In the apocalyptic world, human order collapsed, and all facets of humanity were laid bare. Anything became permissible, devoid of any restrictions. This was quite different from the modern-day Earth—a society under the rule of law. Lin Long greedily breathed in a few mouthfuls of air, tainted with the smell of car exhaust. And then he turned his attention to what he had earned on his trip—a bag filled with jewelry. A conservative estimate valued it at no less than 3 million.

When he opened it, under the sunlight, the sight almost blinded him. Before the apocalypse, Lin Long was just an ordinary worker in a company. When he received the zombie manufacturing system, the first day of his mandatory three days was spent aimlessly at work, his mind was elsewhere, and he was not sure if it was a cruel joke. He started to take the system seriously only from the second day. On the third day, he hastily made preparations.

He didn't resign but took a three-day leave of absence instead. An ordinary man, faced with no less than 3 million worth of gold, naturally lost his composure. "Hiss!" Lin Long suppressed his excitement, forcing himself to calm down. If this gold were not converted into cash, it would be no different from a heap of scrap metal. And the source of this gold was difficult to explain.

Selling was not a problem, but the method wasn't quite right. This was the age of information, and it should not be difficult for Lin Long who quickly found a way via the internet. For instance, it could be melted into gold bars, and then sold through unofficial channels at a much lower price than the market value. Faced with tremendous profits, no one would care about the source of your gold.

"This method is feasible," Lin Long lit a cigarette, smoking it as he made plans. Firstly, the melting point of gold was not high, and a flamethrower could do the job. After the gold was melted, it did not matter what shape it was in, as people were interested in its weight, not appearance.

When selling, it was absolutely not feasible to find a gold buyer affiliated with a major gold line. In every city, there were countless small gold shops. Their signs, such as "high prices for recycling gold", were overly frank. Sacrifice a certain interest in exchange for successful disposal. For Lin Long, who obtained this gold easily, this was acceptable.

"Get to work!" Time was limited, which made Lin Long more efficient. He hid the gold under the bed and left his rental house. Unlike before, now he was in the bustling streets, looking at the faces of humans. Lin Long could let his body relax, with his nerves no longer tense. There were plenty of flame throwers in the hardware store, and Lin Long spent several hundred yuan to buy a few. His limited money instantly shrank by half. Now, he only had a few hundred yuan left to his name.

"Another discovery is time," Lin Long looked at his watch and found out that the time between the modern era and the apocalypse was equivalent. If it was twelve noon here and he transitioned to the apocalypse, it would also be Twelve o'clock.

This was a trivial discovery, but it still meant something. Lin Long took out his cell phone, with many messages on the WeChat app, especially in the group chat. The first message he read was pinned at the top. The profile picture was of a fresh-looking girl.

"Lin Long, why did you take a leave?" This was a message sent by Lu Yao on the first day Lin Long took a leave. "Are you there? I caught a cold. Could you bring me some medicine?" This was sent at nine o'clock last night. Lin Long, who was in the apocalypse, obviously couldn't reply. Hence, the third message was slightly reproachful.

"Lin Long, you weren't like this before." Lin Long replied to her without hesitation, "Yao Yao, something happened at home, so I had to go back. Sorry for the inconvenience. Do you still have a cold?"

After sending the message, Lin Long opened the second one. "Lin Long, what happened that you needed to take off for three days?" "If something is up, let me know." "If you're short on money, I have saved five thousand here, you can borrow it first?" Lin Long smiled, his heart felt warm.

During his years at the company, his best friend was his colleague Li Ying. Their relationship was iron-clad. They often gathered together to talk about dreams. Unfortunately, as two people with average backgrounds and education, what dreams could they really speak of? After several years, weren't they still just getting by within the company? Contentedly earning their salary, they let the hustle and bustle of the city slowly grind their dreams into nothingness.

"Something happened at home, so I went back." "Meet at our usual place tonight." He sent these two messages and then opened the third one, which was from his younger sister. "Bro, I got a scholarship. I can save the money it provides me for three months. You don't need to give me any money." "Bro, you're not that young anymore. Hurry up and find a wife for yourself."

There was a playful emoji at the end of the message. A tender look appeared on Lin Long's face, the image of his sister, Zhou Ning, appearing in his mind. Holding a cigarette in his mouth, his hand swiftly typed on the screen, "What are you saying? It's a brother's duty to provide for his sister. You don't need to save for me. I'll be getting a bonus this month. I'll use it to get you a better phone." "As for a wife, don't worry, I'll surely find one."

Having the zombie manufacturing system gave Lin Long the confidence he needed. Besides, he was now sitting on gold worth millions that was waiting to be sold. After replying to the messages, Lin Long returned to his rented house. He took out a mold and fetched the gold from under his bed.

Upon seeing the beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry, he knew they were the work of a master craftsman. He was slightly reluctant to have such exquisite pieces melted down. He thought for a bit, and from the loot, he picked out a few of the most beautiful and delicate pieces. One piece was for Lu Yao, another for his sister, and the rest for his parents.

The rest of the pieces were rapidly transformed into a pool of liquid gold under the high temperatures of the flamethrower. He spent two hours by dusk, managing to melt down all the gold jewelry, which made up twenty pieces in total. Each piece weighed between 300-400 grams. The total weight was 7215 grams. Valued at current gold prices, it converts to slightly over 3 million.

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The fruits of this endeavor were not limited to this, though. There were also some diamond rings and jade jewelry, also worth a pretty penny. Of course, diamond rings were much harder to sell off, mainly because they were often the result of market speculation. They cost much when bought, and bring much pain when sold for a fraction of the price.

Lin Long packed the diamond rings, necklaces, and jade stones, and once again stashed them under the bed. He packaged each gold piece one by one, then left his apartment. His task at this point was to sell off the gold in various different shops, one or two pieces to a shop, spreading them over different areas, and thus spreading the risk.

If you were to just sell a couple of kilos of gold at once, people might start asking awkward questions.

"Recycling Gold at Shunyuan." Not far from Lin Long's residence, a prominent billboard loomed above a storefront. Lin Long, wearing a face mask and trying to look as nonchalant as possible, entered. The store was rather quiet, with only a slightly overweight boss behind the counter, engrossed in a video on his phone.

Seeing Lin Long walk in, he professionally flashed a smile. "Brother, are you looking to buy or sell gold?" His gaze didn't show any surprise at Lin Long's face mask. After all, it was quite common for young people to wear them these days. It was even seen as a fashion statement among some. Besides, those who came into his store often had certain things that they'd rather keep hidden.

"Selling." Lin Long was as frugal with his words. The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He left his counter, warming up noticeably, "Come this way." In a little over ten minutes, Lin Long had left, leaving the shop owner smiling from ear to ear. The amount he had acquired today amounted to his normal monthly haul. The price was the key; he was making a huge profit.

Lin Long rode around the city on a shared bike. Every time he passed a jewelry store or a pawn shop, he would walk in for a bit before quickly leaving. It was only in the evening that Lin Long managed to get rid of the last bit of gold from his apocalyptic adventure.

"2.05 million." Looking at his bank account balance, a grin spread across Lin Long's face. His expectations had been met. The average buy-back price from these informal gold collectors was quite low, only 280 yuan per gram. Compared to the current price of gold at 375 yuan per gram, the gap was significant.

Lin Long was an ordinary man. He didn't have any special connections or a say in the bargaining process. In many situations, Lin Long was on the weaker side. While others may have been troubled by this, Lin Long wasn't. The post-apocalyptic world had plenty of gold, and this loss was just a drop in the ocean. He was more prioritizing the quickest way to obtain cash. The loss was negligible when compared to the imminent development of a post-apocalyptic world.

"Lin Long, I have arrived." Lin Long received a message from Li Ying. "Li Ying, I am on my way." Lin Long replied and headed for their usual spot, a stall with decent food. Ten minutes later, Lin Long arrived. "Lin Long, over here." Li Ying, spotting Lin Long, stood up and waved.

Remembering Lu Yao, Lin Long let out a warm smile. It was a woman he took a liking to, but who knew where fate would lead them?

"Li Ying, I'm thinking about quitting my job." Lin Long had given this much thought. With the zombie manufacturing system, he was already far from being an ordinary person. There was little point in continuing to work. The zombie manufacturing system had a time constraint. He had no choice, when the time came, he would be teleported. It wasn't feasible to continue taking leave every time the time came.

Resigning seemed like the best solution. Li Ying was surprised, "Lin Long, why are you thinking about resigning all of a sudden?" Lin Long smirked, looking out at the bustling night street. "I want to take a chance while I'm still young." He gestured towards the street, "If we continue to remain content, when would we ever be able to afford a car or a house? I don't think we can ever own a home in this city in our lifetimes. I don't want to resign to my fate. I don't want to return to my hometown in disgrace when I'm old."

This was both a reason for Lin Long's resignation, and also a reflection of his heart's innermost thoughts. He had an option now, Lin Long naturally wanted to take the risk. With the opportunity to change things in his hands, no matter how dangerous the apocalypse might look, Lin Long would not fear it.

Li Ying remained silent for a long time, then he hugged Lin Long's shoulders, raising his glass, "I'm here to support your ideas. No need to say more, let's have a drink."

After drinking until 10 p.m., they both left slightly tipsy. Lin Long pulled out his phone and transferred twenty thousand to his sister. He didn't want to give her more because that would mean needing to come up with an elaborate excuse.

As soon as he confirmed the transfer, his sister, Zhou Ning, messaged him, "Bro, why is it so much?" Lin Long smiled before replying, "I just landed a big contract, so the bonus was fifty thousand. Plus, the management is considering giving me a raise. You just accept it. Get a new phone and make sure you eat well. Don’t skimp on yourself."

After some persuasion and flimflam, he finally convinced Zhou Ning to keep the twenty thousand. Once he returned to his rented place, Lin Long took a shower but didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, he laid in bed contemplating his next steps.

He had about two and a half days before his next teleport. It seemed like a lot of time, but once he thought about it, he felt under pressure. There was a lot of work to be done.

Resigning from his job was simple. One text message declaring his resignation would suffice without requiring his salary. But Lin Long's plans involved more than that. His past three days' experiences taught him about the dangerous world of the apocalypse.

Ordinary zombies' attack and defense capabilities were very weak. If they came across gene mutation zombies, they could be annihilated instantly. "So, the first step should be, find a way to arm the zombies?" Lin Long mused, scratching his chin. For instance, provide the zombies with shields, armor, and more suitable weapons. A zombie decked out in alloy armor could indeed become a formidable existence within the zombie crowd, couldn't it?

After about fifteen minutes, Li Ying fell silent. After what felt like an eternity, he wrapped an arm around Lin Long's shoulder, lifting his glass, "Say no more, I support your ideas, my brother."

After having a few drinks, they left around ten o'clock. Lin Long checked his phone and transferred twenty thousand to his sister. He didn't want to give her more as that would require more elaborate excuses.

Barely had the money been transferred when his sister, Zhou Ning, messaged him: "Bro, why is it so much?" Lin Long laughed and replied, "Your brother just signed a big contract, so the bonus is fifty thousand, and the manager has applied for a raise for me. Just take it easy, get a new phone, and eat without any worries. Don't constrain yourself."

Only after convincing her with a blend of persuasion and deception did Zhou Ning accept the two thousand yuan. He just returned to his rented house, and after taking a shower, he didn't rush to sleep. Instead, he pondered about the things to do next, while lying on the bed.

With just two and a half days left for the next teleportation, the seemingly luxurious span of time felt extremely pressing when he thought about the numerous things he had to do. But his predominant concern was not restricted to this alone; the experiences of these three days made Lin Long realize the dangers of the post-apocalypse.

"The first step is to find ways to arm the zombies?" Lin Long thought to himself, scratching his chin. Maybe providing the zombies with armors like shields and mail, along with more effective weapons. Surely, a zombie clad in alloy armor would commandeer considerable traction amongst the zombie crowd, wouldn't it?