Chapter 19: Like Using a Cheat Code

No matter how much he calculated, he truly did not expect the so-called spatial range identification to be so unreasonable. Standing outside, without seeing anything at all, could he really appraise the entire store?

Better put it to the test!

“Identify.”

Swish, swish, swish…

With that silent command, countless item names appeared before Lu Ming’s eyes like product labels. They penetrated the walls, displayed in their respective positions as if through X-ray vision. Some were so densely packed that the labels overlapped in a chaotic jumble. Instinctively, Lu Ming felt a sense of visual overload—too cluttered and disorderly.

Could this be a flaw in the bugged skill? Was there a way to display only the resource tags?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than all the item labels vanished. When they reappeared, only resource tags were shown; all other items were hidden. Scanning over tools, cigarettes, alcohol, drinks, snacks, and some daily necessities, Lu Ming was left speechless.

“Dare to go further? Only show food supplies?”

Flash!

The labels reset once more, revealing only edible items: alcohol, drinks, snacks, instant noodles; everything else fell silent.

At this point, Lu Ming was thoroughly impressed by the Eye of Truth.

Alright, you’re impressive. I’ll stick with you.

“Display alien creatures, food, drinks, tools, weapons, and supply boxes.”

Silently setting these parameters in his mind, the appraisal information shifted again. As he had guessed, the larval scythe owls had been completely eradicated, no supply boxes were present, but everything else remained. Most notably, there was a machete tucked in the corner of the store—apparently, the shopkeeper had strong defensive instincts.

What was even more considerate was that because the categories for appraisal were so detailed, the precision of the information had improved. Especially with food items, the labels now bore color codes:

Black, red, orange, white.

Lu Ming quickly familiarized himself.

Black tags indicated food long past expiration, containing toxins that would cause immediate death upon ingestion.

Red tags meant expired food, which wouldn’t kill instantly but would trigger acute symptoms that, without timely treatment, were just as fatal.

Orange tags represented food nearing its expiration date and needing prompt consumption.

White tags signified food with a long shelf life, safe for collection and storage.

Simple, clear, and practical.

With a satisfied smile, Lu Ming stepped inside the store.

Upon entering, a wave of musty, decayed smell hit him, followed by several slightly disordered shelves. They held all sorts of items, but almost all edible and drinkable goods had been wiped out.

He casually picked up a bag of greenish spicy strips, noting the production date was March 22, 2020, in the Galactic Calendar of Jialan Star, with a shelf life of 12 months.

Checking the time display in the corner of the world channel, it was already May 27, 2025.

This meant the disaster had occurred at least four years prior.

Elsewhere lay piles of cigarettes, alcohol, daily necessities, boxed instant noodles, miscellaneous items, and all manner of unknown clutter.

After a thorough walk-through and a comprehensive survey of the store’s inventory, Lu Ming refrained from immediately scavenging. Instead, he retrieved the machete hidden in the corner of the counter.

It was a curved blade, slightly rusted, its quality inferior to that of the phone repair shop’s tools.

But so what? Heroes do not ask about origins; once refined, it becomes a precious weapon.

Tossing it into his spatial pouch, Lu Ming began gathering supplies.

As a well-mannered young man and a pillar of future humanity, he preferred refined, high-quality food.

He took only the white-tagged items, disregarding all others.

After ten minutes, his haul comprised: two boxes of braised beef noodles, three boxes of Nongfu Spring purified water, fifteen bottles of Best Cola, ten bottles of Sprite, and sixty bottles of seven other drink varieties.

Then came the heavy hitters: seventeen boxes of premium white liquor and thirty cartons of fine cigarettes.

Though Lu Ming himself had no use for tobacco and alcohol, many others did—especially in the apocalypse, these were luxuries.

Crucially, their shelf lives were long: ten years for cigarettes, twenty for white liquor. Whenever he encountered them, there was no reason to leave them behind.

Unexpectedly, after collecting all the cigarettes and alcohol, a notification suddenly appeared.

[Notice: Fewer than three slots remaining in spatial pouch. Please monitor storage limits. Upgrading the spatial pouch increases capacity.]

Hmm?

Oh…

Turning over this thought, Lu Ming suddenly understood.

The spatial pouch had only twenty slots. Although identical items could be stacked infinitely, after stuffing in the machete, various food and drink items, and all the tobacco and alcohol, only two slots remained.

“Upgrade…”

Opening the spatial pouch and glancing around, he spotted an “▲” symbol next to the slot count.

Clicking the triangle triggered another prompt:

[Upgrading the spatial pouch requires 40 “Specialized Crystals.” Upgrade doubles pouch capacity.]

Forty crystals? That was quite steep. What about direct refinement?

“Ultimate Refinement!”

[Notice: Please select refinement tier: Tier Two / Tier One.]

“Tier One.”

[Notice: Refining the universal function “Spatial Pouch” consumes 3,000,000 Specialized Crystals.]

[Confirm]

[Cancel]

“…”

Is this a joke? Where on earth was he supposed to find three million Specialized Crystals? And then ask for confirmation? Wouldn’t it be better to just say the upgrade was impossible?

“Cancel.”

He had only tried on a whim. Even if the refinement was possible, would he choose to upgrade now? Probably not.

The value of upgrading spatial capacity, like that of Specialized Crystals, increased dramatically in later stages.

Better to play it safe and stick with regular Specialized Crystals.

He tried the upgrade operation again, choosing to confirm the consumption of 40 Specialized Crystals.

[Notice: Spatial pouch upgrade successful. Current size: 18/40. Next upgrade costs 80 Specialized Crystals.]

Enough for now.

With his bold personality, he wanted to upgrade another level, but considering that Specialized Crystals might have greater uses later, he held back.

Leaving the tobacco, alcohol, and snacks behind, Lu Ming skillfully set his objectives and resumed his search for resources.

Along the way, he noticed several people hiding in shops. None spoke to him or sought help upon seeing him; not a single one followed him after his scavenging.

Also, whether real or imagined, every person looked at him with a complex mixture of reverence and awe.

Strangely, it didn’t bother him much.

He reasoned it was probably due to his strong build, fashionable and avant-garde attire, and the cool traditional straight sword in his hand, which intimidated them.

That suited him perfectly.

Less interaction meant less complication; he enjoyed the solitude and ease, just like life had been in these past years.

At last, he found a clothing store.

It had a rolling shutter door raised high, leaving only a locked glass door inside.

“Neighborhood shop selling clothing for men, women, and children—good quality, affordable prices, honest and fair.”

Such a slogan was engraved on the wall outside.

Though weathered and faded by time, it filled Lu Ming’s heart with joy.

It meant he no longer had to go shirtless, wearing short, torn pants that pinched his stomach painfully.

A few steps forward, he prepared to use appraisal to check for lurking larvae inside the store.

Unexpectedly, as his gaze swept over the interior, a figure suddenly caught his eye.

Remember this moment—one second was all it took.