open it!"

Jax smiled coldly, stepping right up to the barrier. He looked Sterling straight in the eye, his voice smooth and calm.

"Paper money is worthless garbage now, Sterling," Jax said, his voice easily carrying through the magical boundary. "Besides, do you remember last Friday? I begged you for fifty dollars to buy medicine for my fever. You laughed in my face, tossed a ten-cent coin on the floor, and told me to lick it up if I wanted cash."

Sterling’s eyes went wide with remembered guilt. He shook his head wildly, blood splashing onto the concrete.

"I was wrong! I was bad!" Sterling wept, his voice shrinking into a pathetic squeak. "I'll give you everything! Just let me in!"

"You didn't just steal my wages," Jax continued, his eyes cold as ice. "You stole from everyone who worked for you. You kicked out poor workers without a dime. Look at your hand, Sterling. You're already bitten. You're turning into one of them."

Sterling looked down at his wrist in pure terror. The dark purple veins were already climbing past his elbow, rushing toward his heart. Panic completely wiped away his sanity.

"Screw you, Jax!" Sterling roared, his face twisting with pure hatred. "If I die, you're coming with me! Open up!"

Sterling threw his entire heavy body against the glass door, trying to smash his way inside. He thought his weight could break through the frame just like any ordinary glass entrance.

The moment his skin hit the shimmering golden barrier, a loud crack rang out like lightning.

A violent wave of golden energy erupted from the door. It hit Sterling right in the chest with massive force. The impact blew him back like a cannonball, sending him flying fifteen feet across the road.

Sterling slammed hard into the side of a crashed car, spitting up black, corrupted blood. The thick stack of ten thousand dollars burst in the air, sending hundreds of green bills fluttering down around him like useless fallen leaves.

The loud noise echoed down the street. The two mutated ghouls waiting nearby instantly turned their heads toward the fallen boss. They let out high-pitched shrieks and lunged across the pavement, pouncing directly onto Sterling’s body.

Sterling’s screams filled the cold night, but they quickly died down as the monsters tore into him.

Jax watched the whole thing without blinking. He didn't feel evil, but he felt a massive sense of justice. The man who had humiliated him for months had finally faced his own terrible karma.

Five seconds later, a bright red flash burst inside Sterling’s chest. The dark infection completely took over his body. His arms snapped, his fingers grew into long black claws, and his eyes flamed yellow. Sterling was dead, and a brand new ghoul stood up from the pool of blood.

Jax tapped the glass lightly. "Karma always comes around, boss."

Suddenly, a faint sound caught Jax’s attention. It wasn't the roaring of the monsters, but a small, weak cry for help coming from the side of the street.

"Help... somebody..."

Jax turned his head and looked toward the corner of the shop.

A young woman was scrambling across the dirt, dragging herself toward the glowing store window. Her clothes were torn, her long hair was wild, and her face was covered in dust and dried blood. She looked no older than eighteen.

In her arms, she was desperately clutching a small item to her chest. It looked like an old, cracked stone lamp, completely covered in black soot and dirt.

Two smaller ghouls were crawling slowly right behind her, their sharp claws dragging against the ground as they closed the distance.

"Please..." the girl sobbed, reaching out one bloody hand toward the store light. "Save me..."

She didn't make it to the door. Just three feet short of the golden barrier, her legs gave out completely. She collapsed face-first onto the sidewalk, her small body shaking violently from total exhaustion.

The old stone lamp fell from her weak grip, rolling across the concrete and coming to a stop right against the bottom edge of Jax's shimmering barrier.

The two ghouls hissed, raising their sharp claws as they prepared to pounce on the helpless girl.

Jax made a move to step back, not wanting to put himself in danger for a complete stranger. But before he could take a single step away, the glowing golden screen in front of his face flashed with an intense blue light.

A loud, ringing chime echoed inside his head, making his ears ring.

[ALERT: High-Value Target Identified!]

[Rare Primordial Artifact Detected outside the barrier!]

[Item: Broken Flame-Spirit Lamp]

[Exchange Value: 1,000 Energy Points!]