Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 3: Pajamas Girl

Mu Xinfei muttered curses under her breath, but upon entering the kitchen and spotting the massive two-meter-high spinning wheel, she froze in place.

“This, this, this… What in the world is it?”

By ordinary measures, she qualified as a classic tough woman.

Proof of that lay in her choice not to flee or dial the authorities immediately upon encountering Ye Zhongming.

Part of her boldness stemmed from the training she'd undergone two months prior, while another part arose from her faith in the building's security team.

A burglar had once broken in and gotten thoroughly thrashed by the guards.

Naturally, Ye Zhongming's unthreatening looks also helped ease her nerves.

“Apocalypse Gachapon.”

Ye Zhongming caressed the machine's polished exterior, much like he would stroke Bai Sisi’s silky skin.

Encountering this device anew in his reborn life stirred a whirlwind of emotions within him—joy, hope, fury, revulsion, dependence… So tangled that words failed to capture them.

The Apocalypse Gachapon formed the bedrock of humanity's endurance. During the prior apocalypse, the fastest to gain strength seized dominance. A decade on, many evolved into top-tier powerhouses ruling the ruined world. Their authority surpassed any peacetime leader's, marking them as overlords free to slay at will on their domains.

Such immense might originated from the varied levels of Apocalypse Gacha.

In his previous existence, it took three months post-apocalypse for Ye Zhongming to discover his initial gachapon, unveiling this vital secret and igniting his path to power.

Three months further on, armed with five level-one demon crystals, he sought to spin but found most machines claimed. Want a turn? Cough up the crystals. Yet even success risked death, your prize snatched by killers.

The apocalypse proved far more savage than anyone anticipated.

Not until a full year passed could Ye Zhongming align with a faction, securing a spin opportunity to launch his ascent. Ultimately, he reached six-star prowess.

Still, securing a secure machine demanded immense fortune and heavy costs.

Truly, the Apocalypse Gachapon ranked as the apocalypse's supreme treasure.

Nearly every survivor base centered on one such device.

Reborn with life intact, Ye Zhongming's prime edge was remembering countless wheel locations. Dingcheng Apartments housed the nearest level 1 gachapon to his spot.

Gazing at the gachapon before him and its ten reward sections overhead, Ye Zhongming steadied his racing pulse. This chance positioned him among the early empowered, leveraging past knowledge to surge ahead swiftly.

A teardrop-like gray gem sat at the wheel's core, denoting a level one gachapon. White stones marked level two, black for level three. Even after ten years, sites boasting level three or higher drew fierce battles.

His eyes narrowed, fixing on a single reward among the ten. His pulse quickened wildly.

Level 1 Strengthening Potion!

This elixir granted strength fivefold that of ordinary people.

It stood as the pinnacle prize on a level one wheel.

In the old apocalypse, Ye Zhongming claimed this very item first, fueling his rise thereafter.

He shuddered to think how fate might have unfolded without that initial lucky draw—likely an early grave.

“You recognize this thing, don't you?”

Mu Xinfei snapped from her stunned daze, fixing Ye Zhongming with a composed stare.

He cocked his head, eyeing the stunning beauty with her flawless features and figure. For a moment, Ye Zhongming entertained her zombifying, yielding a level one demon crystal upon her death. Add four more, and a spin awaited.

Yet reconsidering, unease crept in. His gaze shifted to the half-meter-high metal pedestal riddled with crystal slots. Level 1 gachapons demanded level 1 demon crystals. Normals took five per spin, however…

His pupils shrank. For this gachapon featured seven gray slots!

Seven!

Two beyond the standard five!

Ye Zhongming grasped the implication perfectly! Something superior to level 1 lurked here!

Various gachapon tiers required varying demon crystal counts, spanning minimums and maximums. From his knowledge, level 1 ones ranged from two to twelve crystals; most hit five.

Gachapons requiring only two level 1 crystals offered rewards of very poor quality, mostly everyday living supplies, and never included any one-star strengthening potions. As more demon crystals got invested, the prizes improved significantly. Legend had it that a level 12 gachapon once yielded a basic item control technique, the kind normally found in level 2 machines!

Demanding seven crystals, this level 1 gachapon clearly promised rewards superior to typical level 1 offerings!

Ye Zhongming scanned the ten rewards displayed. Besides the strengthening potion, they featured a gun blueprint, a crossbow diagram, a medical kit, a pack of fruit cans in four flavors, an image of six water bottles, chewing gum, tea leaves, and a jar of honey.

Lastly, there was a diagram that filled him with excitement!

A card!

The reverse side of a card!

Lucky Skill Card!

The name of this card popped into Ye Zhongming’s mind.

Lucky Skill Card, which granted a special ability like the vision card that enhanced eyesight, or the sensory card boosting all five senses. Or even the pet card that provided a beast companion.

Within the Apocalypse Gachapon system, certain machines dispensed these Skill Cards. Higher-tier ones delivered superior skills. Right before his death, Ye Zhongming’s captain pulled a Lucky Skill Card from a level four machine, acquiring the Stone Skin Technique. It turned his skin as tough as rock, shielding his vital organs. His survival rate in deadly scenarios skyrocketed. Plus, it let him slay numerous high-level monsters, netting loads of high-grade demon crystals.

With a Lucky Skill Card right there before him now, how could he possibly resist?

Glancing at the clock, Ye Zhongming realized that within mere minutes, anyone lacking natural immunity would mutate into zombies. This marked the opening round of natural selection, utterly devoid of fairness. It all boiled down to sheer luck.

Ye Zhongming was undeniably fortunate, his body carrying the immunity that spared him from turning.

On instinct, Ye Zhongming glanced at the lovely girl standing by the machine, uncertain if fortune smiled on her too.

Perhaps his gaze carried a menacing edge that alarmed her, prompting her to step back twice before slipping on her slippers and fleeing through the gate. Ye Zhongming shook his head. If she lacked immunity, the mutation spot didn’t matter. Immunity meant holding out longer indoors at least. Rushing outside? That realm was morphing into pure hell—suicide by any measure.

Back then, Ye Zhongming had hunkered down in his rented apartment for a full month, scraping by on meager food and water stocks. Finally, starvation forced him outside. The wildest chaos had subsided by then, but dangers lurked everywhere. One slip-up, and you became fodder—zombie chow or human bait alike.

Yet only thirty seconds later, she dashed back inside, her face drained of color. She must have witnessed something nightmarish.

“You—you knew what was going on, right? You’ve stayed totally calm, not fazed at all by this gachapon. You drove straight to my place. So you knew what was coming!”

Her voice quivered as she spoke. Though her emotions teetered on the edge, Ye Zhongming found himself admiring her sharp awareness even in panic. Not just anyone, let alone a woman, could pick up on so many fine details then.

“What is your name?”

Ye Zhongming grinned, abruptly taking a shine to this woman. If she mutated, maybe he’d dig her a grave if the mood struck, even raise a marker.

“Mu Xinfei.”

“Cough cough!”

Ye Zhongming choked, eyeing her like some otherworldly creature.

“What did you say your name was?”