C37 Dagang Was Happy to Get the Gold Watch. He Opened the Cabinet and Found a Lot of Good Stuff.

"Bing, I've struck gold!" Zhao Dagang's voice boomed as they split up to search the upper floor.

"Keep it down!" Tang Bing, fuming, rushed over. "Do you want to bring every zombie in the area down on us?"

"Sorry, Brother Bing!" Zhao Dagang immediately realized his mistake, scratching his head sheepishly. He then eagerly presented a gold watch to Tang Bing. "Check this out! Pure gold!"

Tang Bing inspected the watch. Indeed, it was genuine gold. Likely, it was loot from a burglary, left here temporarily after the thief was nabbed, awaiting its rightful owner.

How did he know? The case file spread out on the desk was a dead giveaway! It must have been an active investigation when the zombies hit.

"Brother Bing, this watch could fetch a pretty penny!" Zhao Dagang beamed.

"What good does that do us?" Tang Bing tossed the watch onto the table. "I asked for something useful. You can't eat or drink a watch. What use is it?"

"But it is useful, Brother Bing!" Zhao Dagang gingerly picked up the watch again. "We can use it to tell time!"

"Who needs a watch when you've got a phone?"

"But what if the battery dies, Brother Bing? Our phones are useless without power!" Zhao Dagang pointed out.

Tang Bing paused, realizing he hadn't considered that. But then he shook his head, "We can always find a generator, or generate our own power!"

"That sounds like a hassle!" Zhao Dagang chuckled. "Can I keep the gold watch, Bing?"

Tang Bing was about to dismiss it as pointless, but after a moment's thought, he nodded. "Alright, take it if you want."

"Thanks, Brother Bing!" Zhao Dagang was ecstatic. "Oh, and I found a safe key!"

"A safe key?"

"Yeah!" Zhao Dagang handed over the key. "There's a big safe in the small room, and I'm betting this key opens it!"

"So why didn't you open it?" Tang Bing asked, taking the key with a puzzled look.

"Heh, it's all thanks to finding this watch!" Zhao Dagang exclaimed with glee, slipping the gold watch onto his wrist. "I'll call you in a jiffy!"

Tang Bing couldn't help but marvel at Zhao Dagang's unique way of thinking. "Alright, enough showboating! Let's get a move on and find something useful, no time to waste! You can flaunt all you want once we're back home."

"Alright!" Zhao Dagang flicked his wrist, grinning from ear to ear as he admired the gold watch, then turned to thoroughly search the room.

Tang Bing, key in hand, entered the small room Zhao Dagang had mentioned and, sure enough, found a massive safe. Around it were several locked storage cabinets, each marked with a label, clearly designated for storing confiscated stolen goods.

Would there be anything of value inside? Bandits or thieves typically go for the pricey stuff, rarely anything practical for survival, and certainly not food or water.

But then it struck him—what if, due to the mysterious system, opening it himself could yield different loot? Perhaps, with a bit of luck, he'd find exactly what he needed.

After some deliberation, Tang Bing approached the safe and inserted the key.

"Click!" The key was a perfect match; the lock sprung open instantly.

Tang Bing swung the door wide and began a meticulous search.

You have obtained 580,000 yuan in cash!

You have obtained the Heart of the Sea (Perfect)!

You have obtained a diamond ring (Distinguished)!

You have obtained a diamond ring (Exquisite)!

You have obtained 50 gold bars!

You have obtained the blueprint for a mace!

You have obtained the blueprint for an iron pipe bomb!

You have obtained the blueprint for a simple bed!

You have obtained 7 gold necklaces (Ordinary)!

You have obtained 11 gold rings (Ordinary)!

You have obtained 6 gold bracelets (Ordinary)!

You have obtained 1 gold bracelet (Exquisite)!

Just as he suspected, the safe was filled with items seized by the police, likely from a heist at a jewelry or gold shop, explaining the abundance of diamond and gold jewelry.

The hefty sum of 580,000 yuan was clearly ill-gotten gains. Though unsure of its use, Tang Bing stashed it in his virtual backpack for now.

Ironically, before all this, he was the kind of guy who scrimped and saved for half a year just to afford a bag. Now, he had effortlessly come into a small fortune of several hundred thousand yuan. But in these times, money was worthless; you couldn't spend it, and zombies certainly weren't open for business. For survivors, cash had lost its meaning—it was food and drink that truly mattered.

The [Heart of the Sea] (Perfect) granted a +5 to Perception. This exquisite sapphire necklace, crafted by the renowned domestic designer Beto Li, was valued at an astonishing 20 million yuan.

Tang Bing was astounded to find such a treasure, a necklace worth 20 million yuan, among the contraband seized by the police. What kind of master thief could have stolen such a piece? Yet, for all their skill, they ended up in police custody.

What exactly did +5 Perception mean? Tang Bing wasn't sure, but it was evidently beneficial to him.

A necklace valued at 20 million yuan! For its worth alone, not to mention the attributes it brought, Tang Bing didn't hesitate to drape it around his neck.

Oddly enough, as soon as he put on the necklace, his mind briefly wandered. He then had the uncanny feeling that three zombies were ambling past the north side of the police station's outer wall.

"What's going on?" he wondered, startled. Was it just a hallucination? Yet it felt so vividly real.

Just then, he sensed a figure approaching his room. It was as if he had suddenly activated a divine sense, a mysterious perspective that materialized in his mind, allowing him to perceive his surroundings within a certain radius.

"Bing, I found another pistol!" Zhao Dagang announced joyfully at the door, speaking softly.

Tang Bing glanced back at Zhao Dagang and involuntarily swallowed hard. The figure he had 'seen' in his mind's eye was unmistakably Zhao Dagang! This was no figment of his imagination—it was all too real!

He had 'seen' Zhao Dagang coming, and there he was, in the flesh!

So, this +5 Perception allowed him to tap into a special ability to sense what was happening around him. In essence, wearing this necklace was like being endowed with a superpower!

"Bing? I found the gun!" Zhao Dagang said, noticing Tang Bing was turned away and unresponsive, so he repeated himself.

Tang Bing snapped back to reality and immediately turned to say, "Got it! Stow it for now!"

"Huh? You want me to stow it? Then I'll have two spears?" Zhao Dagang exclaimed with delight, then added, "Maybe I'll hang onto it for now and give one to Sun Meng or Qin Mengyao later?"

"No need!" Tang Bing gave him a frowning glance. "Are they going to join us on our adventures?"

"Well, they could use it for self-defense!" Zhao Dagang countered.

"If that's your take, then do as you please. It's your find, so you decide how to distribute it," Tang Bing conceded. "Keep looking—let's haul in more useful loot!"

"You got it!" With the go-ahead, Zhao Dagang turned and headed off in another direction.

Once Zhao Dagang was out of sight, Tang Bing turned his attention to the remaining spoils of war.

A diamond ring (Exquisite) that boosted sharp weapon attacks by 10%—a creation of the renowned domestic designer Yang Hen, valued at $350,000 on the market! Indeed, once the system classified ordinary necklaces and diamond rings as spoils of war, they were endowed with extraordinary powers. That meant any jewelry, weapon, or gear Tang Bing found under the system's influence came with unique properties.

The 10% attack boost applied to sharp weapons, including the Fire axe. This was yet another invaluable piece of equipment, which he promptly slipped onto his left middle finger.

Another diamond ring (Exquisite) from Yang Hen's collection, this one enhancing his running speed by 5%, with a market value of $200,000! Yang Hen again—but who was this designer? Tang Bing, utterly clueless about jewelry design, didn't recognize the name.

Still, a 5% increase in running speed was nothing to scoff at. Faster on his feet, he could more easily evade zombies and any other threats, swiftly altering the tide of battle to ensure his own unbeatable advantage.

And then there were the 50 gold bars—undeniably hefty. One bar was heavy enough, but 50? Normally, it would be impossible to carry them all. But for Tang Bing, it was no hassle at all; he simply tossed them into his virtual backpack, where weight was of no concern.

Although he wasn't sure what use gold bars had in the apocalypse, he decided to take them along anyway. They might come in handy for crafting equipment or tools later on.

The blueprint for the Wolf Fanged Mace promised to deliver a weapon with formidable power, perfect for attacking enemies and self-defense. The required materials included 10 iron bars, 20 iron nails, and 2 pieces of wood.

With a smelting furnace, he could forge weapons, but it was uncertain whether this mace would pack a greater punch than a Fire axe. That was something he'd only find out after the mace was successfully crafted.

The blueprint for the iron pipe bomb detailed how to make a simple yet lethal explosive. The necessary materials seemed straightforward enough: 1 piece of paper, 1 iron pipe, and 5 pieces of gunpowder. This appeared to be the most basic of throwing weapons. Given that bombs were typically used against hordes of zombies, it made sense to stock up on them for when the time came.

The simple bed blueprint offered a relatively comfortable place to rest, promising quicker physical recovery and enhanced effects. To build it, he would need 20 rags, 20 cotton pieces, 10 springs, and 10 iron pipes. A faster recovery rate? That sounded like it could alleviate fatigue, allowing for better rest in the same amount of sleep. It was definitely essential equipment for the base.

Regarding the gold jewelry—the ordinary quality necklace, ring, and bracelet each provided a +1 boost to Dexterity, while the elite quality items added +2 to Strength and +1 to Dexterity.

Tang Bing donned an ordinary gold bracelet alongside an exquisite one, enjoying a nice boost of 2 points to both Strength and Dexterity.