Chang Zitong's proposal left not only Xu Mo puzzled but also Du Zhizhang in utter disbelief. He couldn't help but ask, "Why should we distribute these shards to those people? Each of these shards was earned through your and Xu Mo's blood and sweat…"
"I don't want to part with them either…" Chang Zitong caressed the Apocalyptic Shards on the table with a fascinated expression before reluctantly pulling her hand back. She then spoke seriously, "But the problem is, our goal this time isn't to collect as many Apocalyptic Shards as possible, but to figure out how to survive in this damned space until it resets! That means the key isn't how many zombies we kill, but ensuring everyone's safety—we need to hold this cinema."
She then turned and pointed at the cinema's floor plan on the wall, emphasizing the first floor's more than twenty windows with a concerned look. "You've seen it too. This cinema isn't some impenetrable fortress. With the sheer density of the zombie horde outside, it's easy for different areas to be overwhelmed. Xu Mo and I don't have the ability to be in multiple places at once, and we can't possibly cover all these windows at the same time. If the zombies break through at any point and we fail to repair the breach in time, it could lead to an unmanageable disaster."
"Regular zombies are actually pathetically weak—even ordinary people can handle a few. But the issue is that only Apocalyptic Weapons can actually harm them. Our fate—the three of us, along with the two thousand-plus civilians in the screening hall—is entirely tied to this cinema. We either survive together or perish together. If the cinema holds, we're all safe. If it falls, no one will escape from this horde of tens of thousands of zombies!"
"Xu Mo and I already have weapons suited to us, and having an extra one wouldn't make much of a difference. So now isn't the time to be stingy with the shards. If possible, I'd actually like to get more yellow shards and arm as many of the security team members as we can. Only when they have some means to fight back do we stand a real chance of holding this place until the Apocalyptic Mirage resets, don't you think?"
Du Zhizhang shrugged indifferently. Whether or not he fully understood, he wouldn't oppose Chang Zitong's decision. The only person who needed to weigh in was Xu Mo.
In truth, Xu Mo had never placed much value on the Apocalyptic Shards. He could also see the logic in Chang Zitong's proposal. Compared to their survival, keeping the shard's secret seemed insignificant. If it meant securing the cinema and the two thousand civilians inside, he wouldn't have a single complaint—even if Chang Zitong used all nine shards to arm the security team.
Yet, for some reason, a vague sense of unease lingered in his subconscious, as if something about this proposal wasn't quite right. However, no matter how he examined it, he couldn't find a flaw. After a moment of thought, he could only nod and say, "Alright, let's do it your way, Sister Chang. But I have two suggestions. First, we should give one of the three yellow shards to Brother Du. If something happens, he should at least have a way to protect himself. Second, for the other two shards, you and I should activate them ourselves first, then hand the completed weapons over to the security team. That way, we avoid unnecessary explanations about how the shards work… As for who gets the weapons, let's leave that to Dong Tian to decide."
"Good brother! Thanks a lot!" Du Zhizhang enthusiastically patted Xu Mo's shoulder, this time not declining the offer.
With their plan settled, the three each took a yellow Apocalyptic Shard and activated them.
Chang Zitong received a short-handled spiked mace nearly a meter long, Du Zhizhang got a Colt Python revolver, while Xu Mo… ended up with a household kitchen knife.
"Haha, missing your mom's home cooking?" Chang Zitong teased.
Xu Mo shrugged helplessly, forcing a wry smile as he handed the kitchen knife to Chang Zitong. "These Apocalyptic Shards are ridiculously random. I even once activated an ice shaver! Getting a kitchen knife this time is actually an improvement—it's at least usable, right?"
"Huh? You've activated everyday items before?" Chang Zitong seemed surprised.
Xu Mo paused, confused. "What about them?"
"Everyday items are something Apocalyptic Shard wielders both love and hate…" Du Zhizhang chimed in, twirling his Colt Python awkwardly before continuing with a grin. "Most of the everyday items activated from shards are completely useless. But when linked with chain-type orange shards, they sometimes gain bizarre additional abilities. While most of these abilities are utterly ridiculous, there's a small chance they'll turn into extremely rare crafting abilities. Remember my League membership card? The ability that created it originally came from nothing but an egg slicer—hard to believe, right? That particular wielder actually made quite a fortune in the League just by using that little slicer to craft small items."
What a love-hate relationship indeed… Xu Mo touched his nose in silent frustration. He highly doubted he'd ever win the lottery with that worthless ice shaver.
After handing the two completed weapons to Officer Dong Tian for distribution, Chang Zitong quickly returned. On the table, only six Apocalyptic Shards remained—three red enhancement-type, one orange chain-type, one green artifact-type, and one blue intelligence-type.
"How should we split these?" Chang Zitong looked at Xu Mo expectantly, torn between anticipation and hesitation.
Since both Chang Zitong and Du Zhizhang were relatively weak in terms of enhancements, Xu Mo didn't feel right competing with them for the shards. He waved a hand casually. "Sister Chang, Brother Du, you two pick first. I'll take whatever's left."
"Xu Mo, you're so generous! Mwah~!"
Catching him off guard, Chang Zitong suddenly grabbed Xu Mo's face and planted a firm kiss on his cheek before gleefully picking out her shards. Du Zhizhang scratched his head awkwardly and quickly explained to the dumbfounded Xu Mo, "Don't take it the wrong way—your Sister Chang is just like that. When she's happy, she kisses whoever's nearby. You'll get used to it."
Clearly, Chang Zitong had already made up her mind. In less than three seconds, she picked two red enhancement shards and the blue intelligence shard.
Xu Mo felt a slight twinge of regret seeing the blue shard taken, but he quickly let it go. After all, Chang Zitong had put in significant effort just now—she deserved it.
Considering potential injuries, Xu Mo kept the orange chain-type shard as an emergency measure and activated the remaining two shards.
Thanks to his ultra-balanced physique, the red enhancement shard boosted his underdeveloped muscle strength, while his stamina also saw a minor improvement.
Meanwhile, the green artifact-type shard granted him an unexpected item—a Kevlar bulletproof vest.
Apocalyptic Shard-generated items had two common characteristics: self-repair ability and relatively light weight.
The black Kevlar vest fit snugly against Xu Mo's torso, so light that he barely felt its presence. It didn't hinder his movements at all, and, more importantly, it was perfectly breathable, eliminating the usual discomfort of wearing heavy armor. It was as comfortable as wearing a normal undershirt.
This was Xu Mo's first piece of armor. While a single-shard-strengthened Kevlar vest might not be enough to withstand a Licker's claws, it was still better than nothing.
Stowing away the last orange chain-type shard in his chest pocket, Xu Mo turned to Chang and Du. "How did your activations go?"
"I used a red enhancement shard, and so did Zhizhang. My stamina has increased by at least fifty percent, but the effects on Zhizhang aren't as obvious—he's only reached an average strong person's level. I think it's because his physique leans more toward brain capacity enhancement."
Though Chang Zitong said this matter-of-factly, she was actually quite pleased. Her own strength aside, Du Zhizhang had never been physically strong, so this improvement meant she had one less thing to worry about.
"As for the blue intelligence-type shard… neither of us have experience activating these, so we're still deciding who should use it."