《Apocalypse: Infinite Supplies System》


 Chapter 1: Apocalyptic World

    <h4>Chapter 1: ?Apocalyptic World</h4>


    "Hoo... Hoo... Hoo..."


    Alex Thompson gasped for breath as he copsed in an abandoned supermarket, his heart racing with fear. Hastily, he got up and ran towards the second floor of the supermarket where the office with its security shutters awaited, locking himself inside.


    Finally, he felt a semnce of safety.


    Through the window of the second-floor office, he looked out at the zombies roaming outside the supermarket, their faces nk and aimless.


    Just moments ago, Alex had been sitting at home when he suddenly felt dizzy.


    When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this unfamiliar area.


    Before he could make sense of what was happening, the zombies were hot on his heels, prompting Alex to sprint into the nearby abandoned supermarket.


    "Wee, chosen challengers, to the apocalypse world."


    "Here, you will need to gather supplies to sustain your life while also facing off against zombies and mutated monsters that can take your life at any moment."


    "Survive by any means necessary, fortunate challengers!"


    At that moment, Alex heard a mechanical female voice in his mind.


    Simultaneously, his vision was filled with an augmented reality-like perspective.


    In the middle of his vision, there were interfaces for backpacks, trading windows, chat channels, emails, and more.


    He opened the backpack, finding it empty.


    Alex''s expression darkened.


    He hadn''t replenished his energy for a day already.


    If what the recent prompt suggested was true, without supplies, death awaited him.


    "Ding! You have a mail, please check!"


    As Alex subconsciously opened the email, a voice echoed in his mind.


    "The Infinite Resource System has been bound to the host!"


    Soon enough, Alex understood the purpose of this so-called system.


    Because in his backpack, a mineral water icon suddenly appeared in the first slot.


    And in the bottom right corner of the icon, there was an infinite mathematical symbol.


    ¡Þ


    This is the system?


    The protagonist''s essential?


    Alex quickly took out the mineral water.


    Sure enough, the icon of the mineral water in the backpack did not disappear.


    Alex frantically took out the mineral water.


    When 500 milliliters of mineral water filled the entire office, Alex ecstatically confirmed that he had obtained the legendary system.


    This system could provide him with an infinite amount of resources every day, and today it was mineral water!


    Alex opened the chat channel and found a city icon below.


    At this point, many people were speaking on the channel.


    Number 89757: "Damn, what is this thing? Suddenly teleported here and told to fight zombies, I want to go back!"


    Number 777889: "It''s over, it''s over, there''s no resources around, outside is full of zombies, I''m probably going to die for nothing."


    Number 589345: "I just saw a poor guy bitten by a zombie with my own eyes, and he turned into a zombie right away, luckily I ran fast!"


    Number 450321: "Instead of wasting time babbling, we''d better hurry up and collect resources."


    "..."


    Alex slowly scrolled through all the chat content, finally confirming that all of this was real.


    "The chosen ones, those who meet the criteria, are transported here, forced to participate in this survival game.


    Looking at the city chat channel''s IDs, at least hundreds of thousands of people have arrived in this apocalyptic world, residing in the same city as oneself.


    So, are there even more people, more cities?


    And at the moment the prompt officially sounded, the game had already begun.


    Some people will continue to survive by collecting resources, while others will quickly die of hunger, thirst, or be bitten to death by zombies.


    Alex continued to open the trading tform, finding that a small number of people were already selling supplies.


    Mostly food and water, with a few other items such as shlights, lighters, and so on.


    The trading method is bartering, with the seller proposing conditions, and as long as the buyer has the corresponding items, the trade can bepleted.


    Looking at the few trading demands, most of them were for water and food.


    And what he had the most of was mineral water.


    Alex directly cleared out any items on the trading tform that exchanged water resources.


    The email notification sounded incessantly.


    In just a moment, Alex solved his need for food for a long time.


    Number 10086 purchased 5 loaves of bread.


    Number 10086 purchased 2 packs of ham.


    Number 10086 purchased 3 portions of spaghetti.


    Number 10086 purchased 1 lighter.


    ...


    At the same time, many people in the chat channel came out to discuss who this number 10086 was.


    Number 38383: "Holy crap! Just now, I had 5 loaves of bread up for sale, and number 10086 bought them all, does this person have so many resources?!"


    Number 9527: "What is this? All the supplies I put up were bought by number 10086 alone!"


    Number 979698: "Could this number 10086 be a game booster?! Decreasing our resources, increasing our survival difficulty!"


    Number 56666: "It''s highly possible! Otherwise, how could someone suddenly have so many resources to exchange for things? It''s likely a puppet master behind the scenes."


    "..."


    Alex looked at the chat content, then at his own number, only then realizing that the trading process would disy both parties'' numbers.


    This setting directly exposed him to everyone.


    Fortunately, only the numbers are shown when trading is initiated.


    After exchanging mineral water for other supplies, Alex exchanged these new items to fulfill the trading demands.


    Now, he could easily open his own grocery store.


    Alex took out a steaming te of spaghetti and a cup of orange juice from his backpack, eating while continuing to browse the trading tform, but he never found the things he wanted.


    Weapons!


    That''s what hecked the most right now¡ªtools for self-defense.


    Not to mention firearms and ammunition, he couldn''t even find a baseball bat or a kitchen knife.


    Upon careful consideration, it seemed that the people who had gathered supplies hadn''t put them up on the trading tform.


    After all, in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, having a good self-defense tool could greatly increase survival chances.


    However, today was only the first day, and the survival pressure wasn''t too high yet.


    Many people were still hiding in safe areas, not venturing out to gather supplies.


    After a few days, when they reached the point of desperation, Alex believed that resources would gradually be more abundant.


    For now, all he needed to do was stay in this abandoned supermarket, waiting until he had enough self-defense strength saved up.

 Chapter 2: A Woman

    <h4>Chapter 2: A Woman</h4>


    Alex descended to the first floor of the supermarket, hoping to find some supplies.


    However, he searched the entire supermarket and found nothing.


    Finally, as he entered the restroom to relieve himself, he noticed a wooden crate in front of the sink.


    "Is this the supplies?"


    Alex muttered to himself as he approached the wooden crate.


    [Sessfully opened Bronze-tier supply crate]


    [Received Wood ¡Á 10]


    [Received Rope ¡Á 1]


    Something is better than nothing!


    Alex immediately stowed all the supplies into his backpack.


    He checked if there was any usable water resource in the restroom, but found that the faucet was just for show.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Coming out of the restroom, Alex was about to walk back to the second floor when he heard someone knocking and calling outside the supermarket.


    "Is anyone there? Please open the door, there are zombies chasing me!"


    Alex walked to the supermarket entrance and peered outside through the gap, seeing a woman standing outside.


    100 points!


    He wouldn''t know how to use any fancy words to describe it.


    Giving this woman full marks was enough to prove everything.


    Alex had seen many women, but this one stood out to him.


    With just her looks alone, she could easily rank first among all the women he had ever seen!


    "Who are you?"


    Alex didn''t immediately open the door, but instead shouted from inside.


    Mia Thompson looked anxious and pleading.


    "Hey, young man, I''ve been stranded outside for a day, with no supplies at all. Please let me in first! I''ll do anything for you afterward!"


    Alex frowned.


    After a moment of consideration, he took out a wooden board from his backpack and opened the supermarket door.


    "Thank you, young man..."


    The woman walked in, quickly thanking Alex.


    Arriving in this apocalyptic world, she had been chased by zombies, nearly dying several times.


    Now that she saw someone of her own kind, she felt a sense of safety.


    But just at that moment, Alex suddenly made his move.


    Before the woman could react, he delivered a powerful chop to the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.


    Then, Alex immediately closed the supermarket door, tied up the woman with the rope, and carried her to the second floor.


    People''s hearts are unpredictable.


    In the apocalypse, one cannot be too cautious when dealing with strangers.


    Once you trust the wrong person, it could cost you your life.


    ...


    The woman groggily woke up, her neck still hurting badly.


    As she went to rub it, she realized she had been securely bound with a rope.


    "Are you awake?"


    Alex approached the woman while eating his bread.


    The woman looked somewhat frightened and struggled hard.


    "What are you trying to do? Do you know this is illegal...?"


    Alex couldn''t help but chuckle at her words.


    In this world where death coulde at any moment, talking about legality was indeedughable.


    Alex squatted down, his right hand reaching out directly as he said with a smile, "Sorry, I can''t determine if you''re a good person or not, so I had to tie you up first and then see if you have a conscience!"


    The sudden action startled the woman, her eyes twitching slightly.


    She said with some anger, "You bastard, if you have the guts, release me, and I''ll let you check your conscience properly!"


    Alex suppressed the expression on his face.


    He stood up, his face expressionless as he said, "You''re just a prisoner at my mercy, and you dare to bargain with me? Are you overestimating your own charm? To put it bluntly, I could just tie you up and force you into a ''game''. What can you do about it?"


    The woman bit her lip and remained silent.


    She also knew that what Alex said was the truth.


    Alex sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette, then continued, "Tell me your name and background, and maybe I''ll spare your life."


    After saying this, he waited quietly for the woman to break the silence.


    "I''m Mia Thompson, a doctor, chased by zombies, ended up here identally."


    A doctor?


    Alex was interested in Mia''s profession.


    In such an apocalyptic world, having a doctor was a guarantee of survival. And, under the premise of mutual consent, they could sign a contract, without worrying about loyalty issues.


    Alex said lightly, "Follow me, I''ll provide you with food, and you''ll be under mymand. Also, to ease my mind, we''ll have to sign a master-servant contract."


    Mia clearly understood the advantages brought by her profession and shook her head in refusal.


    Alex shrugged, not in a hurry.


    There was no conflict or hatred between them, so he wouldn''t be insane enough to deliberately harm her.


    But he couldn''t let her go for now, better be cautious.


    Then, he took out a sausage from his backpack and started eating it in front of Mia.


    Watching Mia''s throat move as she swallowed secretly, Alex said while eating, "Forgot to mention earlier, your conscience is pretty big."


    Mia blushed, gritting her teeth, wishing she could bite this damn young man to death.


    When had she ever been treated like this by a man?


    May you have an unfortunate old age, covered in red hair from head to toe.


    Alex was determined to recruit Mia, the doctor, into his group, but he didn''t want to use forceful means. Instead, he opted for coercion and temptation, nning his moves carefully.


    After finishing the sausage, Alex wiped his mouth with a tissue from his backpack, burping satisfactorily.


    "Are you hungry?"


    Mia stared at Alex with a straight face, somewhat angrily saying, "You don''t have to y games with me like this."


    Alex took out a bottle of water from his backpack, opened the cap, and held it to Mia''s mouth to feed her, saying earnestly, "Doctor, I really want you to join us. I guarantee you won''t miss any meals, and with me around, I''ll ensure your safety."


    Thirsty Mia couldn''t care less about replying, gulping down the water as if her life depended on it. The instant coolness revitalized her spirits.

 Chapter 3: Infinite 9mm Bullets

    <h4>Chapter 3: Infinite 9mm Bullets</h4>


    After drinking the water, she chuckled lightly and said, "Is this your sincerity towards me, young man?"


    Alex wore a puzzled expression and smiled, asking, "What? Giving you water isn''t the greatest sincerity from me?"


    Mia''s voice trembled slightly.


    "So, giving me lemon water is supposed to make me hungrier?" she asked.


    Alex replied sincerely, "Doctor, lemon water is my favorite drink, and I don''t have much left in stock. I brought it out for you to drink, and your words really disappoint me."


    "But, if you feel hungry, all you need to do is nod and agree to my terms, and I''ll immediately make sure you have a full meal!"


    Mia looked at Alex, who was full of smiles, her body trembling slightly with anger.


    She knew that the man in front of her was just toying with her, forcing her to submit.


    "Give up hope! Even if I starve to death, or jump down and get eaten by zombies, I won''t eat anything from you!"


    Alex didn''t mind and chuckled, "Not even considering it?"


    Mia roared in anger.


    "Get out!"


    It seemed that Mia wouldn''t surrender voluntarily for a while.


    He could only starve her for a few days and see how it goes.


    If necessary, he would throw her to the zombies.


    In this end-of-the-world scenario where there was no tomorrow, Alex had no intention of keeping a worthless burden.


    In normal times, he might have thought about keeping someone to warm his bed.


    But the current Alex only thought about how to survive.


    "Don''t want to think too much."


    Alex shook his head, dismissing distractions, took off his clothes and pants, hung them up with a hanger, leaving only a pair of boxer shorts.


    Mia nervously tightened her legs together and asked, "What are you trying to do?!"


    Although it sounded like a question, her trembling voice, coupled with her beautiful face, seemed to easily arouse the possessiveness of male creatures.


    Alex squinted and said, "I''m not going to waste a lot of energy doing strenuous activities during a shortage of resources."


    Mia, whose thoughts were exposed, blushed slightly and tried to retort.


    "You..."


    Alexy on the sofa, took out a nket and covered himself, interrupting her.


    "Save your energy! Instead of cursing, you might as well rest early."


    After saying this, Alex closed his eyes and started resting.


    Soon, he started snoring.


    Mia could only give up andy down to rest on the ground.


    But hunger kept her tossing and turning, unable to sleep for a long time.


    The lemon water from earlier even made her stomach acid surge.


    The next morning.


    Alex was awakened by the sunlight shining on his face from outside the window.


    He stretchedzily and sat up, then turned to look at Mia, jokingly saying, "Hey, why is there a giant panda here? Are pandas also brought here to participate in the end-of-days survival?"


    Mia was sitting on the ground, her face pale, her eyes bloodshot, with dark circles surrounding them.


    Obviously, she hadn''t slept all night.


    Mia, who hadn''t rested, didn''t retort Alex''s teasing.


    Her mental state was so poor that she felt a bit dazed.


    All of this was within Alex''s expectations.


    A woman who had been hungry all day, finally replenishing her water resources only to receive lemon water, the strong feeling of hunger would only keep her awake at night.


    "Are you hungry? Want some breakfast?"


    Alex took out a sandwich and offered it to Mia.


    Mia smelled the fragrance of the sandwich, and her stomach involuntarily growled.


    But she resisted her instincts and turned her head the other way, refusing to look.


    Alex grinned and gave her a thumbs up.


    "Integrity!"


    Then, Alex put the sandwich in his own mouth.


    During the process of eating, he exaggeratedly praised, "Delicious! So tasty!"


    After sessfully breaching Mia''s psychological defenses in the morning, Alex opened his emails.


    The system promptly delivered today''s supplies in the email.


    Infinite 9mm bullets!


    They were actually crucial ammunition!


    And they were unlimited!


    Alex''s heart couldn''t help but race.


    But he quickly calmed down.


    After all, finding firearmspatible with the magazines wasn''t that easy.


    Even though suitable weapons would surely appear on trading tforms as time went on.


    But time waits for no one.


    The abandoned supermarket where Alex was located could be invaded by zombies any day.


    If these zombies weren''t stupid and charged straight into the supermarket, he would be dead.


    Alex immediately opened the trading tform and started scanning for goods.


    A whole morning passed, and although Alex had quite a harvest, he still hadn''t seen any trace of the things he expected.


    During lunchtime, as Alex ate his fried rice, he suddenly stopped and sighed.


    "So difficult!"


    Mia, beside him, spoke in her slightly weak voice, "Can you just eat without making noises next to me?"


    Alex swayed the fried rice and said, "Sure, but it''s unnecessary."


    Mia didn''t argue but chose to lie down obediently and close her eyes, acting like an ostrich.


    Alex continued muttering to himself, "This fried rice is too greasy, I can''t eat it!"


    Mia, with her eyes closed, suddenly heard the sound of something being thrown into the trash can and subconsciously opened her eyes.


    Alex had actually poured the fried rice into the trash!


    "What are you doing?!" Mia asked angrily.


    Alex, after pouring out the fried rice, turned to look at Mia and said with a smile, "As you can see, I poured out the food I couldn''t eat."


    Mia couldn''t believe it.


    "You''re wasting food! Do you know what you''re doing?"


    "Do you want to eat? Why are you so worked up? If you want to eat, I''ll give you some, I have plenty more."


    Alex seemedpletely indifferent.


    Mia remained silent, giving him a fierce re, then continued to lie down with closed eyes, trying to rest.


    Alex watched Mia, who was only salivating at the lingering scent of the food in the air, and chuckled inwardly.


    Let''s see how long you can hold out.


    Alex opened the chat channel and started going through today''s messages.


    After the baptism of the first day, many people had adapted to the rhythm of survival in the end times. Many were out gathering supplies, and some had even killed zombies.


    Of course, more people became lunch meat for the zombies.

 Chapter 4: Finally, finally, no more fear

    <h4>Chapter 4: Finally, finally, no more fear</h4>


    As Alex browsed through the chat history, his eyes suddenly narrowed, locking onto a particr message.


    Number 72727: "Selling a P92 pistol, anyone interested, PM with your offer!"


    This message sparked a series of discussions.


    Number 23452: "Damn, some people already got a pistol the next day, while I''m stuck here with just a damn razor."


    Number 23345: "So jealous!"


    ...


    Alex immediately sent a private message to the yer.


    "Hey, is the item still avable? What are your conditions?"


    Soon, the yer replied.


    "The item is still avable. Are you interested? I''m asking for 100 bottles of water and 100 portions of food, any type."


    Alex, containing his excitement, calmly negotiated, "That''s too much! It''s already difficult to gather supplies, just ensuring not to starve to death is impressive enough. Besides, I''ll need to buy bullets separately for the pistol!"


    The yer responded again, "How much can you offer?"


    Alex replied, "At most, 10 bottles of water and 10 loaves of bread!"


    This time, there was a long pause before receiving a response.


    Alex''s heart raced in anticipation.


    Just as he was hesitating whether to increase his offer, finally, a reply came.


    "Fine, let''s consider it a deal, as a friend."


    Undoubtedly, the value of the pistol far exceeded this exchange.


    But in the current circumstances, survival was the top priority.


    There weren''t many people who could spare extra food and water, and he had no other choice.


    The other party listed the P92 pistol on the trading interface.


    After both parties confirmed, the transaction waspleted, and the items began to be sent out via mail!


    The seller who received the water and food was feeling quite pleased with himself.


    Trading a pistol that had run out of bullets for so many urgently needed supplies was definitely a win!


    But when he saw the ID of the trading partner, he was startled.


    Isn''t this the rumored bot?


    It isn''t?!


    The seller announced this information on the chat channel, causing a stir.


    However, Alex waspletely unaware of all this.


    Of course, he didn''t care either.


    When he heard the "ding" sound of the email notification, his hands trembled slightly as he opened it.


    Insidey a P92 pistol, quietly resting.


    [ept]


    In Alex''s backpack, there was now a sleek ck weapon.


    Holding the weighty P92 pistol, Alex immediately felt a sense of reassurance.


    He opened the window and fired a few shots at the zombies on the street.


    The uracy was impressive.


    But with the blessing of unlimited bullets, several zombies still screamed and fell to the ground, unable to get up.


    The sudden sound of gunfire startled Mia, making her sit up abruptly.


    Then, she looked at Alex in astonishment.


    Watching the fallen zombies and the ones around them howling, Alex closed the window with satisfaction, only then noticing Mia''s stunned expression.


    Alex just smiled and then gently whispered as he stroked the pistol in his arms, "Finally, finally, no more fear."


    At that moment, Alex heard that familiar voice in his mind.


    [Experience gained: 1]


    [Experience gained: 1]


    [Experience gained: 1]


    [Experience gained: 1...]


    [96 experience points needed to level up.]


    Alex stared at his personal panel in astonishment, realizing that he could still level up.


    But he wasn''t sure what benefits leveling up would bring.


    After gaining experience, Alex noticed a window of personal information appearing on his interface.


    Opening it, he could clearly see his bodily stats:


    Level: 1 (4/100)


    Strength: 10 Agility: 3 Stamina: Abundant


    Alex wasn''t sure what standards these data referred to, but at the moment, his strength seemed rtively high.


    Possibly due to his abundant stamina.


    Beside the personal data, there was a note: "Upon leveling up, there will be random allocation of stat improvements."


    The acquisition of experience points depended on the number and level of zombies killed.


    Alex closed the personal panel and pondered with his chin resting on his hand.


    It seemed that hiding in this abandoned supermarket was only a temporary solution.


    Since the note mentioned zombie levels, it was highly likely that higher-level zombies would invade the supermarketter.


    It wasn''t safe here.


    The strong sense of crisis dampened Alex''s joy of acquiring the weapon just now.


    For self-preservation, he needed to take the initiative to attack and level up as soon as possible to improve his physical attributes.


    Alex opened his backpack to check his equipment.


    A P92 pistol as the main weapon, along with a military knife, a few Molotov cocktails, smoke bombs, and some iron rods and shovels.


    Alex wasn''t satisfied with the quality of his equipment.


    Frankly speaking, facing zombies, only the P92 pistol and Molotov cocktails would be useful.


    As for the military knife, Alex, being just an ordinary person, didn''t have the confidence to engage in closebat.


    One careless bite would be the end of him.


    After all, he had watched zombies outside withstand several shots before finally going down.


    The physical condition like this is truly intimidating.


    Alex climbed to the rooftop of the abandoned supermarket and took out his binocrs to look at the zombies in the distance.


    The view here was good, he thought to kill the zombies from a safe distance on the rooftop to gain experience points.


    After roughly estimating the distance, Alex chose a rtively safe position and took out his P92 pistol to start shooting.


    Many zombies fell to the ground without reacting, while the rest of the zombies, a bit slow in response, looked towards Alex after hearing the gunshots, growling.


    Alex was startled subconsciously, then realized that these zombies, apart from running closer to him, didn''t make any other moves that could threaten his safety.


    These should be the lowest-level zombies, just mindless walking corpses.


    Alex breathed a sigh of relief and continued shooting.


    The experience bar kept rising.


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Eighty-three points of experience needed to level up]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Sixty-six points of experience needed to level up]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Forty-nine points of experience needed to level up]


    ...


    After a while, Alex suddenly felt a rumbling in his body, as if a shackle inside him had been unlocked, making him feel lighter all over.


    Then, the system''s voice appeared.


    Congrattions, yer leveled up, please keep up the good work!


    Alex was overjoyed and immediately opened his personal information to see the changes in his values after leveling up.


    Level: 2 (0/200)


    Strength: 12 Agility: 5 Endurance: Normal


    A total increase of 5 points in stats, seems simr to an online game.


    Alex looked at his personal panel and was quite satisfied with it.

 Chapter 5: Uncompromising

    <h4>Chapter 5: Upromising</h4>


    After leveling up, he clearly felt that his speed and reflexes were much faster than before.


    Even the pistol in his hand seemed to be lighter.


    In theter stages of leveling up, grappling with zombies wasn''t very difficult.


    Even tearing them apart by hand wasn''t impossible.


    But these things, at this stage, Alex didn''t want to dwell on.


    He''d take it one step at a time.


    He climbed down from the rooftop and returned to the second-floor residence.


    Just as he entered the office, he saw Mia wriggling on the floor like a caterpir.


    Two days of hunger had already started to induce hallucinations in her.


    "Cough."


    Alex coughed.


    Mia startled violently.


    At this moment, she was like a tightly strung bow, any slight external disturbance was a strong stimulus for her.


    Alex just took out a te of fragrant fried rice, and Mia''s green eyes locked onto it.


    Alex clicked his tongue inwardly.


    He had only seen such a gaze in starving wolves in the animal world.


    "Do you want to eat?"


    Alex helped Mia up and sat down with the fried rice in front of her.


    Listening to Alex''s tempting words, Mia didn''t respond, and the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.


    Despite her stomach growling.


    Just then, Alex suddenly used his left hand to pinch Mia''s cheeks and opened her mouth.


    The tender sensation in his hand made Alex''s heart flutter.


    He gazed at Mia, who was mentally exhausted but still had a beautiful face, and was momentarily stunned.


    Confused, Mia asked, "Are you insane?"


    Alex didn''t say anything, he simply scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and stuffed it into Mia''s mouth.


    Mia instinctively chewed and swallowed two bites of the fried rice, the aroma almost bringing tears to her eyes.


    But then she snapped out of it.


    "You won''t make me submit!"


    Alex continued to pick up a second spoonful of fried rice and offered it to Mia''s mouth.


    "Want another bite?" he asked.


    Mia was just too hungry. Even though she was resolute a moment ago, her mouth involuntarily opened.


    But the next moment, Alex turned the spoon around and brought the fried rice to his own mouth.


    Then, with a blissful expression, he closed his eyes and said, "Mmm, delicious!"


    Mia was furious.


    "You! Are you ying with me?!"


    Alex swallowed the rice, smiling as he said, "When youe to your senses and decide to follow me, then you can eat as much as you want. But not now."


    After saying that, Alex didn''t pay any attention to Mia, who was trembling with anger, and sat back on the sofa, finishing the fried rice.


    The reason for giving Mia a bite of fried rice was certainly not out of kindness.


    It was just that he feared she had been hungry for too long and might forget the taste of food.


    After enduring hunger for several days, tasting a mouthful of fragrant fried rice not only wouldn''t satisfy her hunger, but would also make her stomach react even faster.


    Just like an addict, taking the first hit but unable to stop, only making them more miserable.


    Alex hoped Mia would be in such a state.


    Mia watched Alex enjoy his meal on the sofa and suddenly felt like crying.


    This man showed no mercy, only bullying her over and over again.


    Feeling Mia''s gaze, Alex looked over.


    They locked eyes for a moment, and Alex felt a bit embarrassed.


    It wasn''t because he was shy about seeing a beautiful woman, but because he recalled his treatment of Mia over the past few days. Despite notpletely abandoning his modern human mindset, he still felt a bit ashamed.


    But immediately, he reminded himself not to soften.


    After all, Alex knew very well that in this world, only by abandoning useless kindness could one live longer.


    In a world without order, being soft-hearted was a weakness.


    Alex took out a bottle of mineral water, added some sugar, and fed it to Mia.


    Then, he sat beside her.


    Weak Mia copsed directly into his arms.


    Alex said with some emotion, "Mia, I have to say, you''re really stubborn... I''ve given you such good conditions, just asking you to be my teammate, and yet you''re still unwilling."


    Mia just looked at him quietly, saying nothing.


    Alex was speechless for a moment.


    Just then, he suddenly thought of a question.


    "Mia, if I let you go, what would you do?"


    Mia still didn''t speak, and Alex couldn''t be bothered to talk either.


    So there they sat, Alex on the floor, holding the tied-up Mia in his arms, both silent.


    Suddenly, Mia said, "What''s your name?"


    Alex smiled faintly.


    "Alex. A....L....E....X."


    Mia nodded, then said seriously, "If you let me go, the first thing I''ll do is kill you, you bad man."


    Alex was speechless and joked, "Mia, calling me a bad man doesn''t suit me. That''s for swindlers and womanizers. I can''t bear thatbel, especially since nothing inappropriate has happened between us."


    "But, if that''s what you''re thinking, I don''t mind."


    Mia gritted her teeth.


    "Scum!"


    "I''ll ept that term. But if your first thought is to kill me, then I definitely can''t let you go."


    Alex moved away from Mia, responding with a hint of amusement.


    Taking off his clothes, Alexy down on the sofa.


    "Mia, it''s time to sleep! I don''t want you to starve to death after surviving hunger. I still want someone to talk to."


    Mia alsoy down to rest on the floor. Upon hearing Alex''s words, she opened her eyes and angrily retorted, "Just shut up!"


    On the third morning, Alex woke up to find Mia surprisingly still.


    He couldn''t tell whether she was deeply asleep or had fainted from hunger.


    Approaching cautiously, he gently pinched Mia''s cheek.


    "Mia, it''s time to wake up," Alex called out repeatedly, but Mia still didn''t respond.


    Alex muttered to himself, "She couldn''t really be dead, could she?"


    Then, he ced his hand near Mia''s nose to check for breath.


    She was still breathing.


    Alex breathed a sigh of relief.


    Then, leaning in close to Mia''s ear, he said, "Mia, if you don''t get up, I''ll have to give you a full-body examination."


    Mia, pretending to be asleep, had no choice but to open her eyes.


    "Go away," she muttered.

 Chapter 6: Explosive Demand for Unlimited Condoms

    <h4>Chapter 6: Explosive Demand for Unlimited Condoms</h4>


    Alex chuckled and took out a bottle of mineral water with added glucose to feed Mia, saying, "Mia, when I''m not around, you better behave yourself. If you attract zombies and they end up eating you, don''t me me."


    After drinking the water, Mia sneered.


    "Hehe, even if I die, I won''t let you off."


    Alex shrugged.


    "It doesn''t matter, I specialize in subduing female ghosts."


    After feeding Mia the water, Alex ate his breakfast while, as usual, opening his email to see what supplies the system had sent him today.


    When he clicked on the email, Alex thought he was seeing things.


    Rubbing his eyes, he realized he wasn''t mistaken.


    The supplies for the third day were actually an unlimited amount of condoms.


    Alex was at a loss for words.


    What use could this supply possibly have? Was he supposed to use them to fill with water and throw at zombies?


    After all, it seemed like this item was only useful for promoting harmony in life and avoiding pregnancy.


    As for using them as water balloons, that was something Alex had invented as a child, sneaking around with his friends in the yard, using the free condoms distributed by themunity.


    Alex took out a condom and turned to Mia. "Mia, do you know what these are used for?"


    Mia nced at the condom in Alex''s hand, her face slightly red.


    "Boring!"


    Alex remained unfazed.


    "What I mean is, do these have any other uses? I''ll still use them for their intended purpose."


    Mia exined, "Condoms are made of rubber, so they can be used as bandages, airbags, or even makeshift bombs when filled with water. Although I doubt they''d be very effective against zombies."


    With Mia''s exnation, Alex began to realize the strategic potential of condoms.


    Bandages were already scarce medical supplies, so having alternatives clearly added anotheryer of security to survival.


    As for airbags, Alex couldn''t be certain whether there would be any severe weather or terrain in the future.


    If it came to crossing a river, judging by theck of records on the trading tform of anyone trading vehicles, it wouldn''t happen anytime soon. So, using condoms to make a makeshift raft would be an ingenious tool for exploration!


    Thinking this through, Alex began to feel satisfied with today''s supplies.


    He casually ced hundreds of condoms on the trading tform and returned to the rooftop of the supermarket, calmly killing zombies.


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience...]


    In his spare time, Alex opened the trading tform.


    To his surprise, condoms were unexpectedly popr.


    Considering his exchange conditions were all essential supplies, Alex mumbled to himself while eating bread, "Are these people willing to forgo even food just to satisfy their impulses?"


    Opening the chat channel, Alex finally understood.


    User 38343: "Guys, there''s a stewardess in Dongyuan Community exchanging goods with her body, and she''s good at it. I almost got drained dry."


    User 346304: "Holy crap! 666! Where? Bro, send coordinates."


    User 3838: "Same request! I''m just curious, nothing else!"


    User 38343: "Coordinates sent, [235,452], not far from here, brothers, let''s go!"


    User 10101: "Um, does anyone... I can do it too, as long as you provide me with food and water. Interested parties, message me, kisses!"


    The chat channel was lively with discussion.


    Clearly, Alex''s quick sale of condoms owed much to their efforts.


    Alex remained silent.


    He also understood that in a world like this, some people couldn''t survive without resorting to selling their bodies for goods.


    It was an inevitable urrence.


    After all, in such an environment, what value did innocence hold?


    But Alex still felt some revulsion.


    He suddenly thought of Mia.


    If Mia couldn''t survive, would she also have to resort to selling her body for goods?


    Alex abruptly stopped his unfounded spection and chuckled to himself, "Damn it, I can''t even guarantee my own safety, yet here I am worrying about others."


    With that said, he refocused his attention on the zombies in the street.


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    ...


    [Congrattions, yer, on leveling up! Keep up the good work!]


    Level: 3 (0/300)


    Strength: 15 Agility: 7 Stamina: Hungry


    "Phew... finally leveled up!"


    Alex shook his slightly sore arm.


    After more than ten hours of fighting, he finally reached level 3, increasing his strength by 3 points and agility by 2 points.


    He had achieved a small goal.


    Now, with a rumbling stomach, it was time to eat.


    Alex took out a packet of dry rations and a bottle of mineral water, replenishing his stamina while browsing the trading tform.


    Sure enough, he found something useful.


    A pistol silencer.


    Now, that''s a handy item!


    With this, he wouldn''t make too much noise when firing his gun, greatly increasing safety.


    ncing at the seller''s terms, it was just ten bottles of water.


    Bought!


    Alex, being well-off, had no intention of bargaining.


    For him, it was aplete waste of time.


    Soon enough, a pistol silencer appeared in his hand.


    Installed on the barrel, it added an inexplicable sense of lethality.


    "Hmm?"


    At that moment, Alex suddenly became alert.


    In his line of sight, a shifty-looking person sneaked into the supermarket below.


    Because the zombies on the street had been cleared, the person didn''t encounter any danger.


    Trouble!


    Alex''s gaze hardened as he quietly descended from the rooftop with his gun in hand.


    Just as he reached the stairs, he heard Mia''s cry for help from the office on the second floor.


    "Help! Someone please help me!!"


    Mia''s voice was hoarse as she cried out.


    "Hehe, didn''t expect toe out scavenging and run into such a beautiful woman. I''ve been pent up these past few days, and you''re just what I need to let off some steam!!"


    A strange man''s voice came from the office.


    Then, there was the sound of pants being removed and clothes being torn.


    Alex hurriedly rushed down to the second floor with his gun.


    "Damn it, what are you doing? Stay still!"


    Just as the man was about to force himself onto her, a gunshot rang out from behind him.

 Chapter 7: Teaming Up, Relocating

    <h4>Chapter 7: Teaming Up, Relocating</h4>


    Then, a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder.


    "Ahhh!! It hurts so much!"


    He grimaced in pain, clutching his left arm with his right hand.


    Alex''s face was icy, holding a gun at the office door, the barrel emitting a faint heat.


    "Dare to touch my people?!"


    Alex''s voice was low as he fired another shot, hitting the man''s left thigh.


    Tears streamed down the man''s face from the pain, unsure which wound to cover, he could only plead on the ground.


    "Dad, I was wrong! I was wrong! I haven''t touched her yet, spare me! I''ll do anything for you!"


    Alex remained expressionless.


    "Calling me ''Dad'' won''t help you."


    The man''s face was filled with fear, trembling all over.


    "Yes yes yes, you''re my ancestor! You''re my forefather! An ancestor punishing his descendant, that''s only right! Please have mercy, spare me!!"


    Alex listened to the frantic words, feeling annoyed.


    Thinking of how he almostid hands on Mia, for some reason, his emotions spiraled out of control.


    "You talk too much."


    Alex raised the gun, turning him into a sieve.


    Watching the man fall to the ground with a face full of disbelief and fear, motionless for a long time, it was only after a while that Alex came back to his senses.


    Then, he walked over to the panicked Mia, rolling his eyes.


    "You''re not dead, are you?"


    Mia burst into tears.


    Growing up, she had never encountered such a situation before.


    Thinking of how she had almost been vited just now, her heart couldn''t help but feel aggrieved.


    Alex remained silent.


    Waiting until Mia''s throat was hoarse from crying.


    Alex untied the ropes for her, took out a set of clean clothes, ced them nearby, and then walked out of the office.


    "The clothes you were wearing before are ruined, put on the new ones."


    Alex walked downstairs to the abandoned supermarket and collected everything in the yellow backpack.


    There wasn''t much of value, far inferior to his own belongings.


    Mia, now in the new clothes, walked out of the abandoned supermarket and joined Alex.


    Alex took out ten portions of water and food from the backpack.


    Mia frowned.


    "What do you mean by this?"


    Alex shrugged, saying, "Letting you go. But whether you live or die afterwards, it depends on your luck."


    Before Mia could respond, Alex left the abandoned supermarket without looking back.


    Encountering two people within three days, it indicated that the ce was no longer safe, and there might be more yersing in the future.


    He had no choice but to leave.


    As for Mia, Alex couldn''t care too much.


    Leaving behind some supplies, at least it could help her survive a few more days, which could be considered as fulfilling his moral obligation.


    Alex walked away without looking back.


    The next moment, he heard footsteps behind him.


    After multiple upgrades, Alex''s physical abilities had undergone a qualitative leap.


    Sounds he couldn''t hear before, he could now capture them all.


    Turning around, Alex saw someone following him about thirty or forty meters away¡ªit was Mia.


    Alex lowered his gun and walked back towards her.


    Seeing Alex noticing her, Mia also started walking back towards him.


    Alex couldn''t understand what the other party wanted to do, so he let her follow.


    The two maintained this way of moving for half a day.


    During the noon break, when they stopped for supplies, Alex heard Mia''s scream from behind.


    Alex hurriedly rushed back.


    Mia''s feet were a bit sore from following for so long.


    But if she stopped, she would quickly fall behind, so she had no choice but to keep up.


    Finally, when Alex sat down to rest, Mia also managed to sit down as she wished.


    But as soon as she sat down, she noticed a zombie staggering towards them.


    Mia had to run forward, only to collide with Alex who had rushed over.


    Alex directly shot the zombie in the head.


    A few more zombies were attracted, but they were also suppressed with firepower.


    After dealing with the zombies, Mia wanted to leave, but Alex held her back, looking somewhat helpless.


    "You''ve been following me all this way, how much longer do you n to keep following? Come, let''s have lunch together."


    And so, the two sat on a grassy mound, quietly eating lunch.


    Watching Mia, who was now eating slowly and calmlypared to her previous wolfing down, Alex couldn''t help but ask, "Dr. Mia, you''ve been following me all this way, what exactly do you want to do? Today you were lucky to encounter few zombies, but if you run into a horde next time, I won''t be able to look after you."


    Mia didn''t directly answer, instead asking, "Are your words from before still valid?"


    "What words?" Alex asked.


    Mia said, "The ones about joining you, and you having to protect me and provide me with three meals a day. You''re not going to back out now, are you?"


    Alex chuckled upon hearing this.


    "Weren''t you willing to die rather than agree to that before? Now you''re following me just for this?"


    Mia raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit embarrassed.


    "So, are they still valid or not?" she pressed.


    Alex shrugged and sent a team and contract signing request to Mia.


    "Of course, they''re valid."


    [Team Formation Sessful!]


    [Master-Servant Contract Sessfully Signed!]


    In the instant the team was formed, all of each other''s personal information became visible.


    Within the team system, yers have features like location tracking, internal voice chat, and the option to selectively share experience points with teammates, while still being unable to harm each other.


    The master-servant contract added a powerful constraint on top of this.


    When the master dies, so does the servant.


    When the master lives, so does the servant.


    Only the master has the right to dissolve the contract.


    Alex looked at Mia and said with a smile, "Dr. Mia, try calling me ''master'' and see how it sounds."


    Mia gave him a disdainful look.


    She couldn''t bring herself to say those two words.


    After eating and drinking their fill, the two continued on their way.


    They proceeded cautiously, but fortunately didn''t encounter any major dangers along the road.


    Swish! Swish! Swish!


    After three gunshots, Alex took down three zombies, then gestured towards the rear.


    Seeing this, Mia immediately jogged over to Alex''s side.


    "Alex, how much farther do we have to go?"

 Chapter 8: An indecisive woman

    <h4>Chapter 8: An indecisive woman</h4>


    Following Alex along this road, Mia was on edge the whole time.


    She even thought that it might have been safer to stay in the small supermarket they were in before.


    But Alex didn''t think so. He whispered, "Quiet down. There''s probably more than just those three zombies in this building. Keep your voice down!"


    Even with suppressors attached, there were still subtle gunshots echoing through the eerily silent corridors.


    In this dead silent hallway, those sounds stood out starkly.


    Actually, these suppressors weren''t the best quality in Alex''s eyes. They still emitted a faint airgun-like sound when fired.


    He was well aware of his own abilities and equipment. The only weapon he had at hand was a P92 pistol, with just one magazine of 15 rounds, which sometimes wasn''t even enough to hit the target.


    Though he managed to kill three zombies with three shots just now, to be honest, it was only possible because they weren''t moving and were very close.


    "It seems like I need to practice my marksmanship more... Anyway, bullets are unlimited."


    Alex made a mental note. Once they arrived at the vi area and settled down, he nned to clear out the zombies in the vicinity and scavenge for supplies.


    The reason he chose to navigate through the corridors instead of taking the main roads was because he had scoped out the area beforehand with a telescopic sight.


    The streets were overrun with too many zombies, to the point where it made one''s heart race just to nce at them.


    Not to mention, with just 15 rounds in his P92, even if he used up all the bullets, it wouldn''t necessarily kill two zombies.


    With his current marksmanship, hitting a moving target was already considered good.


    When the apocalypse first happened, everyone was teleported here and basically found themselves in a state of confusion.


    Some weren''t afraid to die, some didn''t believe it, some panicked and ran out onto the streets, attracting the zombies from the buildings.


    So, Alex estimated that there wouldn''t be many zombies inside the building.


    Plus, the narrowness of the corridors meant that even if there was arge horde of zombies, they wouldn''t be able to rush all at once.


    Although zombies could move at a speedparable to normal humans and didn''t get tired, which made them quite formidable, the narrowness of the corridors actually provided Alex with some level of escape convenience.


    Alex and Mia moved forward slowly, sticking close to the walls, carefully listening for any sounds in the corridors.


    These silly zombies, when they lose their target, will stand still without moving.


    However, asionally they will wander around, searching for fresh flesh to consume.


    Alex was extremely cautious, gripping his gun tightly and signaling to Mia.


    "Go open the door."


    Mia''s face turned pale, her voice trembling as she said, "I-I think we should just keep going!"


    Alex furrowed his brow.


    Why is this silly girl backing down now?


    "Hurry up and open the door, it''s fine!"


    Mia gritted her teeth but still looked hesitant.


    "I-I can''t! I''m scared!"


    "Damn it!"


    Alex was getting angry.


    "If you don''t open the door now, I don''t want you anymore!"


    Mia''s face turned pale at his words. With a determined expression, she closed her eyes, rushed forward, and pushed the door open.


    Alex was startled.


    Has this foolish girl gone mad? Is she trying to rush in and feed the zombies?


    Terrified, Alex quickly grabbed the foolish girl, pulled her back, then darted out, aiming his gun inside and immediately pulling the trigger.


    Swish! Swish! Swish!


    Alex fired a barrage of bullets, turning the two zombies inside into sieves.


    At least, he managed to kill the two zombies inside the house.


    Grabbing Mia, Alex hurriedly entered the house and shut the door behind them.


    Then, he removed the magazine, took out 9mm bullets from his backpack, and loaded them one by one.


    The worst part was that after emptying the magazine, he had to load the bullets one by one.


    Alex looked at Mia seriously and said, "Dr. Mia, there''s something I need to make clear to you! First of all, we''re teammates, not me dragging along a dead weight! And I''m the team leader. Next time I ask you to do something, you do it! Don''t ever say you''re scared or suggest we leave like that again!"


    "This isn''t the peaceful world you were used to before, and your high-level education and doctor status don''t count for anything here! If this had been a situation where we were being chased by zombies instead of clearing them out, your indecisiveness would have gotten both of us killed."


    Mia''s expression soured, but she knew that what Alex said was true.


    "I''m sorry, I understand. I''ll listen to you from now on..."


    Alex nodded approvingly. "Don''t worry, I''ve said it¡ªI''ll protect your safety, and I won''t break my promise! When I asked you to open the door, I was confident that the zombies wouldn''t get to you."


    Mia nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.


    Alex was quite satisfied with her obedient attitude and took out a can of luncheon meat, two portions of spaghetti, and two fruits.


    Such food was considered extremely luxurious in the current apocalyptic world.


    Seeing the meal for today, Mia couldn''t help but salivate.


    "Let''s eat something. We''ll stay here for the night and see if we can leave this area tomorrow."


    Alex had no intention of leaving.


    At night, the zombies be extremely active, and their senses are sharperpared to during the day.


    Being within the zombies'' field of vision at this time, even if they''re not discovered, any tiny wound would attract hordes of them like sharks to blood in the deep sea.


    "Alex, where are we even going...? We''ve been trekking all day, feeling anxious the whole time. It''s terrifying! In my opinion, we''d be better off staying in the small supermarket we were in before."


    Alex smirked.


    "What do you know?"


    "I don''t know, you could at least tell me."


    Mia pouted and grumbled.


    "That small supermarket isn''t anything special. It doesn''t have much, and it''s crowded. Plus, it''s in the city. In this metropolis, the poption density in the old city areas is particrly high! Staying there for a day or two is manageable."


    Alex shook his head and sighed, "But think about it, what aboutter?"


    "Staying in that ce, if one day a massive horde of zombies breaks out, we, two living humans, might not even have bones left by then."

 Chapter 9: Endless cold medicine and cotton.

    <h4>Chapter 9: Endless cold medicine and cotton.</h4>


    Mia, after hearing these words, immediately pictured the scene of a never-ending horde of zombies stretching as far as the eye could see.


    In an instant, her delicate face turned pale.


    Even though it was just her imagination, she couldn''t help feeling terrified for a while.


    She couldn''t help but think that Alex was very insightful.


    She wasn''t a stupid woman.


    Although she might be a bit timidpared to Alex, she was still very practical.


    Thinking about it, Mia suddenly felt that following Alex was a very correct decision.


    After enjoying a hearty meal, Alex took the opportunity to rest.


    This was the apocalypse, especially while on the move. He couldn''t afford to waste even a minute of rest.


    Physical strength was the most crucial thing for survival.


    Seeing this, Mia alsoy down beside Alex and closed her eyes to rest.


    However, with such a masculine man lying next to her, she couldn''t fall asleep no matter what.


    She even thought to herself, how could Alex remain indifferent with such a beautiful woman lying next to him?


    Was her charm not enough?


    Mia felt a bit frustrated.


    Before the apocalypse, she was the undisputed campus beauty in the highest medical institution she attended. Even when she worked at the hospital, she was a highly acimed chief physician.


    How could she have fallen so low now that even Alex seemed uninterested?


    Mia was very troubled, but Alex didn''t think too much about it.


    He was very clear about separating rationality from instinct.


    Thinking about those kinds of things at a time like this was simply suicidal.


    Alex adapted very quickly to the apocalypse. He maintained a very regr sleep schedule and even developed a very good habit of shallow sleep.


    This ensured enough alertness to quickly wake up in case of danger and also provided enough rest and replenishment for his body.


    ...


    The next morning, the vibration of his phone woke Alex up from his sleep.


    He sat up, nced around to make sure there was no danger, then opened today''s emails and received today''s unlimited supplies.


    Cold medicine.


    This is very practical medical supplies.


    After all, in such harsh conditions, many people have to sleep rough, and catching a cold and fever is quitemon.


    If not treated promptly, it can be quite dangerous.


    Alex pushed Mia beside him.


    Alex walked to the balcony, took out the binocrs, and looked at the situation on the street.


    The situation on the street was very calm. At a nce, there were basically few zombies to be seen.


    However, Alex was not an ordinary person and would not be deceived by the illusion in front of him.


    Although he couldn''t see many zombies now, he had painful lessons in this regard.


    At first, Alex and Mia were walking on the main street.


    Although those cunning zombies don''t like the intense sunlight, it doesn''t mean they fear it.


    Once they spot a living target on the street, they will still crazily rush towards it.


    In the end, Alex and Mia had to hide in the nearby residential building to escape the disaster.


    Mia rubbed her sleepy eyes, looked at Alex''s back with a full face of grievance, and muttered, "Such a blockhead! Doesn''t understand how to cherish the precious!"


    Alex heard Mia''s muttering and smiled.


    "Alright, when we get to our destination, I''ll let you sleep your fill!"


    Mia blushed.


    Let me sleep my fill?


    Alex didn''t realize the ambiguity in his words and continued, "I''m not hiding anything from you. This time, I n to head to the suburbs."


    "Compared to the urban area, the poption density in the suburbs is a bit smaller! I know there is a vi area there, where the poption density of those wealthy districts is very low, so naturally, there won''t be many zombies!"


    "So, finding a vi there as a long-term safe refuge, at least the living standards will be much better, at least much better than a small supermarket."


    Mia pouted and muttered, "The current living standards aren''t that great anyway!"


    Alex chuckled helplessly.


    "This is heading towards a better life. Alright, stopining, let''s set off after breakfast."


    They continued to advance cautiously, finding a safe ce to rest at night.


    The next morning, they woke up and, as usual, checked their emails.


    The next moment, Alex''s face suddenly became very unpleasant.


    "Damn it, system, are you kidding me?"


    Alex looked at the new endless supply of cotton in his backpack, his face full of confusion.


    "What''s the use of cotton? I really... can''t eat or drink it. Do they expect me to use it to wrap up bodies when I kick the bucket?" Alex thought.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Mia had just woken up and, seeing Alex''s changing expression, couldn''t help but ask in confusion.


    Alex shook his head.


    The system gave him cotton, although it''s an endless supply, but honestly, it''s even worse than useless.


    Alex really doubted if the system had a malicious sense of humor, specificallying up with this gimmick to prank him.


    It''s disgusting, and it''s ced at the top of the backpack.


    But Alex didn''t care, just leave it like this for now.


    "It''s nothing..."


    Alex shook his head and didn''t pay any attention to it.


    But there was still some disappointment in his heart.


    He thought he might get some medical supplies, after all, there was still a doctor with him. If he could get some super precious items like medical alcohol, it would be very reassuring for survival in the apocalypse.


    ...


    The sky was densely covered with dark clouds, faint thunder rumbling, and asional gusts of wind seemed to indicate the arrival of bad weather.


    The oppressive feeling brought by the dark clouds made Alex more alert than ever before.


    After all, he and Mia were now heading to the vi area, and no one knew how many zombies would be there, or how many malicious people there might be.


    Mia followed behind Alex, looking at the dark clouds in the sky, and said with some worry, "Alex, it seems like it''s going to rain, do we have umbres? In this kind of environment, if we catch a cold, the consequences would be unimaginable."


    Alex held a pistol in his hand and walked ahead to scout.


    Upon hearing Mia''s words, he stopped and turned around, saying, "We don''t have umbres, but if you''re afraid of catching a cold, that''s good. I have plenty of cold medicine here, more than enough."

 Chapter 10: Enter the villa area

    <h4>Chapter 10: Enter the vi area</h4>


    Mia responded with an "oh" before exining, "Hmph, I''m healthy and not afraid of catching a cold! I''m just worried that if the main output force of our team, you, catches a cold, then I''ll be the only one left worrying on the sidelines, waiting to be wiped out by the zombies."


    Alex felt a slight warmth in his heart upon hearing Mia''s caring words.


    But Mia''s words also made him chuckle at her hidden meaning.


    Teasingly, he said, "It''s okay. Dr. Mia, you''re the team''s nursemaid. Just give me a few sips of your milk, and I''ll be good as new."


    After saying that, Alex continued walking forward.


    Mia blushed at Alex''s teasing, feeling shy for a moment.


    Seeing Alex walk away, she didn''t dare to linger too long in the same spot, so she stomped her feet to vent her slight frustration and quickly caught up.


    "Alex, wait for me!"


    Finally approaching the vi area, Alex and Mia hid in a lookout tower not far away. Alex was holding binocrs, observing the situation in the vi area.


    After a long while, Alex slowly lowered the binocrs and fell into silence.


    Seeing Alex''s furrowed brow, Mia hesitated to disturb him at first. However, after a while passed with Alex remaining silent, she couldn''t help but speak up, "Alex, is the situation in the vi area really bad?"


    Alex snapped out of his thoughts.


    He noticed Mia sitting beside him, her expression revealing concern.


    Alex patted her hand reassuringly and said, "It''s okay, it''s just that the situation here differs from the previous intel. There are quite a few zombies here, even more than expected, but they''re not too difficult to handle. It just requires some arrangements, and I''m thinking about how to go about it."


    Mia earnestly suggested, "Alex, if the vi area is really too dangerous, we can actually hold off on going there. We could find another safe refuge ande backter when we''re better equipped."


    Alex smiled and said, "When have you ever seen me foolish enough to charge in and kill zombies directly? When I said I would take you to live in the vi, I meant it."


    "It''s you who shouldn''t let me down, adapt to survival in the apocalypse as soon as possible. Even if one day I''m not here anymore, I hope you can survive well on your own."


    Mia hastily responded, "Don''t say ominous things!"


    But then, she muttered, "I know I let you down, but... I''m really scared when I see zombies..."


    Alex softened at Mia''s self-me.


    "I understand. It''s natural for a girl to be scared when facing zombies and such, but Mia, this isn''t a game. When you die, you''re really dead. As your teammate, I hope you can live well and be someone I can rely on. This is thest time I''ll say these words, it''s up to you from now on."


    Alex patted Mia''s head and said no more.


    Mia least liked others touching her head, but Alex''s words made her mind whirl with thoughts, allowing him to stroke her hair like a gentle cat.


    Alex set his sights on the most luxurious vi in the vi area.


    For no other reason, he just liked its north-facing position and its location by theke.


    It was a good view.


    Even though they were in a world of apocalypse and escape, nobody wanted their living environment to be too shabby if conditions permitted.


    Alex traded some Molotov cocktails and two grenades on the trading tform, preparing them to deal with zombies.


    Additionally, he bought a crossbow and arrows for Mia''s self-defense.


    "Mia, we''re about to enter the vi area. You must stick close to me and follow mymands. This crossbow and arrows are for your self-defense, but don''t shoot zombies randomly to attract attention. Now, take them and practice for a bit," Alex instructed.


    Taking the crossbow and arrows, Mia''s gaze was determined as she said, "Alex, you can rest assured. I won''t drag you down!"


    "Good, I trust you. Let me teach you how to use the crossbow," Alex said, proceeding to teach Mia how to handle the weapon.


    Once he ensured that Mia had some self-defense capability, he felt relieved.


    "Alright, let''s go in now," Alex said to Mia.


    "Given this weather, it''s likely to rain. Let''s make it quick, and we''ll sleep in the big vi tonight!" Mia chuckled, "Hopefully, there''s a big bed inside where we can get a good night''s sleep!"


    Without further ado, they prepared their supplies and set off towards their destination.


    Entering the vi area, Alex led Mia along a grassy path behind the vis.


    This path was usually used by property management for inspections and was rarely frequented by people.


    However, with the zombie horde around, Alex wasn''t sure if this path would be infested.


    He was taking a gamble.


    After all, a direct assault would only serve to attract the zombies.


    They were lucky; the grassy path didn''t encounter any zombies.


    Just as Alex and Mia were about to exit the path, a zombie suddenly emerged at the end of it.


    Alex was the closest. As the vanguard, he had been leading from the front, almosting into direct contact with the zombie.


    At this moment, Alex didn''t have time to draw his gun as the zombie swung its arms towards him.


    Swish!


    Two arrows flew from behind Alex, grazing past his ear and directly into the zombie''s mouth.


    The zombie burst into thick fluid and copsed forward onto Alex.


    Alex pushed the zombie away and looked back at Mia, who was holding the crossbow with a trembling hand. He gave her a thumbs-up.


    "I didn''t expect you, Dr. Mia, to have such strong shooting talent," he praised.


    Regaining herposure, Mia asked anxiously, "Are you okay? I was so scared just now. I shot the zombie directly, but you and the zombie were so close! I was afraid I might hit you! But luckily, I managed to kill the zombie directly..."

 Chapter 11: Takeover of the Shelter

    <h4>Chapter 11: Takeover of the Shelter</h4>


    After hearing Mia''s confession, Alex, who encountered a sudden zombie, didn''t feel scared, but he was breaking out in a cold sweat.


    Thinking about the arrow that narrowly missed him just now, he muttered to himself, "Close call, almost didn''t get to enjoy life before dying, and to die mistakenly killed by a teammate..."


    "Alright, I''m fine. Let''s keep going. The shelter we picked out earlier is almost there."


    At that moment, there wasmotion on the outskirts of the vi area.


    "Damn it! Charge in, upy a vi, and once inside, the zombies won''t pose much of a threat to us."


    "Fire arrows! Suppress the zombies'' attacks, set them on fire!"


    Alex frowned.


    He hadn''t expected that there would be other yers in the vi area too.


    But it worked out well; it would divert the attention of most of the zombies.


    They sounded like a sizable group.


    Alex grabbed Mia and, taking advantage of the chaos, dashed out of the grassy path toward the vi they had chosen.


    Along the way, some zombies sensed Alex and Mia''s presence and started charging towards them.


    But before they could get close, Alex used a Molotov cocktail to keep them at bay.


    And finally, he threw a grenade into the group of zombies.


    Boom! The zombies were wiped out, and the two of them smoothly ran into the vi by thekeside.


    Themotion caused by Alex also alerted the group on the outskirts of the vi area.


    "What the heck! There are yers here too?"


    "He even has a grenade!"


    "What''s so surprising about that? We have grenades too! He can''t have many, I reckon he only has one. Damn it, he probably wanted to save that grenade, looks like he won''t get the chance now."


    Soon after, there was another explosion from a grenade detonating.


    As Alex and Mia entered the vi, they closed the door and saw several zombies on the ground floor.


    Before the zombies could react, Alex directly pulled out his P92 and started shooting.


    With Mia''s assistance, they quickly cleared out the zombies inside the vi.


    The reason Alex hesitated to use his limited Molotov cocktails outside, and even expended a grenade, was to avoid drawing attention from another group.


    After all, while Molotov cocktails and grenades were precious, they could still be traded on the tform. Firearms, however, were highly valued, and hardly anyone was willing to put them up for trade on the tform, considering them as treasures.


    Once Alex and Mia cleared the zombies from the vi, they confirmed it as their long-term shelter.


    At the same time, a window popped up on Alex''s interface.


    "Dear yer, the refuge has been detected as ownerless. Would you like to take over?"


    Alex clicked "Yes."


    With the system''s confirmation sound, Alex felt that the vi had be their team''s property.


    "The Vi Refuge: a ce for yers to rest, can be upgraded with blueprints in the future, used to evade zombie waves, and for challenges between yers."


    Alex turned to Mia with a smile. "Dr. Mia, now this vi can be our home for a long time. You can also consider it as our sanctuary in this post-apocalyptic world."


    Seeing Mia release a relievedugh, Alex also rxed from hisbat stance.


    Indeed, having a refuge in the zombie world was a luxury.


    After exploring the vi, Alex walked onto the balcony on the second floor.


    Although the group that stormed in from the front sessfully entered the vi area, they suffered heavy losses.


    It was evident that they had also depleted their resources significantly.


    After all, almost half of the vi area''s zombies had gone over to their side.


    In another vi, a young man reported to the middle-aged man sitting on a luxurious leather sofa, "Ethan, we suffered heavy losses this time. Half of our brothers are dead, and more importantly, ourbat supplies are gone, leaving only a few cold weapons..."


    Ethan listened to the report, his face darkening. He mmed the marble coffee table in front of him fiercely.


    "Damn it! It''s all because of the faulty intelligence! They said there were few zombies in the vi area, but we rushed in from the front, and almost half of the vi area''s zombies were taken care of by us. Now, the vi area indeed has fewer zombies."


    As he was venting his frustration and cursing loudly, a lightning bolt suddenly struck from the sky, followed by a deafening roar.


    Crack! The ck clouds couldn''t bear the burden anymore, pouring down heavy rain, making the air damp and cold, and the temperature dropped sharply.


    The chat channel exploded with activity.


    Number 382334: "Damn it! I thought it was raining and I could collect some water, but when I filled up a bucket, it turned out to be acid rain?! Not only that, touching the acid rain burns, it hurts like hell!"


    Number 345345: "I was just about to collect water... I don''t care, I''ll continue. What if one day there really is no water left, we''ll have to drink boiled acid rain!"


    Number 35233: "I''m feeling quite cold now... How long is this rain going tost? If it continues for another day, I might freeze to death outdoors..."


    Number 233333: "My little rundown house is leaking from all sides, I can''t stand it. I feel like I''m catching a cold."


    Alex looked out at the sky through the ss, but there was no sign of the heavy rain stopping.


    Earlier, someone in the chat channel joked about whether it would rain again the next day. Alex felt that it wasn''t impossible.


    "Yawn!"


    Mia, sitting on the sofa in the vi living room, sneezed.


    She rubbed her arms, covered in goosebumps, to keep warm.


    Alex sat down beside her and asked, "Feeling cold?"


    Mia nodded honestly.


    "It''s a bit chilly... The temperature dropped too fast, I''m having trouble adjusting."


    Indeed, even the upgraded Alex could feel a chill, not to mention Mia, who hadn''t upgraded and was still a delicate woman.


    They needed something to keep warm.


    Thinking about it, Alex considered lighting a fire for warmth.


    Suddenly, he remembered today''s unlimited resources.


    Wasn''t this a coincidence?


    Cotton could be used to make nkets!


    They might not be the warmest or sturdiest nkets, but for Alex, stuffing cotton into fabric was easy enough.


    And with an abundance of cotton, if one nket wasn''t warm enough, they could always make two!


    As Alex browsed the trading tform for fabric, he said to Mia, "Just wait a moment, I''ll perform a little magic for you."


    Soon, he took out the materials for making nkets.


    Mia looked at the floor covered with cotton and fabric, her face full of astonishment.

 Chapter 12: Sudden Drop in Temperature, Selling Quilts

    <h4>Chapter 12: Sudden Drop in Temperature, Selling Quilts</h4>


    "Alex, how did you manage to get cotton?!"


    Alex chuckled, "Of course, I exchanged it on the trading tform. Dr. Mia, if you want to finish making the quilt quickly, help me sew the fabric together. I''m not used to using embroidery needles."


    Mia nodded eagerly.


    "Hehe, I''m good at this," she said.


    With needle and thread and fabric in hand, Mia quickly made several quilt covers.


    This level of difficulty in the work was nothing for her,ing from a medical background.


    Soon, Alex and Mia were able to cover themselves with the quilts as they wished.


    Alex took out some hot food and warm coffee from his backpack, curling up in the quilt to eat and drink, as if he were on a weekend getaway.


    Despite the wind and rain outside the vi, many yers were shivering with cold, but none of that mattered to them.


    After eating and drinking their fill, Mia nestled in the nkets, murmuring happily, "Mmm... sofortable!"


    Alex leaned over and asked, "Where does it feelfortable?"


    Feeling the strong breath of a man suddenly next to her ear, Mia''s ears turned slightly red.


    She tucked her head into the quilt, coquettishly protesting, "Alex, you''re teasing me again!!"


    Alexughed heartily and ruffled Mia''s hair.


    Unlike seeking caution and even ruthlessness in battle, Alex, during nonbat times, preferred to rx and joke around freely with Mia, having someone to chat and talk with.


    If he kept his battle nerves tense all the time, he felt he wouldn''tst long.


    Mia also found that after just a few days of life and death evasion, she had be somewhat dependent on Alex.


    Sometimes when she found Alex wasn''t around, she felt uneasy.


    Thinking back to how she initially nned to assassinate Alex but ended up clinging to him, she couldn''t help feeling a bit embarrassed.


    But she knew her choice was right.


    By Alex''s side, she found the sense of security that wascking in this apocalyptic world.


    At that moment, Mia suddenly had a thought.


    Biting her lip, her expression showing a lot of hesitation and conflict, she suddenly looked up and asked, "Alex, um, how about tonight, youe to my room..."


    Alex was startled.


    Single until now, he never expected a beautiful woman to offer herself so boldly.


    Alex''s mind went nk for a moment, and he blurted out, "No! Women will only affect my gun-drawing speed, let alone touching, I can''t even think about it!"


    Mia was stunned.


    Unexpectedly, despite Mia''s bold initiative, Alex ruthlessly rejected her.


    Mia stood up indignantly, hmphed, wrapped herself in the quilt, and climbed up the stairs, entering a room and forcefully closing the door behind her.


    At this moment, Alex''s brain started working again, filled with regret.


    "Ah! Has my brain been kicked by a donkey?!"


    Alex could only console himself with the fact that he had just arrived at the vi area and the crisis was not over yet.


    Now thinking about matters between men and women was inappropriate.


    Alex looked at the chat channel where yers were stillining about the weather and the cold, gritting his teeth and muttered, "I''m annoyed, so you guys should be annoyed too!!"


    Then, Alex took a system screenshot, capturing a photo of himself lying on a luxurious sofa wrapped in a quilt.


    Number 10086: "Huh? Why don''t you guys have quilts? I thought everyone had one. (Attached image)"


    Number 878732: "???"


    Number 45432: "Ah! Damn!! How can there be quilts?!"


    Number 99923: "10086, have the guts to send your coordinates, I promise not to kill you!"


    Number 10086: "Hehe. I happen to have a few extra quilts, do you guys want them? I''ve posted them on the trading tform."


    While chatting, Alex also listed the quilts on the trading tform.


    But the trading conditions were stringent, only eptingbat supplies.


    This was nothing short of exorbitant!


    Becausebat supplies required arge amount of food and water for exchange, and exchanging for quilts also required arge amount ofbat supplies. Calcting it, not many people could afford it!


    After the quilts were listed, the chat channel was full of condemnation for Alex.


    Number 93849: "Is this something a human does? Why don''t you just go and rob, exchanging so many resources for a single quilt?"


    Number 10086: "You don''t have to exchange if you don''t want to, I''m not freezing anyway. But friendly reminder, it looks like this rain won''t stop anytime soon."


    Number 77777: "Let''s boycott together! Let him not sell any, let him keep them to wrap corpses!!"


    Number 85842: "Exactly! Freeze to death, die outside! I won''t buy this crappy quilt!"


    Number 34341: "Huh? Howe a quilt was sold?"


    Number 552: "Sorry about that, but the quilt is really warm... Brothers, continue to boycott, I''m out."


    Watching everyone turn their attack on Number 552, Alex almostughed out loud.


    Although he had stirred up envy in many people on the chat channel, he still managed to sessfully trade several quilts for arge amount ofbat supplies.


    Immediately after, Alex listed some cold medicine on the tform and shouted in the chat channel, "Brothers, I just listed some cold medicine, affordable prices, if you need it, hurry up and buy it. You don''t want to fight zombies with a sick body, do you?"


    This time, the chat channel wasn''t as lively with condemnation asst time.


    yers weren''t stupid; they understood the importance of cold medicine.


    Many yers who were already feeling a bit under the weather, although not happy about needingbat supplies to exchange for cold medicine, still gritted their teeth and made the trade.


    Alex was right about one thing; no one wanted to fight zombies with a sick body.


    Cold medicine might have been a bit expensive, but if you don''t even have your health, then keeping these supplies could also benefitter yers!!


    Soon enough, the cold medicine was all sold out.


    Alex''s backpack was also filled with arge amount ofbat supplies, such as crossbow arrows, crossbows, daggers, hand axes, and so on.


    There were even trades involving grenades, which surprised Alex.

 Chapter 13: Blueprint for Fortified Walls, Auction

    <h4>Chapter 13: Blueprint for Fortified Walls, Auction</h4>


    In the chat channel, there were still some people talking tough to Alex.


    Number 10000: "10086, you better wait for me!!"


    Number 10010: "Once I recover from this cold, I''ll definitely break your bones, 10086!!"


    Alex, focused on organizing thebat supplies in his backpack, lightly chuckled when he saw the tough talk in the chat channel.


    Number 10086: "Hmm, I''ll be waiting (smiling emoji)."


    After sending the message, Alex closed the chat channel and paid it no more mind.


    "Bottles of Molotov cocktails are enough, ten grenades, and iron animal traps, plenty of crossbow arrows..."


    Alex tallied up hisbat supplies.


    For a moment, he realized he had the strength of an entire team.


    At leastpared to another team in the vi area, as long as he was given enough time to set up, it wouldn''t be a problem to take them down single-handedly.


    Just as Alex was about to close the system and rest, an advertisement popped up on the trading tform.


    [Breaking news! A golden-tier blueprint has appeared on the trading tform: Fortified Walls (this blueprint is the first golden-tier item on this trading tform)]


    Alex''s heart immediately burned with excitement.


    Just when he was worrying about how to evade zombie invasions in the vi area, now, if he could obtain this fortified walls blueprint, that problem would be solved.


    Alex immediately clicked on the trading tform, found the golden-tier blueprint, and muttered to himself, "This time, I''m determined to get it!!"


    As soon as this golden-tier blueprint appeared, it shocked the entire chat channel in the post-apocalyptic world.


    They didn''t expect that, just within a week of arriving in this post-apocalyptic world, someone had already found a golden-tier item.


    Not to mention golden-tier, even silver-tier items were rarely seen; usually, they were bronze-tier.


    In the chat channel, many people were green with envy.


    Number 546262: "How is this possible! This must be another scam! I''ve never seen anyone with such outrageous luck! How could they, how could they... Ah, I''m so jealous!!"


    Number 15424: "Yeah, yeah, how could someonee across such a good item? Fortified walls! If you find a shelter, just activate the walls, how beautiful would that be, what are zombies anyway, I''ll just block them outside."


    Number 345345: "Holy crap! He''s put it up for auction, is he really going to sell it?! But the price is so high, starting bid is one thousand essential living supplies, and each bid increases by 50 supplies, I can''t afford it..."


    Amidst thementations, many groups were eyeing this fortified walls blueprint.


    They had long since located shelters, and this blueprint appeared quite timely.


    In another vi area, a muscr man, shirtless and full of vigor, was eyeing the blueprint on the trading tform. He pushed away the woman beside him, whom he had just vented with, his eyes burning with determination.


    "Fortified walls, I''m getting it! Whoever dares topete with me, I''ll kill them!!"


    The strong man put on his clothes, went downstairs, and began rallying his team''s partners, gathering supplies, preparing to participate in the auction.


    ...


    In a signal station, many people surrounded a handsome man, quietly waiting for him to give orders.


    "Daniel, as soon as you give the word, we''ll immediately gather resources and participate in the auction. Or, we could find that yer..."


    A man in all ck beside him asked in a low voice, while simultaneously making a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.


    The handsome man waved his hand and took a sip of wine.


    "No need, this golden blueprint is definitely coveted by more than just our faction. It''s impossible to snipe the seller, the system is quite thorough in protecting against that. Besides, I, Daniel Harris, am not someone who resorts to any means to achieve his goals. Old Ma, prepare the supplies and participate in the bidding."


    The man in ck beside Daniel bowed respectfully and said, "Yes, Daniel, I''ll go gather the brothers to prepare supplies and get ready for the auction, I''ll do my best to help Daniel get the golden blueprint!"


    Daniel sneered, looking very confident.


    He had plenty of essential supplies in hand.


    He didn''t believe anyone could outmatch him.


    Those yers out there in the chaotic world were probably still worrying about their next meal, who couldpete with him?


    Ethan, who was in the same vi area as Alex, was also eyeing this golden-tier blueprint.


    Although the number of zombies in their vi area was now quite low, he had already noticed Alex''s footsteps.


    If other yers came over, he wasn''t confident he could stop them.


    But with the fortified walls blueprint, all those problems would vanish.


    Their team could withstand any future zombie tide and fend off the covetous eyes of many yers.


    However, after just experiencing a major battle, they simply didn''t have enough supplies to participate in the auction.


    Ethan sighed in frustration, and hammered the marble coffee table.


    After all, for them, this item was too important!


    In the chat channel, the golden-tier fortified walls blueprint also attracted many lone survivors.


    Number 46543: "Hey, who do you think will end up buying this golden-tier blueprint?"


    Number 254318: "Well, I can''t speak for others, but in our East district, there''s a team led by Benjamin, iming to be thergest faction in the East district. They just upied the vi area, so I think they''ll definitely participate in the bidding, with a high chance of sess!"


    Number 45538: "Hey! Speaking ofrge factions, we have to mention Daniel from our South district! Our Daniel is kind-hearted, never harms yers, and gathers only destitute yers whock supplies. In just a few days, they took over a signal station shelter in our area through Daniel''s strategy and are now very strong! I think Daniel has a chance too!"


    Number 451846: "I wonder if there''s a possibility that yer number 10086 seems quite capable. Do you think he''ll participate in the bidding?"


    Number 10010: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!! No matter how many resources 10086 has, he definitely won''t be able to put up so many to participate in the bidding! After all, others are all part of a group, while he''s currently just one person. Rich as a kingdom? Don''t make meugh. If he seeds in the bidding, I''ll eat zombie meat on the spot!!"


    Number 10000: "Exactly, what''s yer 10086 even worth! At most, he can offer some nkets, and he''s thinking of joining the bidding for a golden-tier blueprint? Hahaha, don''t be ridiculous. He probably couldn''t even gather enough to meet the entry requirement of one hundred essential living supplies!"


    As people were discussing fervently, the auction began.


    Benjamin, Daniel, and others submitted their deposits to the auction house, along with some unknown forces, including Alex.


    When Alex entered the auction interface, he was surprised to find that there were dozens of buyers.


    Obviously, contrary to what was being said in the chat channel, there were quite a few people who could put up auction items.


    The apocalypse had just begun less than a week ago, but many people had already started banding together for warmth.


    It couldn''t be ruled out that some people also had massive amounts of resources.


    But Alex quickly dismissed the second guess.


    After all, his abundant resources werergely thanks to the infinite system, which others were unlikely to have.

 Chapter 14: Fierce Competition, No Mercy Given

    <h4>Chapter 14: Fierce Competition, No Mercy Given</h4>


    [Respected buyers of the auction house, wee to the Apocalypse Trading Auction. We hope all yers can sessfully bid on their desired items. When bidding, you can click on the bid panel to ce your bid. At the highest bid, the auctioneer will count to three. If there are no further bids, the hammer will fall, indicating a sessful auction!]


    [All life essentials owned by participating buyers will be converted into life essentials. A bottle of 500ml drinking water and a portion of 250g food constitute one life essential. If food is insufficient, double the amount of drinking water can be used as a substitute, and vice versa.]


    Alex waited patiently for the auction tomence, as did others, all fully focused.


    [First auction item: Golden-tier Blueprint: Fortified Walls. Starting bid: one hundred life essentials. Increment: ten life essentials per bid. (The auction house will deduct two percent of the final bid asmission.)]


    Buyer number one raises their paddle.


    The virtual auctioneer''s mechanical voice chimed in: "Buyer number one raises their paddle, offering one hundred life essentials."


    Soon after, buyer number three also raised their paddle.


    The virtual auctioneer continued: "Buyer number three raises their paddle, offering one hundred and ten life essentials."


    Alex, as buyer number eight, hadn''t made a bid yet, observing as the price of the golden-tier blueprint soared, quickly surpassing the two hundred life essentials mark.


    And judging by the momentum, it seemed poised to reach three hundred.


    Buyer number nine raised their paddle, making the first bid of three hundred life essentials!


    The auctioneer announced: "Buyer number nine bids three hundred life essentials."


    Suddenly, lone wolves in the public channel were in uproar.


    "Damn! Three hundred life essentials! That''s three hundred bottles of water and one hundred and fifty pounds of food! How long could one survive on that?"


    "Oh my god, three hundred bottles of water and one hundred and fifty pounds of food! This guy''s a tycoon!"


    "I know this buyer number nine, he''s Benjamin!"


    "Wow, this big shot is too terrifying. Where did he get so many resources from?"


    Meanwhile, Buyer No. 9 posted a message in the buyer chat channel: "I, Benjamin, am cing an order for this gold-level blueprint. I dare anyone to challenge me? If you buy it today and I catch sight of itter, I''ll demolish your house and tear you apart!"


    Buyer No. 5 raised their paddle, ignoring Benjamin''s threat.


    "Three hundred and ten essential life supplies!"


    The auctioneer''s mechanical voice rang out, "Buyer No. 5 raises their paddle, three hundred and ten essential life supplies."


    Buyer No. 5 also posted a message in the auction chat channel: "Who''s Benjamin? I''m not interested in knowing. I, Daniel, am also very interested in this gold-level blueprint. Sorry, can''t let it go."


    After Buyer No. 5 revealed their identity, there was amotion in the public channel.


    "Oh my, it''s Daniel!"


    "Daniel is the most famous rich kid around here! No wonder he can offer over three hundred life supplies, that''s impressive!"


    "Daniel, Daniel, I want to be yourckey, just feed me and I''m good."


    "Get lost, who do you think you are to just want to be Daniel''sckey? Look at what you are! Daniel, I''m strong, I can help you with chores!"


    Daniel naturally saw the cheers and praises in the public channel, and he thoroughly enjoyed being admired by everyone.


    He was born deserving the best!


    No one could oppose him.


    And he didn''t believe anyone could surpass him.


    Especially in terms of wealth!


    Benjamin continued to send messages in the auction chat channel: "You''re impressive, Daniel, right? We''ve got a score to settle!"


    Daniel also replied directly: "Mr. Benjamin is determined to pick a fight with me, and I won''t back down. But I''m not a pushover either, bring it on! As for the gold-level blueprint, highest bidder wins!"


    The two who directly exposed their identities didn''t yield to each other in the auction chat channel.


    Alex nced at these two familiar names.


    They were the two prominent figures mentioned in the public chat channel just now.


    Like other buyers, he was not interested in joining the fray, only observing as the number of essential life supplies needed for the gold-level blueprint kept skyrocketing.


    Perhaps the price was too high, or maybe some people wanted to swoop in at thest moment, but the final price stagnated at three hundred and fifty essential life supplies.


    And the one raising the paddle was Daniel.


    It was reasonable, and also impressive, how abundant the resources were for their faction.


    The virtual auctioneer''s prompt began to sound: "Buyer No. 5 bids three hundred and fifty essential life supplies, are there any other buyers willing to bid?"


    Benjamin cursed loudly in his vi.


    His team could no longer afford to bid with more essential life supplies.


    Continuing would likely threaten their survival.


    The auctioneer prompted again: "Since there are no other buyers bidding, three hundred and fifty supplies going once..."


    A hint of contempt curled at the corner of Daniel''s mouth.


    Heh, he was the famous Daniel after all, what couldn''t he get if he wanted it?


    Who''s Benjamin, what rubbish, not even worth mentioning.


    Daniel even felt likeughing out loud.


    He loved this feeling of overlooking the masses, he was the dominant ruler!


    But, at that moment!


    The voice of the virtual auctioneer rang out.


    "Buyer No. 8 bids four hundred essential life supplies."


    It was Alex, making his move at thest moment.


    "What?"


    Daniel was taken aback.


    He didn''t expect that someone was waiting to swoop in at thest moment.


    And not only that, but they came in with fifty essential life supplies at once.


    You see, at this point in time, almost all survivors treasured the supplies they had on hand.


    These were necessities for their survival!


    Not only Daniel, but even the people in the public channel were in an uproar.

 Chapter 15: Continuous Bidding, Tycoon

    <h4>Chapter 15: Continuous Bidding, Tycoon</h4>


    "Who''s this Buyer No. 8? They just threw in four hundred essential life supplies!"


    "Wow, such a tycoon! Four hundred essential life supplies, that''s enough for me to live on for so long!"


    "This is a hidden tycoon! Who knows who this tycoon is? I want to be his woman!"


    "Heh, you little slut, what do you think you are? Are you as pretty as me? You, wanting to be a tycoon''s woman, dream on! I''m the tycoon''s woman! Buyer No. 8, if you can see this, please private chat me, I''m really good-looking!"


    "You, get lost! How dare you say you''re pretty! Buyer No. 8, look at me, I used to be a web celebrity with five hundred thousand followers! I can be your lover, I know every position!"


    "Five hundred thousand zombie followers!"


    Daniel clenched his fists tightly, his eyes widened as he stared at the screen filled with discussions, his expression turning fierce.


    "Damn it, who is this person? Actually snatching the thing Daniel has set his eyes on, is he out of his mind! Alright, alright, I don''t believe it, do you really have that many supplies? I''llpete with wealth, I, Daniel, have never been afraid of anyone!"


    Daniel directly bid, "Four hundred and fifty essential life supplies!"


    He just didn''t believe that this mysterious Buyer No. 8 could still afford the bid.


    This bid once again set the public channel on fire.


    "Oh my! Daniel has raised another fifty supplies, he''s such a tycoon! Everyone who owns this blueprint must be ecstatic!"


    "Buyer No. 5 raises their paddle, four hundred and fifty essential life supplies."


    Alex looked at the bidding above,pletely unfazed.


    He had nothing else, just a lot of bottled water.


    While others felt agony over contributing even one supply, he didn''t care at all.


    ying with him was like being blind to the obvious!


    "Bidding! Five hundred essential life supplies!"


    "Buyer No. 8 raises their paddle, five hundred essential life supplies."


    Everyone stared at the numbers on the screen, their breathing involuntarily bing heavier.


    Though it was just a simple three-digit number, the food it represented was enough to drive people crazy.


    "What? He''s still raising the bid? Who exactly is this tycoon? Howe I''ve never heard of such a person around here?"


    "This is incredible! Does he own a production factory? Is he a factory manager?"


    "This is insane! I bet when he was transported here, he was in a food factory or a water nt!"


    "No way! Things in this world are basically unusable. We can only gather supplies from supply crates! And the higher the grade of the supply crate, the more zombies there are, everyone knows that! More supplies also mean it''s harder to obtain!"


    Daniel also widened his eyes, incredulously staring at the numbers on the screen.


    How is this possible?


    Five hundred supplies, and he could easily produce them.


    Who on earth is he?


    "Damn it, whoever you are, you can''t snatch things from me, Daniel! What I set my eyes on belongs to me, whoever it is, can''t snatch from me!"


    Daniel gritted his teeth and shouted, "Raise the bid for me! Five hundred and fifty supplies!"


    Hearing this, a man in ck next to him suddenly panicked.


    "Daniel, our supplies are running low. If we continue to bid, then our basic survival will be at stake!"


    "Yeah, Daniel, we can''t bid anymore! Otherwise, we''ll have to go out and fight those terrifying zombies for supplies, and we''ll have to go to ces where there are a lot of zombies, it''s not worth it! Who knows how long it will take to gather enough materials for the gold blueprint!"


    "Daniel, please think it over! It''s okay for us to go hungry, but your noble body, we mustn''t let it go hungry! If we can''t find enough supplies, we''re all done for!"


    Daniel roared, "Get out of here! I don''t believe he still has that many supplies!"


    "No one! Can snatch things from me, Daniel!!"


    "Buyer No. 5 raises their paddle, five hundred and fifty essential life supplies."


    Alex frowned.


    This Daniel seems to have a pretty solid background, being able to gather so many supplies.


    Looks like he''s not someone to mess with.


    But well...


    Alex raised the bid again, utterly indifferent.


    "Buyer No. 8 raises their paddle, six hundred essential life supplies."


    "What! Six hundred essential life supplies!! This is too..."


    This time, the entire channel fell silent.


    They were all deeply shocked.


    It''s only been a few days, yet someone could gather so many supplies.


    Who on earth is this person?


    And, without any hesitation, they raised the bid.


    Even Daniel hesitated for a while before raising the bid.


    On the other hand, Buyer No. 8 almost followed Daniel''s bid closely.


    No matter how much Daniel raised, they raised the same amount,pletely disregarding the requirement of at least ten supplies for each bid.


    It''s as if, in their eyes, these supplies were just a drop in the bucket...


    Daniel''s eyes burned with resentment.


    He didn''t want to give up like this.


    But when he tried to bid again, he was notified that he didn''t have enough supplies.


    Daniel stared fiercely at the screen in front of him.


    "I want to see who you are..."


    This time, Daniel didn''t bid against Alex''s paddle.


    His essential life supplies were insufficient, and he felt powerless.


    The virtual auctioneer began to prompt: "Buyer No. 8 bids six hundred essential life supplies, are there any other buyers bidding?"


    After a while, the auctioneer spoke again: "If there are no other buyers raising their paddles, then please allow me to begin the countdown."


    [Six hundred essential life supplies, first time.]


    [Six hundred essential life supplies, second time.]


    [Six hundred essential life supplies, third time.]


    Bang! As the auction hammer fell, the deal was sealed!


    Alex became the winner of the gold-level blueprint: Barrier Wall.


    Since there was only one item up for auction this time, the auction ended as soon as the first item was sold, and the auction buyers began to leave the auction room one after another.


    [This auction has concluded sessfully. Congrattions to yer No. 10086 for winning the bid and obtaining the gold-level blueprint: Barrier Wall.]


    The chat channel fell silent, then someone started speaking.

 Chapter 16: Wall Construction, Gun Practice

    <h4>Chapter 16: Wall Construction, Gun Practice</h4>


    Number 132423: "So, where did the person who said 10086 wasn''t participating in the auction go? I happen to have just killed some zombies here, still steaming. If you want to eat, I''ll send you the coordinates..."


    Number 51542: "Outrageous, didn''t expect 10086 to have so many life supplies... Six hundred portions, I can''t evene up with his leftovers, terrifying."


    Number 456755: "Who knows where 10086 lives, even if I have to risk my life, I''ll go find him. I demand him to take me as his little brother!"


    In the chat channel, most of them are discussing Alex''s terrifying strength.


    Being able to bring out so many essential supplies to participate in the auction, presumably, there are even more in stock.


    Christopher looked at the huge amount of extra supplies in his backpack, and for a moment, he burst into crazyughter.


    So many supplies, enough for him to live for a very long time!


    He wanted to find a ce to hide, slowly enjoying so many supplies alone!


    In the apocalypse, human nature is the most terrifying.


    He had seen people fighting for food and water from other survivors, even at the cost of injuring or killing them.


    So, he dared not unt so many supplies in front of everyone.


    At this moment, Alex was opening his mailbox, receiving a golden-level blueprint sent by the auction house, the bastion wall.


    He nced at the required materials.


    Bastion Wall Bastion Wall Blueprint (1/1)


    Wood (20/300)


    Steel (66/300)


    Cement (3/300)


    Water (Infinite/300)


    These materials can be easily obtained on the trading tform.


    Alex immediately went on a spree on the trading tform.


    Soon, the materials were gathered, and Alex opened the blueprint for the bastion wall.


    [Dear yer, would you like to build the bastion wall?]


    [Yes/No]


    Clicking yes, the bastion wall blueprint in front of Alex disappeared into thin air.


    Following that, a loud noise ensued, astonishing Mia on the second floor of the vi.


    Outside the vi where Alex and others were, a towering wall suddenly rose, reaching up to the second floor of the vi.


    Its thickness was such that even Alex stretching his arms might not be able to touch the edges.


    [Golden item: Bastion Wall built!]


    Alex looked at the bastion wall that was directly built, very satisfied.


    Mia, with an astonished face, walked downstairs and said, "Is this the golden-level blueprint?"


    As Alex''s teammate, Mia naturally knew Alex''s number.


    Just now, she was also paying attention to the content of the chat channel and understood the strategic significance of this golden-level blueprint.


    This means that their long-term shelter will be an impregnable fortress in the short term!


    After building the shelter, Alex decided to go to the gathering ce of zombies outside to search for supplies, leaving Mia to guard the safe vi.


    The reason for taking such a risk is because he feels immense pressure.


    Everyone''s strength is rapidly increasing, and there will be more advanced supplies appearing in the future.


    Only by taking the lead ahead of others can he survive longer in this doomsday.


    Of course, there is another reason.


    That is, his marksmanship is too poor.


    He must quickly improve his marksmanship.


    Luckily, he has the P92 pistol now, with a silencer, so there''s no need to fear being surrounded by too many zombies.


    Leaving Mia at the vi ensures her safety.


    Upon returning, he''ll gift her some experience.


    Although she ys the role of a doctor in the team, her skills cannot be toocking.


    Alex immediately exined the n to Mia.


    Mia obediently nodded.


    "Stay safe,e back immediately if things go south! I''ll be waiting for you at home, and I''ll also practice with the crossbow!"


    Taking advantage of the heavy rain, Alex put on the raincoat he finally found.


    After bidding farewell to Mia, he hurried to the gathering area of zombies outside.


    Beforehand, while silently observing yers chatting on the chat channel, Alex gathered some intelligence.


    In his location, the vi area has a natural barrier of zombie groups in the adjacent blocks, blocking traffic between areas, making it difficult to break through in the short term.


    Of course, as the supplies gradually be abundant, the barriers between regions will not be a major obstacle.


    Alex is heading towards that isted area.


    After walking for who knows how long, when the rain stopped, he saw the block.


    Alex quietly climbed up a residential building, then used his pistol to deal with two zombies and upied a residential room.


    This residential room wasn''t high, and from the second floor, he could overlook the scattered zombies on the street.


    The stench of rotting flesh downstairs made Alex feel nauseous.


    He felt morefortable after putting on the mask.


    But the zombies'' mournful cries were incessant.


    Alex still raised his pistol, intending to finish the fight quickly.


    The zombies below burned, and Alex kept reloading on the small building.


    This was a harvest.


    Although his marksmanship wasn''t great at the beginning.


    But there were just so many zombies down there.


    Even if he missed the one he aimed at, he could still hit another one if lucky.


    This was a good opportunity to practice his marksmanship.


    Alex''s experience bar was also rapidly rising.


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [Gained 1 experience]


    [...]


    Congrattions, yer, on leveling up, please keep up the good work!


    The mes subsided, and smoke faintly wafted from the gun barrel.


    Alex opened his personal information.


    Level: 4 (0/400)


    Strength: 20 Agility: 9 Stamina: Normal


    Looking at the scorched ground below the small building, Alex exhaled heavily.


    Then, he took out adder and climbed down from the small building, heading towards another group of zombies.


    Alex had noticed that the area around the abandoned supermarket and the vi district was rtively safe.


    The fewer supplies there were, the fewer zombies there would be.


    However, after crossing a block, there should be a gathering point for zombies.


    Moving along the hillside opposite the vi district, Alex killed many lone zombies and small groups.


    In the meantime, he also found several supply boxes.


    However, they were all bronze-level.


    At this point, his experience bar was already more than half full.


    Finding a safe small house, Alex climbed onto the roof, took out his lunch, and began to replenish.


    After finishing lunch, he continued towards the hillside.


    It wasn''t until sunset that Alex returned to the vi district.


    After leveling up twice in a row, he found that his stamina and endurance werepletely different from before.


    Maintaining a steady pace all the way, he could already see the edge of the vi district, feeling no fatigue or breathlessness whatsoever.

 Chapter 17: There are unidentified survivors approaching outside the wall

    <h4>Chapter 17: There are unidentified survivors approaching outside the wall</h4>


    When he reached the gate of the vi district, groups of zombies noticed him and started running towards him.


    Alex shook his legs and chuckled, "Just came back for a warm-up, I''ll use you guys to verify how much my physical fitness has improved."


    With that, Alex dashed straight towards the zombies.


    To be on the safe side, he chose to take them out one by one, avoiding direct confrontation with a group of zombies.


    Even though he had reached level 4, he still preferred to be cautious.


    "Powerful Flying Kick!"


    Alex shouted the ssic move from the movies, delivering a flying kick towards the leading zombie.


    The zombie that was solidly kicked flew out directly, rolling several times before stopping.


    Alex was also surprised by his own explosive power.


    He didn''t expect his strength to reach this level.


    It''s worth noting that zombies have much stronger physical fitness than humans.


    This kick could keep a zombie crawling on the ground for quite a while before getting up. If it hit a human...


    Alex already envisioned that scene.


    Zombies, unlike humans, don''t feel fear when they see theirrades being kicked away; they just continue to roar andunch attacks at Alex.


    "Come at me!"


    Alex took out a silver-level samurai sword he had collected earlier and, without any technique, relying solely on his brute strength, effortlessly cut down the zombies as if chopping vegetables.


    For a moment, there were no subsequent zombies arriving.


    Shaking off the zombie blood from the samurai sword, Alex pondered, "It seems that the team that entered the vi district with us earlier really cleared out most of the zombie groups."


    "In a while, if other yers who have heard the newse, they will definitely settle in the vi district one after another. Interesting..."


    However, Alex wasn''t too worried about whether new yers would arrive in the vi districtter.


    After all, he already had the bastion wall. By the time other new yers arrived, he should be well-prepared.


    Currently, the most worrying thing was the group living next door.


    After all, they were still a group, and Alex wasn''t sure if the bastion wall could stop them.


    What if they climbed over the wall using adder? Would the bastion wall stop them?


    Alex couldn''t guarantee.


    He thought that he had to deal with the immediate threats first.


    As long as the nearby threats were resolved, Alex was confident that when new yers arrived in the vi district, his vi would be an impregnable stronghold.


    "I have to find an opportunity..."


    Alex returned to his vi, passing the facial recognition of the bastion wall.


    Before entering, he nced at the neighboring vi and silently muttered.


    Inside the house, Mia was already waiting by the door, inspecting Alex all around.


    "Alex, you''re finally back. Are you hurt?"


    Alex grabbed Mia and smiled, "How could I get hurt so easily? I have good luck, and I can find artifacts just by going out."


    Next, Alex gifted Mia some experience, and Mia directly leveled up to level 3.


    Number 9527:


    Level: 3 (2/300)


    Strength: 7 Agility: 13 Stamina: Abundant


    "Well, reaching level three, not bad."


    Alex nodded in satisfaction.


    However, the most important thing at the moment is to ensure his own development. In the short term, Mia might fall behind him by a level.


    Perhaps in thete game, when the experience requirements are high, they will have a chance to level up together.


    Moreover, Mia''s physical attributes seem not as outstanding as Alex''s.


    It''s unknown whether it''s due to differences in male and female physical fitness or other reasons.


    Mia let Alex check her information panel,ining, "You have no idea how worried I was at home, watching your experience bar skyrocketing. My heart was in my throat!"


    Alex rubbed Mia''s hair andughed, "There were indeed some twists and turns, but it was all safe in the end. This wave of experience directly made a qualitative leap in our physical fitness, especially for you. You''ve gained some self-defense ability."


    Mia noticed that Alex particrly liked to rub her hair.


    But she didn''t mind, just curious.


    "Alex, why do you like rubbing my hair so much?"


    Mia twisted her hair, feeling a bit embarrassed.


    Upon hearing this question, Alex realized that he indeed enjoyed rubbing Mia''s hair.


    Almost involuntarily.


    It felt like petting a cat, a bit addictive...


    Alex, who had initially lowered his hand, resumed covering Mia''s head and said, "Why? Don''t you want me to rub your head? Do you prefer me to rub your big chest instead? Haha..."


    Mia blushed when she heard that.


    "You had the chance before, but you didn''t seize it..."


    Alex felt a little moved after hearing that.


    The Mia in front of him, her well-fitting clothes outlined curves that made men''s hormones surge.


    The tempting expression of desire and the fidgeting hands due to nervousness.


    "Beautiful women are indeed men''s biggest weakness."


    Alex''s Adam''s apple moved.


    "But, I want to challenge my weakness."


    Alex hugged Mia tightly, their lips met, and the suppressed hormones erupted in this moment.


    "Mia, do you want to take a bath..."


    Mia hugged Alex''s neck with both hands and said in a tender voice, "Wash my hair, wipe my body..."


    At this moment, an untimely system sound popped up in a popup window.


    [Dear yer, there are several unidentified yers approaching outside the bastion wall you constructed.]


    Alex was stunned, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering up.


    Mia noticed the fluctuation in Alex''s mood and released her legs wrapped around Alex''s waist, standing on the ground, asking with concern, "What''s wrong?"


    If it wasn''t an emergency, Alex wouldn''t have such a sudden change.


    Alex exhaled heavily and said seriously, "There are unidentified survivors approaching outside the wall. I need to go check it out."


    Mia straightened her clothes.


    "I''ll go with you to take a look!!"


    Alex took out his pistol and checked the bullets inside.


    He shook his head and said, "You stay here. Go to the second floor and take the crossbow. Provide support if things go wrong."


    Mia also enteredbat mode.


    She took out the crossbow, nodded to Alex, and ran straight to the balcony on the second floor, finding a suitable ce for ambush.


    As Alex reloaded the pistol, he opened the door, muttering fiercely.


    "All because of you bastards, letting the cooked ducks fly! If you don''t have eyes, don''t me me for using you as live targets."


    Through the bastion wall, Alex shouted, "People outside, stop! No matter what your intentions are, if youe any closer to my sanctuary, don''t me me for being rude!"

 Chapter 18: First Contact

    <h4>Chapter 18: First Contact</h4>


    Outside, a woman spoke in an affected, coquettish tone, "Hey there, big brother, open up. I''m Ava Johnson from the neighboring team, the captain sent me over to negotiate with you."


    Alex frowned.


    He hadn''t expected the neighboring team toe knocking on his door before he made a move.


    "If it''s about teaming up, I''m not interested. Please leave," Alex replied without opening the main gate.


    For others, teaming up made it easier to gather supplies and deal with zombies, making survival more likely. But for him, other people were the biggest threat.


    "Hey there, don''t be so quick to refuse, let me in first... Look at me, my backpack is empty, I have nothing..." Ava volunteered, opening her backpack.


    As Ava had said, there was nothing in her possession that could threaten Alex''s safety, which indeed showed her sincerity.


    After a moment''s thought, Alex opened a crack in the door, ready to shoot at any moment.


    Then, cautiously, he let Ava sidle in.


    She was a woman with a hot figure but an ordinary face.


    Her clothes were tattered, her body partly exposed, it was unclear if it was due to poor conditions or intentional seduction.


    Alex chuckled inwardly.


    Such goods might have caught his eye before, but after spending so many days with Mia, his standards had risen sharply in just a few days.


    "Wow, little brother, is this a golden-tier blueprint? Looks like you''re the real deal, huh, 10086..." Ava said admiringly.


    Alex remained expressionless.


    This was exactly what he was most worried about.


    As soon as the barrier wall was built, Ethan''s team knew his identity right away.


    Though Alex didn''t expect to keep his identity hidden forever, now was not the time.


    If Ethan''s team were to reveal his identity on the chat channel, Alex, with his current strength, would be in a passive position.


    After all, everyone knew he had a lot of supplies, and there was no guarantee that someone wouldn''t have ulterior motives.


    Alex narrowed his eyes, smiling without warmth, "So, is your team only interested in my identity?"


    Ava giggled, covering her mouth, "Little brother, why are you being so formal? Maybe we still have a chance to be teammates, don''t you want to invite me in for a chat?"


    Alex squinted at Ava, unsure of her intentions.


    "But still," he said with a smile, "guests are wee, since your team has shown sincerity, I won''t be stingy. Please,e in."


    In another vi, Ethan and his group received the message from Ava on the team channel.


    "Sessfully entered Shelter 10086, starting reconnaissance!" Ava sessfully entered Alex''s vi.


    Just as Ava reported, she hade with a mission this time.


    That mission was to probe Alex''s true intentions.


    They couldn''t possibly be unaware of the fact that Shelter 10086 had splurged on six hundred essential supplies to purchase golden-tier blueprints.


    After all, they had also once considered making a move on the barrier wall.


    But their power fell short.


    When they saw Alex had already built the barrier wall, they knew his identity.


    He was the elusive yer, Number 10086!


    Ethan''s subordinates had advised him to treat Alex''s information as intelligence and sell it to those forces or yers who had designs on Alex or the golden-tier blueprints.


    But he tly rejected this idea.


    He even cursed the idiot who suggested it.


    Then, he revealed his own n.


    Ethan intended to send someone to probe Alex''s intentions.


    Then, he would take down this big fat sheep, Alex, himself.


    He had clearly seen that only Alex and Mia had entered the vi.


    This meant that there were only two people on Alex''s side.


    While on their side, there were eight people in total!


    Though Alex had abundant resources, two fists couldn''t beat four hands.


    As long as they figured out theyout inside Alex''s vi, when the time was right, they could easily take down the two of them by quietly climbing over the barrier wall!


    Then, they wouldn''t have to worry about resources anymore.


    Such ayout was simply wless!


    So, the previous night, Ethan called Ava over.


    First, he vented his anger on Ava, then...


    "Ava, how does Ethan treat you?"


    Ava nestled up to Ethan, drawing circles on his chest with her hand, coquettishly saying, "Ethan treats me the best. It was Ethan who saved me from the zombies, it was Ethan who gave me food and drink, Ava has decided to stick with Ethan for life..."


    Ethanughed heartily, giving her a hard squeeze until Ava winced slightly before releasing her satisfied.


    He leisurely said, "Ava, tomorrow, go find out about the situation on the 10086 side, don''t carry any weapons. Once inside, make sure to gain the other party''s trust, and if necessary, fulfill all their requests."


    Ava looked at Ethan in shock.


    She naturally understood Ethan''s meaning, and for a moment, she hesitated.


    "Ethan..."


    Ethan cut her off directly, his eyes cold. "What, you want me to say it a second time?!"


    Ava, feeling helpless, could only nod bitterly.


    "Yes, Ethan..."


    Only then did Ethan''s anger turn into joy. He kissed Ava''s cheek and chuckled, "That''s my good woman. Let me continue to cherish you..."


    So, the scene of Ava knocking on Alex''s door the next day urred.


    After leading Ava inside, Alex first ordered Mia to stay put on the second-floor balcony, upying the high ground to observe any movements from Ava''s teammates.


    Then, he had Ava sit in the living room.


    "Ava, let''s have a chat while we sit. I haven''t eaten yet, would you like some fried rice and orange juice?"


    "Sure, since little brother invited me for a meal, I certainly can''t refuse."


    Alex nodded and took the items out of his backpack, cing them on the table.


    Smelling the aroma of the fried rice, Ava couldn''t help but swallow involuntarily.


    Sinceing to this post-apocalyptic world, even filling her stomach had been difficult.


    Things like fried rice and orange juice seemed like a dream.


    It was as if the experiences of these past few days were all illusions, and she was still the goddess cherished by men.


    After eating a few mouthfuls of rice and drinking a ss of orange juice to moisten her throat, Alex got down to business.


    "Ava, you mentioned earlier that you wanted me to join your team. I''m curious, what confidence do you have to invite me to join after knowing my identity?"


    Ava wiped her mouth, still savoring the taste, and smiled. "Little brother, we have arge team of eight people. I''m sure you''ve seen us clearing out the zombie horde in the vi area before. That''s not something just any team can aplish."


    Alex nodded.


    "I admit, I''ve seen your strength, and indeed, it''s formidable."


    Before this, he wouldn''t have had such a profound understanding of Ethan''s team''s strength.

 Chapter 19: Strike First, Setting Traps

    <h4>Chapter 19: Strike First, Setting Traps</h4>


    Not until he went out hunting zombies alone did he realize how strong Ethan''s team really was!


    Seeing his reaction, Ava continued, "Although we lost nearly half of our people while clearing out the zombie horde in the vi area before, we will continue to grow ande back stronger."


    "In the future, we can easily be a dominant force in the region."


    "By then, every member of the team will be able to enjoy immense benefits..."


    After hearing Ava out, Alex raised an eyebrow.


    "Is that all?" he asked.


    Ava hesitated for a moment, unable to fully grasp his expression.


    "Yes, that''s all," she replied.


    At this, Alex grinned.


    "So, this is your idea of recruiting me? You might as well forget about it!"


    "You should know, since I can single-handedly provide thousands of essential supplies to purchase the barrier wall, and even offer precious food and drinks to entertain you, do you think I need to join your team?"


    Ava was left speechless.


    "So, don''t waste your time on me."


    "For now, let''s consider ourselves neighbors. Please ept this small gift. If there''s nothing else, please go back."


    Alex took out one hundred portions of essential supplies from his backpack and handed them to Ava.


    Ava stared at the extra one hundred portions of supplies in disbelief.


    She hadn''t expected Alex to be so generous.


    One hundred portions of essential supplies, casually given to a stranger he just met.


    Ava''s eyes flickered as she sat down beside Alex, intentionally or unintentionally rubbing against his arm with a shy expression.


    "Little brother, you''re so generous. How about, let Ava keep youpany..."


    Ava reached out her hand, tentatively moving downward.


    However, Alex quickly grabbed her hand, smiling as he said, "Honestly, I''m not very interested in you. Please don''t force me to get angry, okay?"


    Ava looked at Alex, who was smiling warmly, and couldn''t sense any hostility.


    But she had a strong feeling.


    If she continued to provoke him, she might really lose her life.


    Ava withdrew her hand and sat up straight.


    "Little brother, don''t be angry. I''m just joking with you."


    Alex moved her hand away and chuckled, "It''s nothing. Please go back. I hope we can live harmoniously as neighbors."


    After escorting Ava out of thepound, Mia came downstairs.


    Mia looked puzzled and said, "Alex, why did you still give them supplies? Even if we have plenty, we shouldn''t waste them like this!"


    Alex chuckled lightly and replied, "You don''t understand. Believe it or not, by tomorrow at thetest, maybe even tonight, their team won''t be able to resist taking action against us!"


    Mia eximed in surprise, then muttered, "So you gave them supplies, which will only expose our reserves more and make them want to raid us even more?"


    "Exactly!" Alex guessed Mia would have such doubts and patiently exined, "Before, when they saw that we, just two people, could obtain a gold-tier blueprint, they definitely had ulterior motives but couldn''t be sure of our exact situation, so they didn''t dare to act rashly."


    "By sending this woman today to recruit us, it was a pretense. The real intention was to probe our situation!"


    Seeing Mia lost in thought, Alex continued, "By giving them supplies, I let them know that we have plenty, tempting them beyond their restraint, and then we''ll turn the tables on them. Also, I can be sure that they haven''t exposed my information. They see us as easy prey and won''t involve others."


    Mia nodded understandingly and asked, "So what''s your n?"


    Alex took outbat supplies from his backpack.


    Molotov cocktails, iron traps, plenty of crossbow arrows, daggers, P92 pistols...


    After organizing them, Alex said, "I n to set up various traps inside thepound. When theye, they''ll be caught off guard!"


    "Hehe, daring to covet us, they must be tired of living."


    Seeing Alex in full control, Mia couldn''t help but smile.


    "So, is there anything I can help with?" Mia asked.


    Alex handed her a few traps and instructed, "Since Dr.Mia volunteered, you can take these traps and ce them in the corners of the wall, covering them with something. This will be our appetizer for them."


    Mia took them obediently and said, "Okay, I''ll go set them up now."


    After speaking, she walked into the courtyard of the vi and carefully arranged the traps in the corners of the wall.


    Meanwhile,


    Ava had already returned to her shelter, handed over the supplies, and informed Ethan of the information she gathered.


    Ethan sat on the sofa in the living room of the vi, his chin resting on his hand, his eyes gleaming with excitement.


    He hadn''t expected that this "10086" had so many supplies.


    It seemed that his foundation was quite solid, and he had no survival worries after participating in the auction.


    Ethan could no longer contain his restless heart and wanted to raid tonight, seizing all of Alex''s supplies, including the gold-tier barricade.


    As if on the same wavelength, one of his men beside him spoke up, "Boss, there''s no need to hesitate!"


    "You also heard the intelligence Ava just reported. The supplies from this 10086 wouldst our team for a long time! And if we wait a few more days, who knows when another group mighte to our vi area."


    Other teammates echoed in agreement.


    "Yeah, Boss. This 10086 even gave us one hundred portions of supplies for free, and he must have at least a few hundred more on him!"


    Ava chimed in, "Ethan, time is of the essence. Let''s strike tonight while they let their guard down. We''ll catch them off guard!"


    Ethan mmed a crossbow bolt onto the table and said fiercely, "Let''s do it! Tonight, we''ll go straight to 10086''sir!"


    The crowd began to cheer.


    "Boss is mighty!!"


    Ethan also began to imagine the fruits of victory tonight,ughing heartily.


    ...


    Alex wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at the traps set up inside and outside the vi courtyard. With his hands on his hips, he sneered, "This time, let''s just wait here patiently."


    In the apocalypse, human nature was the most terrifying.


    It wasn''t that Alex was cruel, but in this apocalyptic world, having such a huge threat around made it difficult to sleep peacefully.


    In certain desperate moments, that group of people could easily be a dagger aimed at him.


    So, when Alex sensed their treacherous intentions, he had to strike first and eliminate thempletely!

 Chapter 20: Night Raid

    <h4>Chapter 20: ?Night Raid</h4>


    In the night of the apocalypse world, it seemed toe much faster than the real world.


    Survivors once again sighed with relief for living through another day.


    At night, what scared survivors the most was not zombie attacks, but other survivors around them.


    No one could guarantee whether there were other survivors lurking in the shadows besides their teammates.


    Even within the same team, it was not umon for survivors to abandon each other without hesitation when facing danger.


    The refuge shelter in the vi area where Alex resided was quiet, as if everything was asleep. Inside the room, only Alex and Mia''s faint breathing could be heard.


    There were no candles or firewood for lighting inside the fortified walls.


    The two of them were quietly lurking in the living room on the first floor, waiting to see if there would be any unexpected guests tonight.


    In the darkness, Mia quietly pulled Alex beside her under the moonlight and asked in a hushed tone, "Alex, will they really attack us tonight? It''s been so long..."


    Alex touched his ear, which was slightly itching from Mia''s warm breath, and whispered, "Wait, these two days, we must be on high alert. They wille sooner orter."


    "But I''m also betting on whether they will be impatient and unable to resisting tonight."


    ...


    Ethan''s team, as Alex had anticipated, had already begun preparing for battle.


    Ethan loaded his crossbow and distributed other cold weapons.


    "Equip yourselves properly, take your favorite weapons, and we''ll take them down tonight!"


    The other team members grinned, seemingly confident about the imminent battle.


    "Big brother, there are so many of us, let''s just rush into 10086''s houseter. It''ste at night, they must be resting, hehe, catch them off guard!!"


    Others nodded in agreement as they polished their weapons.


    "Yeah, this time, 10086 is going down at our hands! He''s been too arrogant, can''t me us for being ruthless!"


    Ethan waved his hand, signaling his teammates to stop discussing.


    Then, he licked his lips.


    "We''ll talk about this after we''re done. Now, let''s go, and you all better keep quiet and not mess up."


    Everyone nodded in agreement, whispering, "Yes, big brother, we won''t let you down."


    Ethan nodded in satisfaction.


    "That''s good, let''s go."


    Then, under the cover of night, Ethan and a few others quietly approached Alex''s vi.


    They were ready to climb over the wall and attack Alex.


    Inside the vi, Alex received a system reminder and whispered, "Speak of them, and they''re here. They''ve reached the wall."


    Due to limited intelligence on the fortified wall, Ethan and the others didn''t know that after the wall was built, if unfamiliar survivors approached, although the system couldn''t stop them, it could send a notification to the owner of the wall.


    So, Alex had received the information immediately, knowing their movements.


    But Ethan and the others knew nothing, thinking everything was seamless.


    At that moment, they leaned against the corner of the wall, taking out the pre-prepared extendeddder and rope.


    These were the tools they specially prepared for this operation, exchanged for a few essential supplies.


    At that time, Ethan felt a pang of regret.


    But thinking that they would soon be able to plunder more supplies, he hardened his heart and made the purchase.


    They took out three extendeddders and leaned them against the fortified wall. Ethan signaled three of his men to climb up first and check the situation on the other side.


    The three men swiftly climbed up thedder, avoiding making any noise.


    Reaching the top of the fortified wall, they surveyed the vi surroundings.


    Because of the height of the wall, the vi was shrouded in darkness.


    But it seemed there was no defense.


    The three men gestured OK to theirpanions outside the wall.


    Ethan and the others below nodded.


    Then the three men threw down the rope and gently slid down the wall into the vi courtyard.


    As they expected, the vi was quiet, and 10086 had no defenses or precautions whatsoever.


    He probably thought that with the fortified wall, everything would be fine.


    Ethan''s team consisted of eight people. After the initial three reconnaissance, the remaining five climbed onto the top of the fortified wall and retrieved thedders.


    Then, they sent the equipment through the system to their teammates in the courtyard.


    They caught the thrown items silently, without making a sound.


    Soon, all eight of them were in Alex''s vi courtyard.


    Ethan couldn''t help but smirk at how low Alex''s vignce was.


    While the fortified wall might keep out zombies, for survivors, being able to use equipment and tools made it practically useless.


    Without setting up traps in the courtyard, how could they possibly stop them?


    Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.


    Ethan waved his right hand, signaling to move forward.


    Everyone cautiously made their way towards the vi.


    "Ah!"


    Just then, a scream suddenly came from behind.


    Ethan instinctively tried to cover the person''s mouth, but when he turned around, he found the person clutching their right leg.


    Blood was gushing from the leg, firmly trapped by a gleaming iron animal trap.


    At the same time, another teammate eximed, "Ethan, look! It''s 10086!!"


    Ethan followed his teammate''s gesture and looked in the direction they were pointing.


    On the balcony of the vi''s second floor stood Alex.


    In the moonlight, his expression could vaguely be seen.


    His calm andposed demeanor, as if strategizing, made Ethan''s rm bells ring loudly.


    "Oh no! Retreat now!!" Ethan''s heart pounded.


    He thought Alex wasx in his defenses and could be easily manipted.


    But he didn''t expect that Alex was well-prepared and had been waiting for them!


    Just as he finished speaking, a strong smell of gasoline suddenly spread around them.


    Then came the sound of explosions.


    Molotov cocktails exploded, trapping them in the center of the courtyard in a square.


    The intense fire made it impossible for them to move, forcing them to huddle together.


    As the mes rose, Ethan and the others in the courtyard could see Alex''s face clearly.


    Alex stood on the vi''s second-floor balcony, looking every bit the master of the house, smiling and saying, "Well, since you''re all here, why rush to leave?"


    Ethan widened his eyes, taking the initiative, he picked up his crossbow and started shooting.


    Alex retreated from the balcony, denying him a chance to aim.


    Several of Ethan''s teammates with long-rangebat abilities kept an eye on the situation outside, looking for an opportunity to counterattack.


    However, the next scene shattered their psychological defenses instantly.


    Through the mes, a teammate suddenly screamed in agony and fell to the ground.


    Others rushed forward to help him up, only to find a bullet-sized hole in his head.


    Alex had a gun!

 Chapter 21: Flaunting his lavish lifestyle.

    <h4>Chapter 21: unting hisvish lifestyle.</h4>


    Bang!


    Another shot, and another henchman fell to the ground again.


    Others looked at Ethan with fear and anxiety, urgently asking, "Boss, what should we do! Boss, say something!"


    But Alex didn''t give them much time.


    Teammates fell one by one until only Ethan remained.


    Ethan felt a sense of despair, holding his crossbow, shouting somewhat frantically, "10086, if you''re a man,e out and face me! What''s the point of hiding!!"


    The response he got was a shot to his leg.


    The intense pain almost made him drop the crossbow.


    Perhaps out of consideration, Alex then very thoughtfully smashed the crossbow in his hand.


    Then, slowly, he walked out into the yard.


    Alex looked at Ethan, reminiscent of how he used to watch a mouse caught in a trap in his rented room, letting it do as he pleased.


    Bang!


    Alex fired another shot, hitting Ethan''s hand as he tried to sneakily pick up another crossbow from a fallenrade.


    Then, he watched quietly as Ethan writhed in pain, his own emotions unmoved.


    Ethan remained defiant, perhaps knowing he had no chance of survival, hurling curses.


    "Damn you, if you''re going to kill, just do it, stop dragging it out!"


    Alex chuckled.


    He didn''t continue shooting, instead saying, "ying the victim card, not bad. Clearly, you all had ill intentions towards me, and I merely fought back."


    Ethan snorted, spat out some blood, and fiercely said, "Consider me fooled, falling into your trap. Just finish me off!"


    Alex raised an eyebrow, "What, you''re not going to try to convince me? What if I were to let you go?"


    Ethanughed bitterly.


    "10086, even if I begged, would you spare me?"


    Alex alsoughed, revealing his still well-maintained pearly white teeth.


    "Indeed, I wouldn''t." Letting the tiger back into the mountain, that would be foolish, right? Alex raised his P92, aiming it at Ethan.


    Ethan closed his eyes, his lips trembling slightly.


    Knowing he had no chance of survival, he still felt fear in the face of death.


    Bang!


    After the gunshot, Ethan didn''t die.


    He opened his eyes in surprise, looking at Alex in confusion.


    At the same time, an excited thought involuntarily crossed his mind.


    Could it be that he intended to spare him?


    Just then, Alex smiled shyly and fired another shot.


    This time, it hit him right in the forehead.


    "Sorry about that, my aim was off."


    "Damn it!"


    Ethan''s eyes widened as he slowly fell to the ground.


    Normally, if they had been more cautious, they wouldn''t have ended up in such a predicament.


    But their strong greed clouded their judgment, leading them to fall into Alex''s trap, which wasn''t even carefully prepared.


    In the end, they lost their lives.


    Alex scavenged what little supplies remained from this group of people and threw the bodies outside the fortified walls.


    Early tomorrow morning, the diligent zombie cleaners would take care of the mess.


    With the immediate threat resolved, Alex breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his room, casually copsing onto the soft bed.


    "Finally got that thorn out of my side..."


    Alex closed his eyes, finally able to sleep soundly.


    He slept until he naturally woke up, with no ns to go out scavenging for supplies today.


    The resources around the vi area were no longer sufficient for their needs.


    If they wanted to find more advanced resources, they would need to venture into areas with denser zombie poptions.


    Fortune favors the brave, as they say.


    This recent incident significantly depleted Alex''s stockpile ofbat supplies.


    Though he had an unlimited amount of water to trade for food andbat supplies, the critical issue was that the number of trading tforms couldn''t keep up with his consumption!


    Whenever he had spare time, Alex would be scouring the trading tforms for goods, even allocating some supplies for Mia, who stayed at home, to do the same.


    But the result still didn''t achieve the desired effect.


    Because of the scarcity ofbat supplies, Alex had to put a stop to his ns of going out again to search for resources.


    After all, the P92 didn''t have strong sustainedbat capabilities.


    Once a magazine of fifteen bullets was used up, it had to be reloaded.


    Facing arge number of zombie groups would put him at a disadvantage.


    Once bitten, it could mean certain death.


    Thinking of this, Alex couldn''t help but daydream.


    If one day the system gave him unlimited AK47s, or unlimited Molotov cocktails, that would be amazing.


    Thinking of unlimited resources, Alex suddenly remembered that he could im some today.


    He quickly opened his email and received the timely unlimited supplies sent by the system.


    Red wine.


    Alex took out the red wine and looked at the foreign words on the bottle, feeling somewhat speechless.


    I wonder how this wine tastes?


    Alex took out a regr ss from his backpack and opened the bottle with his bare hands.


    The speed was so fast that the bottle cracked neatly as if sliced with a knife.


    Lifting the red wine, Alex sniffed it at the tip of his nose.


    Even without letting it breathe and aerate fully with the air, he still sensed the richness of this ss of red wine.


    "Drinking wine, something feels missing..."


    Alex gently shook the handle of the ss with the red wine, muttering to himself.


    Then, Alex suddenly realized.


    He took out several steaks from his backpack.


    "Exactly, how can you have red wine without steak?"


    Alex posted a photo on the chat channel showing red wine and steak arranged on a dining table.


    User 10086: "Red wine with steak, it''s still missing something. It would be morefortable with beer. Brothers, anyone collected relevant supplies, put them up on the trading tform (attached picture)."


    As soon as this message was posted, the chat channel exploded.


    You see, even basic necessities are scarce now, and many people are struggling to make ends meet, let alone indulging in luxuries like beer, red wine, and steak.


    Even if they had them, they would have long consumed them as normal rations.


    After all, staying alive is the priority.


    For Alex to post this photo at this time was clearly provocative, unting hisvish lifestyle.

 Chapter 22: Flaunting wealth stirs up public anger.

    <h4>Chapter 22: unting wealth stirs up public anger.</h4>


    Just likest time when I was snug under a nket and bought gold blueprints, it ignited the anger of many people.


    User 10000: "10086, you''ve gone too far! Everyone hasn''t even filled their stomachs yet, and you''re posting these pictures to show off. What''s your intention?!"


    User 10010: "Exactly! You eating well is one thing, but posting it like this...!"


    User 12306: "That''s right! I''m practically starving, 10086. How about you show some kindness and send me some supplies? Then, I''ll say you''re a good guy!"


    User 193844: "Exactly! What''s the point of eating well if you''re not sharing? If you''re really something, send us some supplies too! We''ll definitely remember your kindness!"


    Alex looked at the numerous people criticizing him, even sensing some attempt at moral ckmail, and couldn''t help butugh.


    User 10086: "Sure thing, call me ''dad'', and I''ll give you some supplies. Otherwise, keep quiet. I post what I want, if you don''t like it, don''t look. Or better yet, go collect some supplies yourself and post them, hehe (smirking emoji). If you don''t work hard, whose fault is it?"


    Alex naturally wouldn''t pay attention to those attempting to morally ckmail him.


    By now, he had already shifted his mindset.


    Moral ckmail?


    Sorry, as long as I stand on the moral high ground, you can''t ckmail me.


    User 10010: "10086, you''re too arrogant!!"


    User 89454: "Um, dad, could you give me some water..."


    User 453643: "Damn it, seeing 10086 living such afortable life, I''m really envious."


    User 894759: "Have you guys noticed, this wine seems to be Roman¨¦e-Conti..."


    Amidst the numerous messages condemning Alex, a survivor suddenly recognized the red wine in Alex''s photo.


    Even Alex himself hadn''t recognized it.


    But that was normal, as he didn''t know much about wine.


    User 10010: "What''s Roman¨¦e-Conti, can you say something others can understand?"


    User 894759: "Roman¨¦e-Conti is a top-level French wine, very expensive..."


    User 345634: "Damn it, how expensive can a bottle of wine be, can it be as expensive as Lafite?"


    User 894759: "Haha! If you''re talking about a 30 or 50-year-old Lafite, it''s definitely more expensive than Roman¨¦e-Conti. But if you''re talking about a 10 or 8-year-old Lafite, Roman¨¦e-Conti can buy you several bottles!"


    The chat channel erupted.


    They hadn''t expected that the wine Alex was drinking would turn out to be such a prestigious top-tier wine.


    Alex was also astonished.


    He hadn''t expected the system to provide him with such an expensive unlimited supply of wine.


    In the pre-apocalyptic world, it could be said that his worth had skyrocketed in an instant, ensuring a worry-free life.


    Unfortunately, in the post-apocalyptic world, Roman¨¦e-Conti was just an ordinary wine.


    Here, no one would indulge in this ludicrous wine market.


    Alex looked at the French words on the wine bottle, feeling both amused and exasperated.


    "So it''s French."


    Number 345634: "10086, do you sell alcohol? Damn, I''m craving a sip of wine so bad, haven''t had any for so many days! If you''re willing, we can negotiate the price."


    Number 345654: "Damn! Wines costing tens or even hundreds of thousands, high-ss!"


    Daniel, who had interacted with Alex before, was also watching the chat channel.


    He held a tall ss, swaying with some low-quality red wine.


    Daniel thoroughly enjoyed the upper-ss experience of drinking top-notch red wine.


    In the past, Roman¨¦e-Conti meant nothing special to him.


    But in this apocalyptic world, he could only afford to drink a bottle of low-quality red wine every day.


    Initiallyforting himself that he could at least drink wine was already a rare pleasure.


    Countless people needed to risk their lives every day just to gather essential supplies.


    But seeing the pictures Alex posted, he couldn''t hold back.


    Daniel fiercely threw the ss, and with a crack, the red wine sttered on the wall.


    "Why? Why does this 10086 have so many resources to buy barricades? Why, how can he still drink Roman¨¦e-Conti in this apocalyptic world?!"


    Prideful as Daniel was, he couldn''t bring himself to beg Alex to sell him wine.


    Thinking about this made him even angrier.


    Number 10086: "Trading goods. If you want wine, if you want chicken feet, anything, I only needbat supplies."


    Number 10010: "Justughing to death. Do you think it''s likest time with the nkets? That was because of uncontroble weather, forced to be scammed by you. Wine? Chicken feet? Those are just some non-essential daily necessities, exchanging them forbat supplies?"


    Number 10086: "So, poor people like you shouldn''t join in. I want to sell to survivors who have abundant supplies and want to improve their quality of life. I''m sorry, you don''t seem to belong to my target customers."


    Number 10010: "*****, 10086, I *****!"


    Number 10086: "stars? can''t even type properly, with your level, you better go back to school!"


    Alex fully utilized his subjective initiative, using vocabry he had previously exchanged with keyboard warriors online, continuing to use them against number 10010.


    And that''s not all, Alex also shot a video, walking around his vi.


    Finally, holding a ss of red wine, he turned the camera towards himself below the neck.


    "Brothers, I''ll drink this ss, feel free."


    After this video was uploaded, the chat channel exploded again.


    The legendary 10086 actually exposed his true identity! Many people even thought that the legendary 10086 was the kind of middle-aged muscr uncle with a beard, silent and reserved.


    This would fit their impression of the god-like survivors of the apocalypse.


    But unexpectedly, listening to the voice, 10086 turned out to be a young man


    But upon second thought, it does make sense.


    After all, given how sharp-tongued and meme-savvy 10086 is in the chat channel, the likelihood of them being a young person is actually higher.


    Alex ignored the nd threats from other survivors in the chat channel and instead felt a headache from the plethora of private messages flooding in.


    Just now, many survivors had secretly sent private messages.


    Some were asking to buy red wine from him, while others were looking to purchase various supplies.


    But they allined about the prices, hoping for something cheaper.


    Most of them were just freeloaders.


    These freeloaders, using noble words, asked Alex to give them some supplies for free.


    This way, it would also umte merits for Alex, and in return, they would pray for blessings upon Alex.


    .

 Chapter 23: Past Events

    <h4>Chapter 23: Past Events?</h4>


    For these freeloaders, Alex basically ignored them.


    "We''re in the apocalypse now, and you''re still talking to me about umting merits? Think about how to survive is the most important thing."


    However, there was one message that caught Alex''s attention.


    "Are you Alex? I''m Olivia Davis."


    Naturally, Alex knew Olivia, and they were even quite familiar.


    After all, she was the famous campus beauty, pursued by countless admirers.


    Countless guys dreamed of her, causing the dormitory to always run out of toilet paper.


    Alex could chat with her and exchange some jokes.


    But he had self-awareness and didn''t entertain any unrealistic ideas.


    After graduation, everyone went their separate ways, and contact gradually faded.


    In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.


    Alex reminisced a bit.


    Aftering back to his senses, he sent a message without denying his identity.


    "Olivia, impressive that you could guess it''s me. Yes, I''m Alex."


    Encountering an acquaintance for the first time, Alex felt a bit surreal for a moment.


    He was also curious as to why Olivia, whom he hadn''t seen in two years, could be so sure that the person in the faceless short video was him.


    "Olivia, how did you recognize me? I didn''t show my face. Do you have X-ray vision or something? Scary, four years of college and you''ve seen me so many times."


    The chat box showed Olivia was typing.


    Soon, Olivia sent a string of text.


    "Of course, I recognized your voice! Don''t you remember how I always said your voice was so nice back in college?"


    That was indeed true.


    The only notable attribute Alex could boast about was his voice.


    Back in college, he was one of the top ten singers.


    Upon arriving at campus, he won over arge number of fans by participating in the campus singingpetition for the first time.


    Alex sent another message: "Olivia, how did you end up in this apocalypse game too? How are things on your end?"


    Olivia replied, "I''m managing alright for now, barely getting enough to eat... But supplies are also not abundant."


    "Oh, guess who I ran into here?"


    Alex looked at the message, guessing that it might be an encounter with an old acquaintance.


    Moreover, she was teasing him, so it must be a ssmate or a teacher from college.


    "Who is it? We had so many ssmates, I wouldn''t be able to guess. If I try one by one, it might take until nightfall!"


    Olivia sent a smiling face with a hand over the mouth emoji and then said, "Okay, I''ll tell you directly. It''s Frank from our ss, remember him? I''m in a team with him now."


    Seeing those three words, Alex''s expression soured a bit.


    He naturally remembered this rich second-generation guy from their ss.


    Frank was a local from the university Alex attended and was famously wealthy.


    Furthermore, he lived in the same dorm as Alex, giving Alex his first glimpse into the life of a wealthy person.


    Luxury goods were tossed around casually, and a stream of femalepanions came and went without repeats.


    Alex''s parents had passed away early, leaving him to be raised solely by his grandfather.


    After his grandfather passed away when he entered college, he had to rely on working part-time jobs and student loans to cover his living expenses and tuition.


    But thankfully, Alex''s resourcefulness allowed him to make enough money through his part-time jobs to sustain a rtivelyfortable college life.


    The feud between the two was indeed about money.


    Alex still vividly remembered that it was in the second semester of their sophomore year, on a hot night.


    As usual in the dormitory, only Alex was left reading while the others went to the local bar with Frank to dance.


    When Frank and the others returnedughing and chatting, Alex greeted them with a smile as usual.


    Then, he continued reading.


    But that night was not peaceful.


    Frank searched through his bed and wardrobe but couldn''t find his watch.


    When he went out dancing that night, he had intended to wear his prestigious watch to attract some high-quality girls.


    However, due to being in a hurry, he left without searching carefully.


    So, when Frank returned from the club, he wanted to quickly find it for next time.


    But he couldn''t find it no matter how hard he searched.


    "Weird? Where''s my watch?"


    Frank grumbled, and other dorm mates gathered around him.


    One of Frank''s closest buddies, who was usually very loyal to him, said, "What''s wrong? Frank, your watch is missing? That watch must be worth at least hundreds of thousands, right?!"


    Other dorm mates chimed in.


    "Frank, keep looking carefully, you''ll definitely find it. It couldn''t have been stolen, right...?"


    Suddenly, the dorm fell into a somewhat eerie silence because of this remark.


    Frank slowly lifted his head and looked towards Alex sitting at the nearby desk, furrowing his brows.


    "Alex, there was only you in the dorm just now. Do you know where my watch went?"


    Upon hearing this, Alex furrowed his brows directly.


    The implication was clear: Are you implying that I had something to do with your missing watch?


    Alex put down his book calmly and said, "I''ve been in the dorm the whole time, and no one else came in. Keep searching, and if you still can''t find it in the dorm, maybe you lost it somewhere else?"


    Frank scoffed and said deliberately slowly, "My watch was in school all along. I wore it to ss yesterday. And you said no one came into the dorm. I see, maybe you stole it yourself."


    Alex stood up from his chair, feeling angry.


    "Frank, what do you mean by that?"


    Facing Alex''s questioning, Frank refused to back down.


    "What do I mean? I mean just that, I suspect you stole my watch!"


    "Why do you assume it''s me who stole your watch? Just because I was alone in the dorm?!"


    Frank tore into Alex''s face, grumbling, "Who in our ss doesn''t know that you''re the poorest one among us! You see such a nice watch like mine, can you resist?"


    Alex''s lips trembled with anger, feeling incredulous.

 Chapter 24: Bartering Supplies, Discounted Price

    <h4>Chapter 24: Bartering Supplies, Discounted Price</h4>


    "So, so after being roommates for two years, is this how you all see me?"


    The other dorm mates remained silent, seemingly confirming Alex''s suspicion.


    Alex felt bitter.


    Clearly, he had ordered a milk tea today to treat himself after a hard day of work, but his mouth still tasted bitter.


    Seeing Alex''s silence, Frank took advantage and continued to press aggressively.


    "Alex, if you want to prove your innocence, it''s simple. You, and your suitcase, just let us search them."


    Alex couldn''t tolerate such humiliation and cursed out directly.


    "Get the hell out of here!!"


    The quarrel between the two attracted other ssmates from the dormitory, who gathered at their door.


    "Frank, Alex is not that kind of person. Although his family is poor, he is still very upright."


    Other ssmates echoed, "Yeah, after two years of being together, aren''t you roommates more aware of Alex''s character?"


    But Alex''s other roommates sided with Frank.


    "You guys don''t understand. Just search the luggage, see if there''s anything there, if not, then forget it, it''s not a big deal..."


    Alexughed bitterly.


    He felt choked up inside.


    He didn''t expect that the ones speaking up for him would be ssmates from other dormitories.


    And his roommates whom he had lived with for two years were all siding with Frank.


    Search his belongings?


    Alex believed in his integrity and didn''t fear being misunderstood. Being searched was an insult to his character!


    He couldn''t ept it!


    Seeing that Alex refused to yield, Frank pulled out his phone and threatened.


    "Alex, I''ll give you onest chance, or else, I''ll call my dad. You have no idea about his influence in our city. Do you believe I can have you locked up in the police station for thirty-seven days?"


    Alex became furious andughed in disbelief.


    "I''ll say it again, I didn''t steal your watch. If you want to search my personal belongings, sorry, I won''t agree. If you''re so powerful, just let the policee and search me!"


    "Fine, very well, Alex. I''ll call my dad right now."


    Frank sneered and dialed the phone.


    "Hey, Dad, someone stole my watch, but he won''t let me search him. Can you tell the police to send some people over?"


    Because the call was on speakerphone, many people heard what Frank''s dad said next.


    "Your watch? I was just about to tell you, the maid found your watch on the sofa in the living room today. You forgot to wear it back yesterday when you came home! Always so forgetful!"


    Frank was momentarily stunned, then he regained hisposure, and nonchntly said, "Oh, got it, I''lle pick it up tomorrow."


    Then he hung up the phone.


    Smiling at the other students outside the dormitory door, he said, "It was just a misunderstanding. Let''s all go to bed and sleep!!"


    At this moment, Alex spoke up.


    "Frank, now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, shouldn''t you say something to me?"


    The smile on Frank''s face froze suddenly.


    After a moment of silence, he walked up to Alex, reached out his right hand, patted Alex''s arm, and said with a smile, "Sorry for the misunderstanding, Alex."


    Throughout the exchange, he never uttered the words "I''m sorry," but maintained a superior attitude towards Alex, as if he were a superior speaking to a subordinate.


    On the second day after the incident, Alex went through the procedures for staying off-campus and moved out.


    This was the entanglement between two people.


    Even though it had been nearly two years since they graduated from college, Alex still felt angry recalling this unpleasant memory.


    As for Frank, he had absolutely no good feelings towards him.


    Never in his wildest dreams did Alex expect Frank to also enter this apocalyptic world.


    And he even ran into Olivia, forming a team.


    After some thought, Alex asked, "So, you and Frank now, I mean, are you together?"


    Olivia quickly replied, "No, not at all. I don''t like him."


    "Just in this kind of environment, I have to find a helper. Frank has been my ssmate for four years of college, rtively speaking, he can be trusted a bit."


    Alex looked at the message from Olivia and inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.


    Throughout their four years of college, Olivia had never had a boyfriend.


    Now that Frank wasn''t taking advantage, it was also good news.


    "Oh, by the way, you suddenly came to find me, it''s not really just to acknowledge our rtionship, is it? We''re old ssmates, don''t be so formal."


    Olivia messaged, "You really can''t hide anything from you... Indeed, I have a bit of selfishness. I want to buy some supplies from you, the price is negotiable. I''ll send you my inventory list, you can see what supplies you need in exchange."


    Alex had guessed early on that Olivia was probably here for supplies.


    After all, almost everyone knew that he nevercked food and water.


    It''s like someone providing him with an unlimited supply.


    If Olivia didn''t know how to be grateful and just demanded, Alex would definitely block her without a second thought.


    Since it was an exchange of supplies, he had no reason to refuse.


    "No problem at all, why would I miss out on business thates to my doorstep! Just send me the list of items you want, and I''ll consider what supplies to exchange."


    Although they were ssmates, Alex had no intention of letting himself be taken advantage of for no reason.


    Olivia immediately messaged back, "Really? Thank you, Alex! Actually, I don''t want anything else, just water, food, and a nket, so I don''t freeze next time it rains..."


    Alex readily agreed.


    "These are not a problem, you just take some wood, steel, and cement, building materials like that, to exchange with me."


    Compared to essential living supplies, collecting building materials was not so difficult.


    Because in the ruined city, there was wood and stone everywhere.


    And in low-grade material crates, there were also many such materials.


    As long as one was willing to collect them, they could generally obtain them.


    Now, there were also many people on trading tforms collecting these things in exchange for essential living supplies.


    Olivia seemed somewhat surprised, her message filled with puzzlement: "Alex, exchanging these building materials for your living supplies, isn''t that too much of a loss for you..."


    Alex replied, "I happen to have some building blueprints, it''s not a loss at all, everyone gets what they need..."


    Olivia: "Thank you, Alex."


    Alex didn''t say much, he directly opened the trading window andpleted the transaction with the other party.


    Afterpleting it, Olivia messaged, "Received, happy cooperation."


    Alex asked, "Would it be convenient for you to send me your current coordinates? I''ll see if they''re far away."


    As for that scoundrel Frank, Alex harbored deep hatred towards him.


    He hadn''t had the chance before, but now it was a heaven-sent opportunity, and he would surely settle the score sooner orter.

 Chapter 25: Golden-tier Supply Crate

    <h4>Chapter 25: Golden-tier Supply Crate</h4>


    Olivia didn''t hesitate and shared her current location coordinates.


    About a hundred kilometers away.


    This was a bit of a pain.


    Alex sighed helplessly.


    "Olivia, there are some things I feel might not be appropriate for me to say, but I still want to advise you to be cautious and watch out for Frank. He''s not a good person."


    At this stage, breaking through the numerous obstacles of a hundred kilometers of zombie-infested territory was clearly unrealistic.


    He could only let Frank off lightly and let him live a few more days.


    However, what Alex didn''t expect was Olivia''s response: "I''m actually aware of that, it''s just thatpared to the others around me, Frank is rtively honest... If Frank ever proves unreliable, I''ll figure something out then."


    That was a pleasant surprise.


    After thinking for a moment, Alex mailed her a crossbow and a few Molotov cocktails.


    "These weapons are for you. If Frank proves untrustworthy, don''t hesitate to take him out!"


    "..."


    Olivia was somewhat speechless.


    However, she didn''t refuse either.


    If one day Frank couldn''t control his predatory instincts, even if she died, she couldn''t let him benefit.


    "Well, thank you."


    "We''ll talkter, Frank is urging me."


    The two finished their conversation.


    Olivia closed the message window and subconsciously reached to stroke the flowing long hair she had cut off on her first day in this apocalyptic world, only to find emptiness.


    She twirled the ends of her hair, which now only reached her earlobes, with a joyful expression on her face.


    Frank came over with a somewhat unpleasant expression and asked, "So, was 10086 Alex?"


    Olivia restrained her smile, nodded, and handed him a piece of bread.


    "It was indeed Alex, no mistake. I exchanged some essential supplies with him, enough to sustain us for a while."


    Frank took the bread from Olivia''s hand and began to devour it hungrily.


    In fact, they hadn''t eaten anything all day, and if it weren''t for meeting Alex, they might have starved.


    After swallowing the bread, Frank said, "So, you''re saying Alex wants us to bring supplies to exchange with him? Ha, a poor man born in poverty will always be a poor man. They never change their habit of coveting small gains, a miser!"


    "If Alexes to me asking for supplies, not only will I not ask for money, but I''ll also give them to him for free!"


    Olivia couldn''t bear to listen to Frank''s mockery anymore.


    After all, Frank was now eating food provided by Alex.


    Typical behavior of someone who''s full and curses his mother.


    Olivia wasn''t interested in listening to Frank''s rambling anymore. She stood up and said, "You eat first, I''ll go around and see if there are any stray zombies nearby."


    With that, Olivia left the stronghold.


    Frank watched Olivia''s graceful figure leave and couldn''t help licking his lips.


    But when he thought of Olivia''s sincere joy after ending the conversation with Alex just now, he became very angry.


    "Someday, Olivia, you wait for me. I''ll definitely conquer you and let you taste what it''s like to be a woman!"


    Frank took a big bite of the bread in his hand, making a firm decision.


    As for why he didn''t dare to act now, it was entirely because Olivia had obtained a military-grade dagger earlier, and he didn''t dare to use force.


    If things went wrong, the consequences would outweigh the benefits.


    However, what Frank didn''t know was that Alex had quietly given Olivia a crossbow and a few Molotov cocktails.


    And Olivia also hid herself well.


    Alex naturally had no idea that the transaction between him and Olivia would provoke such a strong reaction from Frank.


    On the other hand, Alex continued to browse through the chat channel''s conversations, hoping to gather some useful intelligence.


    His efforts paid off.


    Alex saw that someone had posted a message iming to have intelligence on a gold-level supply crate, but it required a trade of supplies.


    Number 353345: "I have intelligence on a gold-level supply crate. Any big shots interested, DM me with your offer. Highest bidder wins. Honest and reliable."


    Number 343454: "Who knows if it''s real... You can say it''s real, but you need evidence to prove it. Anyone can talk nonsense; scam and then block. This is an old scammer trick from over a decade ago!"


    Number 563434: "Exactly, at least send a picture or take someone to see it. Otherwise, who would dare to buy your intelligence?"


    There was a flurry of discussion among the group.


    Although this message sparked heated debate, only a few were willing to believe it.


    Seemingly realizing he couldn''t convince everyone, the survivor with the number 353345 quickly posted a picture.


    The photo showed arge warehouse, with crates emitting a golden glow visible through the ss windows, positioned in the center.


    However, outside were concentric circles of zombies.


    Number 353345: "So, do you believe me now? I''m just selling coordinates in exchange for supplies (attached picture)."


    Number 32532: "That indeed looks like a gold-level supply crate... I wonder what goodies can be found inside?"


    Number 787754: "Definitely not too shabby. Just think about the fortified walls we auctioned off earlier; these gold-level supplies at this stage are practically artifacts!"


    Number 75234: "So what? Do you have supplies to buy the intelligence with?"


    Number 74567: "Once again, it''s the big shotspeting. I''ll just be a bystander, a humble person who goes hungry one meal and full the next."


    Alex was naturally interested in such supplies.


    Moreover, he was one of the few survivors who could offer a high price.


    Alex directly DM''d number 353345: "Brother, is the intelligence still avable? Supplies are not a problem."


    Number 353345: "Um, I need a lot of supplies."


    Alex raised an eyebrow.


    Are you questioning my capability?


    Alex continued with another message: "I said supplies are not a problem."


    Number 353345: "Then I want a hundred units of everyday supplies - water, rice, flour, biscuits, anything will do."


    Indeed, the price of this intelligence was steep.

 Chapter 26: Setting off to find golden-tier supply crates

    <h4>Chapter 26: Setting off to find golden-tier supply crates</h4>


    You should know, this is just intelligence.


    Knowing where the gold-level supply crate is doesn''t mean it''s yours for the taking. Previously, even at auctions, it was still a matter of highest bidder wins. It''s not impossible to end up buying intelligence only to find out in the end that you''ve helped someone else.


    However, Alex didn''t hesitate too long.


    "Okay. One hundred units of essential supplies. Send me the coordinates, and I''ll verify them tomorrow. If they''re urate, I''ll send you the supplies. Here''s ten units upfront as a deposit."


    Number 353345 happily opened his backpack.


    Looking at the ten units of essential supplies Alex had sent, he fell into thought.


    Maybe the price was a bit too low...


    Perhaps this disy of generosity had its effect, as Alex didn''t encounter too many obstacles in obtaining the coordinates of the gold-level supply crate.


    The survivor with number 353345 quickly sent over the coordinates.


    Alex nced at the location.


    It wasn''t particrly close to his vi, but it wasn''t too far either.


    Alex: "Received. Once I verify the coordinates tomorrow and confirm the uracy of the intelligence, I''ll immediately send you the remaining payment."


    Number 353345: "Pleasure doing business with you."


    Alex needed to rest well, to face the unknown dangers in the best possible condition. Moreover, tomorrow would bring an update on an infinite supply, and he was eager to see what he might get.


    Could it provide assistance?


    Alex called Mia and briefed her on the situation.


    After listening, Mia pondered briefly.


    "Alex, I think there''s a high chance that these coordinates are a trap. It''s not worth risking yourself. If the picture that person sent is fake or from a different location, going alone to the coordinates they provided could be very dangerous."


    Alex nodded in agreement.


    In fact, that was the direction he was leaning toward as well.


    In this dangerous world, one couldn''t afford to be overly trusting.


    But he still said, "Mia, you and I are on the same page. Whether the coordinates are real or not, it''s almost certain that someone will be watching me. However, the temptation of the gold-level supply crate is just too great. You know the strategic importance of this supply; it''s worth the risk."


    Mia frowned with worry and said, "But it''s really dangerous, I''m very concerned about you..."


    Alex smiled, reassuring Mia as he held her hand. "It''s okay. If anything happens, I''ll retreat promptly. Besides, in terms ofbat power alone, I''m not afraid of anyone."


    Mia sighed. "It''s a pity I can''t help much. If there were enoughbat supplies and medical items, I''d apany you."


    Alex chuckled. "You stay at home for now, set up those traps I gave you in the vicinity, practice your crossbow uracy, and when I gather enoughbat supplies, whether you want toe with me or not, I''ll be dragging you along."


    Mia reluctantly agreed. "Alright, I''ll stay put at home."


    After Alex and Mia briefly nned their actions for the next day, they spent the better part of the day scavenging, trying to buy as manybat-rted supplies as possible on the trading tform - Molotov cocktails, crossbow bolts, iron spikes, and so on.


    The next morning, Alex woke up early and checked his system''s email.


    Seeing the email announcing an unlimited supply of gasoline, he couldn''t stop smiling.


    His biggest concern about the supply ofbat materials not keeping up had now been resolved.


    With gasoline, he essentially had an unlimited number of Molotov cocktails.


    Although using gasoline forbustion might be a bit more troublesomepared to ready-made Molotov cocktails on the trading tform, the advantagey in its abundance.


    With his upgraded physical abilities, Alex could easily throw gasoline barrels thirty to forty meters away.


    Throwing one into a group of zombies and igniting it would be an endless resource.


    After receiving the gasoline, Alex felt more confident about his uing actions.


    If there really was a gold-level supply crate, Alex was confident that, given enough time, he could wipe out a group of zombies without the same difficulty he facedst time.


    Without hesitation, Alex set out immediately.


    After bidding farewell to Mia, he found a bicycle outside and swiftly headed towards his destination.


    With his physical fitness, even if he ran for a whole day, as long as he had supplies, he wouldn''t feel tired at all.


    Riding a bicycle only added to his speed.


    Moreover, it was a road bike.


    Heading to the coordinates of the gold-level supply crate, he could follow a deste road all the way.


    Alex could be said to be speeding, not inferior to those professional cyclists from the previous world.


    Soon, he arrived near the coordinate point.


    Alex was slightly out of breath, but he quickly regained hisposure.


    After storing the bicycle in his backpack, Alex took out his binocrs and looked towards the warehouse he had seen in the photo.


    Indeed, there was a faint golden glow emanating from inside.


    But the continuous roar of zombies made one''s heart tremble with fear.


    It seemed that the coordinates provided by number 353345 were urate.


    Alex slowly approached the warehouse, preparing to take down the gold-level supply crate in one go and then make his way back.


    But for some reason, he couldn''t shake the feeling that someone was trailing him from behind.


    Alex quickened his pace, leaped over arge rock, and swiftly dashed behind a big tree, concealing his figure.


    Sure enough, as soon as he hid, he heard the sound of someonending after flipping over the rock.


    Alex took out a small mirror and, through the reflection, saw the person tracking him.


    A delicate-looking, petite woman.


    But from appearances alone, she fit the stereotype of a "moe" girl.


    This was the favorite type for lolicons.


    Unfortunately, Alex wasn''t interested in women with such t figures.


    He still had a soft spot for Mia''s hot and attractive figure.


    Reigning in his instinctual gaze as a man, Alex calmly observed the woman.


    He didn''t know which faction this woman belonged to, but she was definitely someone who intended harm to him.


    Since you''re not righteous, don''t me me for being unjust.

 Chapter 27: This was undoubtedly a risky move

    <h4>Chapter 27: This was undoubtedly a risky move?</h4>


    While the woman wasn''t paying attention, Alex swiftly threw two Molotov cocktails, smashing them beside her.


    Instantly, the Molotov cocktails exploded violently.


    The woman was forced back against the rocks, surrounded by mes.


    She tried to retreat from behind the rocks, only to find that Alex had somehow, unnoticed, approached the rocks and doused them with gasoline, igniting them.


    Once again, she was forced into the center of the fire ring.


    After trapping his opponent, Alex raised his crossbow and loudly demanded, "Hey, who are you? Come clean."


    The woman, trapped within the ring of fire, looked extremely displeased.


    She had never expected that Alex would sense her tracking and stealthily ambush her.


    Where had she exposed a w...


    Seeing she wouldn''t speak, Alex fired an arrow.


    Startled, the woman pitifully said, "10086, I''m 353345! I came here specifically because I was worried you couldn''t find the coordinates, I wanted to exin things to you, it''s all a misunderstanding..."


    Rolling his eyes, Alex impatiently said, "Stop pretending. A t-chested loli like you is of no use to me. Come clean quickly, and I might spare you. I keep my word."


    Number 353345 gritted her teeth in frustration.


    She was clearly a cute beauty, yet Alex referred to her as a t-chested loli.


    But the imminent danger made her fleeting thoughts disappear.


    Instead, she confessed, "Fine, I''ll confess. But you must keep your promise not to harm me!"


    Alex didn''t waste words but urged, "Hurry up, stop dragging it out."


    Number 353345 sighed inwardly.


    It seemed this "10086" was truly ruthless.


    Trying to gain trust through appearance was futile.


    She had no choice but to confess truthfully.


    "I''m Emma, as you already know, with the code 353345. I sold you the coordinates because I thought you''d help me scout or distract the zombies, benefiting us both."


    In fact, even without Emma''s confession, Alex could have deduced that she was using him.


    Unfortunately for her, she encountered Alex.


    Alex, with his abundant resources, had the capability to turn the tables.


    However, what puzzled him was why Emma had such audacity to track him alone.


    "Hey, Emma, right? Your status indicates you''re in a team. Where are your teammates?"


    Emma raised her hands to her head and, feeling vexed, replied, "I wanted to keep it to myself, so I didn''t inform anyone in the team."


    Alex tentatively believed this exnation.


    Then, he kept facing Emma and slowly moved towards the warehouse.


    Seeing Alex wanting to leave while she was still trapped within the fire ring, Emma hastily shouted, "Hey, 10086, I''ve told you everything. Shouldn''t you let me out now? Hey!"


    Alex didn''t stop, shouting back, "I said I''d spare you, and I haven''t killed you! Whether you can get out or not depends on your luck, it''s none of my concern!"


    After Alex finished speaking, he turned and ran off, leaving Emma alone within the ring of fire.


    Emma was infuriated, scratching her head in ce and shouting in the direction Alex had gone, "10086, you wait for me!!"


    Alex naturally heard Emma''s voice, but he didn''t even nce back as he ran towards the warehouse with the golden-tier supply crate.


    Alex had no interest in letting out a woman who had tried to harm him.


    Leaving her alive to face her fate was already more than fair.


    For others, they might worry about potential retaliation from Emma and just kill her outright.


    However, although Alex didn''t directlyy hands on her, he didn''t believe Emma could survive in such a ring of fire.


    As the mes spread, it was only a matter of time before she burned to death.


    Arriving at the warehouse where the zombies congregated, Alex frowned as he observed the situation inside.


    It was arge single-story warehouse, with limited space to maneuver.


    Looking around at the surrounding woods, Alex made a decision.


    ...


    The zombies roamed both inside and outside the vast warehouse.


    They gathered aimlessly, instinctively drawn to the vicinity of the golden-tier supply crate.


    It was this crate that had already fed them several times.


    Emma wasn''t the first to sell intelligence.


    Or rather, her intelligence wasn''t exclusively provided to Alex.


    Before Alex, Emma had interacted with many survivors and groups.


    However, these people had all ended up as fodder for the zombies.


    Emma took advantage of the situation to gather intelligence rewards and the belongings dropped by survivors after their deaths.


    This time, Emma thought Alex would also end up in vain.


    If she lost her life, she could still benefit from licking the package.


    But she didn''t expect that those who often walked by the river would eventually get their shoes wet, falling into Alex''s trap.


    ng!


    The zombies outside the warehouse were attracted by the sudden noise and growled lowly as they approached to investigate.


    Immediately after, a massive explosion sent the zombies flying.


    More zombies poured out of the warehouse.


    The huge noise was from the grenades Alex had thrown to attract the zombies'' attention.


    Following that, Alex forcefully hurled two gasoline canisters.


    When they reached the horde of zombies, the Molotov cocktails attached to the gasoline canisters exploded upon impact, igniting the gasoline and swiftly creating a sea of fire.


    It wasn''t that Alex didn''t want to ignite the gasoline canisters with a gun; it''s just that he didn''t have much confidence in his marksmanship at the moment.


    So, attaching Molotov cocktails was a safer bet.


    While the majority of the zombies were lured by the fire, Alex had quietly circled around and entered through a window at the back of the warehouse.


    Even though most of them stayed outside the warehouse, there were still quite a few zombies around the crate.


    Alex''s actions outside the warehouse were just a diversion; what he really wanted was to silently steal the supply crate..


    If Alex hadn''te across gasoline today, this n wouldn''t have been feasible.


    Upon entering the warehouse, the zombies inside immediately noticed him and charged straight at him.


    But Alex remained calm, pulling out a gasoline canister and unscrewing the cap.


    He sprinted with the canister in hand, allowing the zombies to chase after him from behind.

 Chapter 28: Bumper Harvest!

    <h4>Chapter 28: ?Bumper Harvest!</h4>


    Alex poured gasoline onto the floor, one bucket after another.


    By the time the entire warehouse floor was soaked with gasoline, the zombies outside realized there was still a living person inside the warehouse.


    The zombies began to rush back.


    Seeing this, Alex dropped the gasoline canisters, pulled out his machete, and charged back towards the direction of the supply crate, casually hacking down several zombies along the way.


    Then, he reached out and touched the golden-tier supply crate.


    Without even bothering to see what was inside, he immediately stashed the crate into his backpack.


    Without a moment''s dy, he quickly jumped out of the same window he had entered through.


    Seemingly because the supply crate had been taken, the zombies became more frenzied, hastening their pursuit.


    As the zombies chased after him, Alex looked back and pulled out a Molotov cocktail.


    "Goodbye!"


    Alex tossed the Molotov cocktail into the warehouse.


    As the mes erupted, igniting the gasoline on the floor, the entire warehouse quickly became a massive furnace.


    With the golden-tier supply crate now in hand, Alex swiftly departed from the warehouse.


    Before he could get far, the warehouse suddenly exploded, sending waves of heat radiating outward.


    Watching the experience bar steadily rise, Alex knew that this time he had a chance to level up.


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Gain 1 experience]


    ...


    [Congrattions, survivor, on leveling up! Keep up the good work!!]


    Level: 5 (0/500)


    Strength: 20 Agility: 12 Stamina: Normal


    All five points of increase had unexpectedly gone into shoring up his weak point, agility.


    This was something Alex hadn''t anticipated.


    After the increase, Alex even felt that his reflexes were so sharp that he could instantly sense the presence of mosquitoes around him and swat them dead.


    And it wasn''t over yet; the experience kept on rising.


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Gain 1 experience]


    ...


    "Not bad, not bad."


    Satisfied, Alex closed the personal information panel.


    Next, he took out the golden-tier supply crate that he had risked his life to obtain.


    He wanted to see what kind of treasures it held inside.


    Alex looked at the golden-tier supply crate,pletely different in appearance from the bronze and silver-tier ones, and gently stroked it, murmuring to himself, "Please, let there be something good inside, something worth trading three minutes... no, three days of my life for!"


    As his hand touched the lock of the supply crate, a system interface appeared, disying an unlock icon.


    He clicked it.


    Despite having opened many supply crates before, this was Alex''s first time opening a golden-tier supply crate, and he couldn''t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.


    In the moment of opening, Alex closed his eyes and kept chanting.


    "Come on! Give me something good!!"


    After about half a minute, Alex slowly opened his eyes and clicked to receive the contents of the supply crate.


    [Sessfully opened golden-tier supply crate]


    [Obtained Gasoline Generator ¡Á1]


    [Obtained Fine Bread ¡Á50]


    [Obtained Purified Water ¡Á99]


    [Obtained Worn-out Car ¡Á1]


    ...


    Alex was stunned.


    He hadn''t expected that the golden-tier supply crate would contain a gasoline generator.


    Even more surprising was the presence of a car!!


    Alex took the car out of his backpack, opened the gas tank lid, and added gasoline.


    Then, he sat in the driver''s seat, adjusting to afortable position, and joyfully touched the steering wheel.


    You see, he was quite skilled at driving; he had worked as a part-time driver during his college days for quite some time.


    With the car now in his possession, it seemed like the geographical barriers between regions in the apocalypse world would no longer be a hindrance.


    Moreover, the sound of the car wasn''t too loud.


    As long as the road was clear, even if it attracted the attention of some zombies, he could quickly get away.


    Compared to the convenience it brought, the apanying danger could bepletely ignored.


    Just as Alex was reveling in the joy of owning a car, it turned out that quite a few zombies from the warehouse had miraculously survived and were now running towards him.


    Wanting to test the performance of the car, Alex directly started the vehicle.


    The engine roared to life with a deep rumble.


    Looking at the approaching zombies, Alex slowly rolled up the car window, snorting coldly.


    "You''re lucky this time. I''m in a hurry to drive home, so I won''t kill you."


    Alex released the handbrake and shifted gears smoothly.


    Unexpectedly, the car started to shake violently, and the engine died.


    Alex cursed inside the car, "Damn it, it''s been too long since I drove a manual transmission car. I released the clutch too quickly."


    The car started again.


    As the zombies came closer, ready to pound on the car, Alex revved the engine and shifted into second gear, speeding away.


    The zombies, undeterred, continued to chase after him.


    Alex retraced his steps along the same road he hade from, trying to regain the familiar feeling of driving a manual transmission car. He smoothly shifted into third gear and increased the throttle.


    Just as he was about to shift into fourth gear, he found himself unable to do so.


    Alex gritted his teeth in frustration.


    It seemed that the car was somewhat old, and the gearbox had worn out, preventing him from shifting gears properly.


    Judging from the interior of the car, it was probably around twenty years old.


    But still, better than nothing.


    He pressed the elerator deeper, raising the RPMs slightly, and managed to reach a speed of sixty to seventy kilometers per hour.


    As Alex drove past the ring of fire where Emma had been surrounded earlier, he noticed that she was nowhere to be seen.


    ncing around, he saw a covered escape route nearby.


    Surprisingly, Emma had managed to escape in such a short amount of time.


    This left Alex somewhat surprised.


    You got lucky.


    After a quick nce, Alex focused back on driving.


    Driving onto the highway, the car''s speed increased once again.


    Leaving the trailing zombies far behind, only their distant howls remained.

 Chapter 29: In the future, we can take showers

    <h4>Chapter 29: In the future, we can take showers</h4>


    Alex was very satisfied with today''s gains.


    He had only used a few bottles of water and a few pieces of bread in exchange for the coordinates of the golden-tier supply crate.


    There was no need to follow through with any further transactions.


    After all, Emma had used him as bait.


    How could Alex possibly keep his promise to deliver the remaining supplies to her?


    In this exchange, Emma had clearlye out at a loss.


    And obtaining the golden-tier supply crate, which even contained a gasoline generator, was the most pleasant surprise for Alex.


    Having just acquired an unlimited supply of gasoline today, and now having a gasoline generator immediately afterward, Alex felt like he was on cloud !


    In this apocalyptic world, having electricity was incredibly important.


    Within the fortified walls, electricity could be used for surveince cameras, rm systems, water heaters...


    With the car, Alex quickly returned to the vi district.


    He had set out today after only eating tworge steamed buns, riding for nearly four to five hours to reach the coordinates of the golden supply crate.


    This time, his return journey took less than two hours.


    When he reached the fortified walls, Alex lightly honked the horn.


    Mia in the vi was startled.


    She quickly ran up to the second-floor balcony, holding a crossbow, ready to shoot if things seemed amiss.


    Only when Alex stuck his head out of the car window and waved did Mia joyfully run downstairs to open the gates of the fortified walls.


    After closing the gate, Alex parked the car in the garage and didn''t immediately retrieve his backpack.


    At that moment, Mia ran out, astonished, and looked at the car.


    "Oh my God, Alex, how did you manage to get a car on this trip? Let me guess, you got the golden-tier supply crate and drove it out, right?" she eximed.


    Alexughed heartily and pulled her to the side of the car.


    "What do you think? Do you like it? With a car, our travels will be much more convenient," he said.


    Mia nodded happily.


    "Of course, I love it! With this car, collecting supplies will be much easier. And most importantly, I can go out and collect supplies with you. One of us can drive, and the other can hunt," she replied.


    Alex rewarded her with 300 experience points directly.


    Checking Mia''s personal panel, indeed, Mia had also leveled up.


    ID: 9527 Level: 4 (0/400)


    Strength: 10 Agility: 15 Stamina: Energetic


    From the panel values, Mia''s physical fitness was already quite good.


    Alex felt reassured to take her out to collect supplies together.


    After all, keeping Mia confined to the vi area without any realbat experience with zombies wasn''t good for her.


    Alex grabbed Mia and covered her eyes.


    "Mia, don''t look at the car yet. You can drive itter and have fun. Now, I''ll show you a big surprise."


    Mia became curious with Alex''s mysterious demeanor.


    "What''s so mysterious? And why do I have to cover my eyes?" she asked.


    Alex covered Mia''s eyes with one hand and took out the gasoline generator from his backpack with the other.


    Then, he removed his hand covering her eyes.


    "What do you think this is?" Alex pointed at the gasoline generator, his face filled with joy.


    However, Mia looked puzzled.


    "What is this thing? Awnmower?" she asked.


    Alex clicked his tongue in disappointment.


    He had wanted to surprise Mia, but he didn''t expect her not to recognize the gasoline generator.


    Alex rubbed Mia''s hair yfully and then exined, "Hey, you little silly. This is a gasoline generator. We''ll have electricity in the future."


    "A gasoline generator?!" Mia eximed, her eyes lighting up.


    Ignoring her disheveled hair from Alex''s rubbing, she continued excitedly, "Alex, does that mean we can use electric lights now?"


    Alex looked at Mia''s jubnt expression and indulgently said, "Can''t you be a bit more ambitious? Think bigger, what else can we do?"


    Mia fell into thought, biting her finger, unable toe up with any other ideas.


    Suddenly, an idea struck her.


    "I know! We can install surveince cameras and rms on the perimeter wall!" she eximed.


    Naturally, what Mia said was also what Alex nned to doter.


    Installing surveince cameras and rms on the perimeter wall was a necessary task.


    Alex had discovered it earlier.


    Inside the vi, there wereplete rm systems and surveince cameras.


    The only problem was theck of electricity, which rendered them unusable.


    However, Mia''s answer was not what Alex was expecting.


    He extended his finger and lightly tapped Mia''s forehead, shaking his head with a smile.


    "Miss Mia, haven''t you felt ufortable not taking a bath for several days?" Alex asked.


    Mia grumbled at the mention of bathing, "Of course it''s ufortable. I always feel sticky all over..."


    "Didn''t you think that with the gasoline generator, we could use a water heater to take a proper bath?" Alex interjected.


    Indeed, Mia hadn''t considered that aspect.


    After all, water was a precious survival resource in the post-apocalyptic world.


    People were reluctant to drink it, let alone use it for bathing.


    Originally, she had thought that when the opportunity arose, she could bathe by the river or on rainy days.


    But she hadn''t expected that in this post-apocalyptic world, natural water resources were undrinkable and harmful to the body.


    As for rain, it was acid rain.


    This naturally dashed Mia''s hopes.


    So, upon hearing Alex''s words, Mia felt somewhat helpless.


    "We can generate electricity, but we also need water to take a bath. It''s too wasteful to use precious water resources for bathing," she said.


    Alex took several cases of mineral water from his backpack. "We have enough water pipes for that, so you don''t need to worry. But we can''t waste it too much. From now on, we''ll bathe once every three days!"


    "Really?" Mia eximed excitedly, hugging Alex and kissing him on the cheek. "Alex, you''re the best!"


    Then, Mia rushed into the vi, grabbing some clean clothes and heading straight to the bathroom.


    Alex couldn''t help but feel amused and exasperated.


    "The gasoline generator hasn''t even been installed yet..." he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 30: Villa Electrification and Comprehensive Monitoring

    <h4>Chapter 30: Vi Electrification and Comprehensive Monitoring</h4>


    With the gasoline generator in hand, Alex naturally took it to the vi''s power room to connect the power supply.


    As for this power room, the first time Alex entered, it was when he first received this shelter vi, and he took a quick look at the electric meter.


    He hadn''t expected it to be useful one day.


    And so soon.


    Alex took out the gasoline generator from his backpack and poured gasoline into it.


    Forrge generators like this one, under normal circumstances, it would be enough to use for a long time.


    After all, in the current era, there weren''t many ces where electricity was used in the post-apocalyptic world.


    However, Alex had no intention of conserving electricity.


    The gasoline generator used gasoline, and the one thing he had plenty of was gasoline!


    Alex started the gasoline generator, connecting it to the vi''s main power supply.


    Soon, with a click, the lights in the entire vi came on.


    Then, Alex went to the roof and kept pouring mineral water into the water storage tank.


    This would be their reserve water for bathing in the future.


    It was also at the moment of electrification that Alex received a notification from the system.


    [Dear Survivor, your shelter vi has activated monitoring and rm services. You can ess the surveince and receive rm messages through the information window at any time.]


    Alex tried to take a look at the surveince and found that the entire vi was under 360-degree surveince with no blind spots.


    After the smart sensors detected intruders entering the house, they would directly send alerts to Alex.


    Ensuring that Alex would be informed of the situation at the first moment.


    In addition to the original prompts from the fortified wall, it was absolutely impossible for ordinary people toe and go without being noticed.


    "Bathing is so refreshing!"


    After finishing all the chores, Alex naturally wanted to take a rxing bath.


    He soaked in the bathtub, letting the hot water soothe his entire body.


    However, before he couldpletely rx...


    Suddenly...


    [Ding ding ding! Warning, warning, someone is attempting to climb the wall, please handle it promptly!]


    Alex ripped off the hot towel covering his eyes and opened the system to ess the surveince.


    The surveince footage clearly showed several survivors peering around the brightly lit fortified wall, even attempting to climb it.


    Alex hadn''t expected other survivors to arrive at the vi area so soon.


    Alex issued a warning through the surveince camera, "Don''t lurk around my doorstep. Leave immediately, or don''t me me for getting tough!"


    The survivors outside the wall were startled.


    They hadn''t expected the vi to have surveince.


    Just as they were about to climb the wall to see what was inside, they were discovered.


    Finally, this led to the expulsion of the vi owner.


    Several survivors left, but Alex continued to observe through the surveince.


    Alex had reason to suspect that they might have ulterior motives.


    Just like the previous Ethan''s team.


    Sure enough, after those survivors left, they whispered among themselves.


    A chubby guy said, "Damn it, others can have electricity now? I want to use the air conditioner too."


    Next to the chubby guy, a skinny one said, "Why don''t we go do something tonight?"


    The other survivors nodded in agreement.


    "Sounds good!"


    However, the chubby guy suddenly thought of the rm system and became worried.


    "What about the surveince?"


    But the other survivors didn''t seem to care.


    "It''s fine, there must be blind spots in the surveince. I don''t think it can see therge trees behind the vi. We''ll sneak in from there and take out the people inside. Hehe, then the vi will be ours, right?"


    These survivors had fled from the north.


    Originally, they hadn''t nned to enter this vi area, but they were driven here by the zombies by chance.


    Zombies were everywhere, and it was rtively safe toe to this vi area.


    After all, since Ethan and others cleared the zombies, this ce could be considered a safe zone.


    After entering the vi area, these survivors were attracted by the vi where Alex and the others lived.


    You see, suddenly seeing a brightly lit vi was quite eerie and shocking in this post-apocalyptic world!


    So, they approached out of curiosity.


    Although they were quickly driven away by the vi owner, they still had thoughts about the vi.


    This group of individuals was originally a theft gang in the real world.


    After inexplicablying to this post-apocalyptic world, they didn''t separate and directly gathered together.


    Unfortunately, luck was not on their side, and they always failed to gather any resources.


    Up to this point, the team couldn''t even manage to equip each person with a knife.


    Seeing such a luxurious vi, with electricity even, challenged their patience to the extreme.


    It could be said that if they didn''t take advantage of this opportunity, they would be letting down their boss who was still waiting for them.


    Steal! They must steal! And even resort to violence if necessary!


    By nightfall, Alex and the others had turned off the lights and settled down to rest.


    This group of thieves quietly approached the blind spot of the vi as mentioned earlier.


    However, just like Ethan''s team, they made a fatal mistake.


    That mistake was underestimating Alex''s control over the vi.


    Alex noticed the anomaly immediately.


    Seeing these survivors with knives at their waists, he knew they were up to no good.


    Alex took out his P92 pistol, loading each bullet coldly, and said, "Since your intentions are impure, I can act without guilt."


    These survivors had no idea what awaited them.


    Alex woke up Mia, and the two of them silently sat in the living room, watching as the group of thieves scaled the vi''s walls.


    The rm didn''t sound. That was because Alex had disabled it in advance.


    He wanted to see how these thieves nned to enter.


    The vi''s front door creaked, and a minuteter, it was opened.


    It had to be said, this group of thieves had some skills, actually managing to easily unlock Alex''s vi door.


    As they entered the vi, Alex suddenly turned on the lights in the living room.


    The sudden bright light startled the thieves.


    But then they realized it was only Alex and Mia in the room.


    They paused, their instinct to turn and run frozen, and instead, they began to approach Alex and Mia.


    Feeling confident in their numbers, they seemed fearless.


    One of the thieves, with audacity, said to hispanions, "What about having some fun with this womanter?"


    The chubby thief, holding a knife, shrugged.


    "Just don''t kill anyone with your messed-up ways."


    The skinny thief standing next to the chubby one, however, noticed that Alex''s expression was growing darker.


    Then, he saw Alex draw his P92 pistol.


    Before he could even utter a warning, the skinny thief took a bullet to the head.


    The chubby thief jerked in shock, thoroughly intimidated by the P92 pistol in Alex''s hand.


    Momentster, he too was taken out by Alex''s shot.


    After days of practice, Alex''s marksmanship had improved rapidly.


    Especially in such close quarters, even moving targets were well within his range.


    Soon, only one of them remained, the thief who had initially disrespected Mia.

 Chapter 31: Mia’s First Kill

    <h4>Chapter 31: Mia''s First Kill</h4>


    Thest thief was trembling on the ground,pletely paralyzed with fear.


    He hadn''t expected the tables to turn so quickly.


    From the moment Alex pulled out the P92 pistol until now, just one or two minutes had passed, and all hispanions were lying in pools of blood.


    The thief begged for mercy, bowing his head.


    Facing death, he didn''t feel it was inappropriate to sacrifice some dignity.


    In fact, he almost wished he could bash his head to show his sincerity.


    However, Alex paid him no attention and aimed directly at his thigh, firing a shot.


    After ensuring there was no chance of escape, he handed the P92 pistol to Mia.


    Mia understood Alex''s intention.


    He wanted her to take matters into her own hands and spill some blood.


    In this apocalypse, one had to be ruthless to survive longer.


    Alex frowned, saying, "Mia, there''s no need to pity them. Look, they''re all armed, obviously intending to rob and kill. People like this, you kill them when you have the chance, no hesitation. Think about what they would have done if I weren''t by your side. What do you think the consequences would be?"


    Mia naturally understood.


    If it weren''t for Alex, tonight would have been something more painful than death for her.


    She took a deep breath and slowly raised the gun.


    But understanding was one thing; actually pulling the trigger was another matter.


    After all, it was a human life.


    Except for psychopaths, hardly anyone could do it calmly.


    Alex sighed inwardly.


    It seemed he needed to give her a little push to help Mia ovee this psychological barrier.


    Only by oveing this barrier could she truly qualify to survive in the world of the apocalypse.


    Alex stood behind Mia, holding her slightly trembling hands, aiming at the surviving thief.


    His broad shoulders brought a strong sense of security.


    In a soft voice, Alex whispered in Mia''s ear, "Don''t be afraid, I''m right here."


    The thief on the ground, facing the dark barrel aimed at him, looked somewhat despairing.


    Strong will to survive made him endure the intense pain, dragging his wounded leg, limping towards the vi gate, wanting to escape.


    Alex pressed down on Mia''s finger resting on the trigger.


    Bang! The sound of the silenced gunshot rang out, hitting the thief''s head squarely.


    The immense impact directly blew the thief''s head apart, sttering brain matter and blood with a gushing sound.


    Mia dropped the gun and ran quickly to the bathroom on the ground floor of the vi, vomiting uncontrobly.


    In truth, Alex felt a bit queasy too.


    Although it wasn''t the first time he had killed someone, it was the first time Alex had seen such a vivid, bloody scene.


    He was somewhat worried that Mia might be psychologically scarred by it.


    After a while, Mia emerged from the bathroom, her face pale.


    Alex approached her with concern.


    Just as Mia was about to speak, she caught sight of the headless body lying in the vi and hurried back into the bathroom.


    With a sigh, Alex cleaned up the vi and sent Mia back to her room to rest.


    As for whether Mia could ovee the psychological barrier, it would ultimately depend on her.


    ...


    Alex could sense that Mia had changed that day.


    He wasn''t sure how she had ovee her psychological barriers, but afterwards, Alex tried taking Mia with him to scavenge supplies in zombie-infested areas. Faced with zombies, Mia was no longer as frantic as she had been at the beginning; instead, she calmly raised her crossbow and killed the zombies.


    Swish! Swish! Swish! The zombies in front of Mia fell to the ground, motionless.


    "Not bad, Mia. Your aim has been getting better these days," Alex praised with a smile after dealing with the zombies himself.


    Mia smiled back.


    She was d she could be of help to Alex.


    "Because I''ve been practicing hard," she replied.


    It was the third day of their partnership in scavenging for supplies.


    With their umted experience, both of them had be physically fit.


    Even Mia could run for kilometers carrying heavy loads without breaking a sweat, no less than a special forces soldier.


    After dealing with the group of thieves who invaded the vi, they changed their original n.


    With the survivors'' levels and resources improving, the entire city began to connect.


    Survivors started arriving in the vi area where Alex and Mia were stationed.


    Some survivors, filled with distrust, chose to live in nearby vis.


    There were also some foolish survivors, like Ethan and the previous group of thieves, who had malicious intentions.


    But in the end, Alex took them out, hanging their bodies on the public flower beds in the vi area as a warning to others.


    Since then, the survivors who settled in the vi area understood Alex''s strength and dared not cause trouble.


    However, considering the increasing number of survivors, it was possible that some powerful survivor groups might arrive in the future.


    If they didn''t prepare in advance by leveling up and gathering resources, when that day came, it would be difficult for Alex and Mia to defend the vi with just the P92 pistol and unlimited gasoline.


    They couldn''t just surround themselves with walls soaked in gasoline, could they?


    In that case, they wouldn''t need anyone else to set it on fire¡ªthey''d burn themselves alive.


    In a post-apocalyptic world where resources were scarce, their refuge was still located in the most obvious vi area, making them unable to be hoarders for self-preservation.


    So, Alex and Mia chose to proactively drive to more distant areas withrge zombie poptions to search for supplies and level up.


    During the leveling process, Alex noticed that after reaching level 5, the increase in physical attributes seemed to decrease significantly.


    Before, each level-up would provide a substantial boost.


    But it made sense¡ªif they continued to level up as before, by the time they reached a dozen levels, their physical fitness would probably enable them to take on zombies head-on and tear them apart with their bare hands.


    Unconsciously, both of them had leveled up several times already.


    And Alex was on the verge of reaching level 10.


    ording to the system, survivors would undergo body strengthening and a transformation upon reaching level 10.


    Alex was somewhat excited.


    At this point, he had already reached the level of a special forces soldier in terms of physical fitness.


    If there was another round of body strengthening, wouldn''t that mean reaching the pinnacle of human physical fitness?


    Alex nned to level up to level 10 today to see how much it would enhance him.


    He hoped not to be disappointed.


    Because they were in a zombie hotspot quite far from the vi area, Alex and Mia had enough zombies around them to farm experience points.


    If it were the previous Alex, without unlimited gasoline, encountering so many zombies would have made him turn tail and run without looking back.


    But now, with a car and homemade Molotov cocktails, Alex just wanted to say, "Bring it on."


    As they replenished their stamina inside the car, Alex told Mia about his n to reach level 10 today.


    "Mia, I''ve reached level 9 now. I''m nning to push through and reach level 10 today to see how my body changes."

 Chapter 32: Congratulations, Survivor, you’ve leveled up

    <h4>Chapter 32: Congrattions, Survivor, you''ve leveled up</h4>


    Mia wiped the cookie crumbs from her mouth and nodded eagerly.


    "Great! This is fantastic!" she eximed.


    "And, it''s not easy for us toe out here. It takes over two hours to drive here. We might as well take this opportunity to umte more experience points and level up," Mia added.


    Alex nodded as he loaded bullets into his pistol.


    "Alright, that''s settled then. Later, you''ll drive, and I''ll be responsible for killing the zombies," Alex said.


    Mia hummed in agreement, then asked, "Do you have a battle n?"


    After a brief moment of thought, Alex replied, "Here''s what I''m thinking. Do you see that grassy area ahead? We''ll douse it with gasoline, then drive the car to lure the zombies over. I''ll shoot to attract them, then we''ll set the grass on fire and give them a good roasting."


    "Once the fire is lit, we can quickly drive to the left side of that hill. Our range will be enough to finish them off," he continued.


    Mia apuded the n.


    "Great idea, Alex! You''re so clever!" she eximed.


    Alex felt a bit embarrassed by her praise.


    He noticed that Mia was nowpletely obedient to him, praising everything he did.


    This tactic was entirely based on the zombies''ck of intelligence, as they only followed their instincts.


    Alex suddenly wondered if there would be zombies with intelligence in the future.


    Otherwise, as survivors'' strength rapidly increased, these mindless zombies would gradually pose less of a threat.


    Alex had watched plenty of zombie movies before.


    Usually, towards the end, there would be mutated zombies or higher-level zombies.


    But for now, Alex wasn''t worried about such things.


    It was crucial to reach level 10 first and receive the system''s body enhancement.


    As for whether there would be mutated or higher-level zombies in the future, Alex was confident that he would still be able to thrive when that time came.


    Alex and Mia got out of the car together and began pouring gasoline onto the grass.


    Their efficiency was impressive, and soon the entire grassy area shimmered in the sunlight with a glossy sheen of oil.


    After pouring the gasoline, Mia got behind the wheel and drove straight toward the zombie horde.


    Alex crouched on the roof of the car and began shooting as they approached.


    If any zombies slipped through, he pulled out his crossbow to finish them off.


    Soon, a horde of zombies started running towards them.


    After attracting the attention of the zombies, Alex shouted to Mia from the driver''s seat, "Turn, follow the nned route we discussed earlier. Drive slowly, we need to lure the zombies over."


    Mia followed his instructions.


    As they neared the prepared gasoline trap, Alex continued to harass the zombies with gunfire. When they were close enough, he holstered his pistol and lit the torch he held in his hand.


    As their car drove over the gasoline-soaked grasnd, the zombies also fell into the trap.


    Alex threw the torch into the grass.


    Whoosh! A fierce fire erupted, instantly igniting many zombies and trapping them within the burning grass.


    At this point, the two arrived at the hill they had mentioned earlier.


    Looking at the raging fire on the grasnd, Alex was still unsatisfied.


    "The fire is still too small. Let''s give our dear zombie brothers a bigger fire," Alex said as he took out a gasoline can from his backpack and, relying on his strong physical fitness, threw it into the grass.


    With more fuel added, the entire grasnd burned fiercely, even spreading to the nearby forest.


    Alex heard many zombies roaring from within the forest.


    The sustainedbustion of gasoline caused significant damage to the zombies.


    This crude method was much faster than using pistols and crossbows on the hill.


    Alex didn''t care about environmental conservation; surviving was all that mattered.


    After watching for a while, Alex pulled Mia back to the car.


    Standing on the hill, they were both soaked in sweat from the heat waves generated by the mes.


    They turned on the air conditioning and continued driving towards the next zombie gathering point.


    Because the fire here was toorge, it attracted the attention of nearby survivors.


    They began discussing in the chat channels but couldn''t figure out what was happening.


    User 984594: "Damn, let me send you guys a picture. Look, how did the forest catch fire over there? Arson? Spontaneousbustion? (Attached photo of the burning forest taken from a distance)"


    User 893743: "Haha, with this weather, it shouldn''t spontaneouslybust, right? It rained acid for a whole day a few days ago. How could it spontaneouslybust? It''s definitely arson."


    User 943853: "Isn''t anyone going to put out the fire? Trees are also life."


    User 947254: "Ah, in this post-apocalyptic world, are you talking about firefighting and disaster relief? Let''s not even talk about theck of water. Who would risk their lives like that? Do you think being a firefighter is easy?"


    User 234323: "Oh my god! The Buddha''s light is so dazzling! Since you feel the need to save the trees, why don''t you go put out the fire yourself?"


    User 654554: "The living Buddha has appeared. User 984594, send your coordinates and let this living Buddha save all beings!"


    Many survivors were speechless at such nonsensicalments.


    In this world, they were still thinking about firefighting and disaster relief.


    How did the other party manage to survive until now?


    Luckily, Alex was too busy driving to check the chat channel.


    Otherwise, he would have surely confessed that he started the fire.


    Let''s see how Survivor #984594 confronts him.


    Alex drove while listening to the system prompts.


    His experience points were steadily increasing, getting closer to level ten.


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Gain 1 experience]


    ...


    [1 experience needed to level up]


    As he was about to level up, Alex noticed the experience bar wasn''t increasing.


    It was obvious that the wildfire had burned all the zombies in the forest, no longer providing experience points.


    Alex was a bit speechless.


    Just then, a zombie appeared not far from the front of the car.


    Alex hesitated for a moment, then stepped on the gas and rushed forward.


    With a bang, the zombie soared through the air in a graceful arc.


    [Gain 1 experience]


    [Congrattions, Survivor, you''ve leveled up! Keep up the good work!]


    After knocking the zombie away, he sessfully reached level ten.


    In an instant, Alex felt his physical abilities skyrocketing.


    It wasn''t just a leap in strength and agility, but an indescribable sensation.


    Alex felt like he could now jump from the second floor without a scratch.


    Mia, sitting in the passenger seat, sensed the change in Alex and eximed with delight, "Alex, you leveled up? That''s amazing!"


    "Yes, I leveled up. Let''s head home now. We''ll figure out what changes this upgrade brings when we get back."


    Alex pressed down on the elerator.


    The car''s RPM increased, and the engine roared restlessly.


    Since they had leveled up, they didn''t n on continuing to the next zombie gathering point.


    After all, they had been scavenging for supplies and hunting zombies for two or three days, and it was time for some rest.

 Chapter 33: Defense Boost, Invisibility

    <h4>Chapter 33: Defense Boost, Invisibility</h4>


    Alex and Mia drove back to the vi area.


    Under the watchful eyes of many, the fortified walls slowly opened the electric gates.


    The two of them calmly drove inside.


    Despite being intimidated by Alex''s previous bloody methods, some survivors still couldn''t help but covet Alex''s resources and fortified walls.


    One survivor, lowering the curtain and withdrawing from spying on Alex, sighed, "I don''t understand where 10086 got so many supplies from, even managed to get electricity."


    His teammate could only console him, "Be content. At least we have a ce to rest."


    The survivor who was spyingmented, "Damn it, one of these days when we getbat supplies, I''m going straight to take down 10086''sir!"


    His teammateughed and scolded, "If you dare, go ahead. You haven''t had enough of the dried meat in the park flowerbeds, yet you want to go hang yourself up there? Stop thinking about nonsense. Tomorrow, we''ll gather supplies, and you can kill a few more zombies."


    The survivor who was teased by his teammate didn''t get angry, just scratched his head and said, "Damn it, of course I know. 10086''s supplies are endless. Going to provoke him would be suicide..."


    Alex parked the car in the garage and lowered the electric rolling shutter.


    As Mia walked, she counted on her fingers, saying, "Alex, this time we got quite a few supplies. Several boxes of bread, and also towels, clothes, and..."


    "Mmm, Alex? Alex, where did you go?"


    Just as Mia was talking to herself, tallying up the supplies, she turned her head to look at Alex, only to find him not by her side, with no one around.


    Suddenly, Mia felt her buttocks being pped, but when she turned around, there was no one there.


    Then, her cheek was pinched.


    "A... a ghost?"


    Mia was startled.


    She immediately pulled out a crossbow and held it against her chest, looking around in all directions.


    "Haha, got you scared, huh?"


    Alex suddenly appeared in front of Mia.


    Only then did Mia realize that everything was just Alex''s prank.


    But, how did he do it?


    "You scared me again! Aren''t you afraid I''ll shoot you with an arrow!"


    "And, what was that just now? Did you gain a new ability?"


    "You have no idea, you suddenly appearing almost scared me to death..."


    Mia kept asking non-stop.


    Alex patted Mia''s head, pretending to look pitiful.


    "I just wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn''t expect to scare you. Ah, so sad..."


    Mia looked at Alex''s somewhat aggrieved expression and softened.


    "Alex, I didn''t mean that. I''m just... really a bit scared, it''s not your fault..."


    Alex didn''t say anything, but pointed at his own face with his finger.


    Mia obediently tiptoed and kissed Alex on the face.


    Alex nodded in satisfaction.


    "Hmm, that''s more like it. I forgive you," Alex said with a grin.


    Mia was stunned.


    Wait a minute, she was the one scared by Alex, so why was she apologizing to him?


    Feeling embarrassed for falling into Alex''s trap, Mia was annoyed.


    "Alright, you sneaky Alex, you fooled me again! I''m not talking to you anymore!!"


    Alex burst intoughter and pulled Mia into an embrace.


    Sitting on the living room sofa, Alex chuckled at Mia''s sulky expression. "Who said you''re so easily fooled by me? Aren''t you a little silly?"


    Blushing, Mia reached out to pinch Alex''s thigh but found she couldn''t.


    "Huh?"


    Mia was puzzled.


    Even though Alex had a low body fat percentage before, his muscles weren''t usually this tight and engorged.


    It wasn''t just the hardness of the muscles, but the hardness of the surface skin.


    "Noticed something?" Alex grinned.


    Being a doctor herself, Mia quickly noticed Alex''s change.


    The sticity of his skin remained, as if coated with an invisible protective film, enveloping Alex''s entire body.


    Curiously, Mia asked, "Is this the body strengthening provided after reaching level ten?"


    Alex shrugged.


    He wasn''t sure either.


    The system only hinted at physical enhancement upon reaching level ten.


    But the specifics were vague.


    "All I can feel for now is that my defense has improved a lot."


    Alex took out a dagger and ran it across his arm.


    It left only a red mark without cutting the skin.


    Startled by Alex''s self-harming behavior, Mia grabbed his arm and checked repeatedly.


    Finding no injury, she rxed.


    Then came the amazement.


    To cut without getting hurt!


    Retracting the dagger, Alex said, "Using a knife, unless you apply significant force, it won''t cut my skin. But, inbat, others will definitely strike hard, and I''ll still get injured. However, it can mitigate a lot of damage, which is pretty good."


    Then, Alex vanished into thin air in front of Mia.


    But she could still feel herself holding Alex''s hand.


    In the next moment, Alex reappeared before Mia once again.


    "This is the second change I''ve noticed," Alex said.


    Mia eximed in amazement, "Is this invisibility?! This is too incredible! It''s not scientific at all..."


    After speaking, Mia was amused by her own words.


    Waking up in a post-apocalyptic world with zombies and interfaces resembling those in a video game was already unscientific enough.


    Facing invisibility and still calling it unscientific was simply nonsense.


    "It seems to be a skill, and I haven''t seen any restrictions on it, so I can use it whenever I want. This skill is truly amazing for stealth. Suddenly, I thought, sneaking behind a horde of zombies and then unleashing a big explosion would be a beautiful sight," Alex said.


    Mia covered her mouth, amused by Alex''s words.


    Then she asked, "Alex, does this invisibility have any drawbacks? Also, have your body stats changed at all?"


    Alex opened his personal information and said, "Not much change, but it feels sufficient. It''s basically the limit that an ordinary person can reach, right?"


    User #10086:


    Level: 10 (0/1000)


    Strength: 20 Agility: 20 Endurance: Vigorous


    Skill: Concealment


    Mia looked at Alex''s personal data, pondered for a moment, and said, "I think the system intentionally caps the stats at twenty, to ensure that no one gets eliminated due to physical limitations when everyone''s level goes up. This way, we won''t rely too much on resources to deal with zombies and other threatening survivors."


    "Of course, there may be other uses for statster on."


    "In the end, it''s all up to the system."

 Chapter 34: Hot Weather, With Air Conditioning

    <h4>Chapter 34: Hot Weather, With Air Conditioning</h4>


    Indeed, as Mia said, Alex had only thought that leveling up would bring numerical enhancements, maybe even to the extent of moving mountains and splitting rocks.


    But that wasn''t the case.


    When he reached level ten, skills were directly unlocked!


    Entering this post-apocalyptic world of zombie survival, it seemed like survivors were leveling up and learning skills just like game yers.


    Alex couldn''t understand what the system, or the mastermind behind bringing them to this zombie world, was thinking.


    Shaking his head, Alex decided not to dwell on such distant matters.


    After all, even if he knew the mastermind, he couldn''t do anything about it.


    It was more practical to focus on the present.


    Turning to Mia, Alex said, "Mia, let''s experiment with this Concealment skill and see its benefits."


    When you acquire a new skill, you naturally want to master it as soon as possible.


    Plus, he couldn''t just casually discuss it on the chat channel.


    Because he didn''t know if he was the only one with this skill.


    In the absence of knowledge about others, this would be his trump card.


    If he were to carelessly expose his information on the chat channel, it could attract more danger.


    He didn''t believe he could wake up one day and be at odds with the whole world.


    For now, he could only continuously experiment with this skill and fully understand its capabilities.


    Mia nodded in agreement.


    "Alright, let''s figure out this Concealment skill together."


    After an afternoon of experimentation, the two of them summarized the usage and limitations of this Concealment skill.


    When using the Concealment skill, one wouldpletely hide oneself, including their shadow.


    However, it couldn''t block sound.


    During the experiment, Mia was able to judge Alex''s approximate location several times from his breathing and footsteps.


    It''s crucial to note that zombies have very sensitive senses of smell.


    This point is key.


    Both of them unanimously agreed that this Concealment skill was perfectly suited for assassination or for use in noisy environments.


    Especially for infiltrating enemy territory.


    Survivors didn''t have the sharp hearing and smell like zombies.


    For Alex, acquiring the Concealment skill was no less valuable than finding a golden-tier loot box.


    He was very satisfied.


    On the second day after Alex reached level ten and mastered the Concealment skill, the climate of this world experienced its second change since thest heavy rain.


    When they woke up early in the morning, Alex and Mia were awakened by the heat.


    Considering the time, it was currently supposed to be cool and refreshing autumn weather, not hot enough to wake them up.


    But the fact was, they woke up drenched in sweat, with their backs soaked.


    Even though it was early morning, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.


    Although the intense UV rays didn''t directly shine on Alex, the room he lived in faced the sun and had already turned into an oven.


    Alex got out of bed, shielding his eyes with his hand, and looked outside.


    It seemed like the streets were distorted by the high temperature.


    Alex sighed.


    This weather was almost as bad as the Sahara Desert.


    Alex touched the iron grilles of the window with his hand, and it took several minutes for his hand to stop feeling the burning sensation.


    "It looks like we won''t be able to go out today. Going out in this weather would probably result in heatstroke or dehydration," Alex said with some resignation.


    He had wanted to take Mia out today and help her reach level ten as well, to verify whether the skill was exclusive to him.


    But now there was no choice but to stay in the vi and rest properly.


    He could also check the trading tform for goods.


    Maybe he''d get lucky and find some good stuff lying around.


    Even if he couldn''t find satisfactory items, Alex still had some things to sell.


    The unlimited supplies he had obtained in the past few days were mostly daily necessities like shampoo, body wash, andundry detergent.


    Surely, there were people who needed these items.


    Even though taking a bath is a very luxurious thing nowadays, there are always people who can''t resist it.


    After so many days without bathing, one could almost pass for a vagrant.


    With these unlimited resources, if one could trade for some of Alex''s scarce reserves, such as steel sheets, lime, alum, and other hardware supplies, as well as chemical materials, it would definitely be worth it.


    Running the cold air conditioning, eating homemade c popsicles.


    Alex opened the chat channel, intending to promote his products in public chat.


    However, it seems like everyone isining about today''s extreme weather.


    ID 435664: "It''s too hot today! I slept on the top of a mountain in the wild, with a tent, half-asleep, I thought I was being carried into an incinerator... now I''m lying on a tree to cool off, but I still feel so hot."


    ID 834539: "Who has it worse than me? I got up early today, was nning to hike across a in, but I watched the sun rise helplessly, now I can''t even find a cool ce! Damn it, I drank three bottles of water and still not enough, I feel like I''m going to be roasted alive on the in (crying face)!!"


    ID 394793: "The temperature today is outrageous, more so than our previous understanding, try not to go out if you can help it, if you must be outside, try to wear sunscreen and long sleeves, otherwise you might really get sunburned to death."


    ID 837291: "Exactly, even the Middle East desert isn''t this hot, this temperature, it can definitely roast people alive!"


    ID 324655: "There''s acid rain ahead, now it''s high temperatures again, next thing won''t be hail...?"


    ID 38784: "Can you shut your stinking mouth! Brother, it''s not impossible, just afraid of knives falling from the sky, hahaha!"


    ID 10086: "It''s okay, I have the air conditioning set at 20 degrees, feeling a bit cold (attached picture showing temperature when air conditioning is on), I feel like covering myself with a nket..."


    Many survivors who were typing saw the message Alex sent, their hands froze instantly.


    This annoying 10086 is back again.


    They began to criticize 10086 as they did in the past.


    ID 10000: "10086, you''re here to attract hatred again, right?! Haha, but there''s nothing to envy, I''m soaking in the bathtub right now, so cool!"


    ID 10010: "You, too, are here to show off, right??? Big eyebrows and eyes, didn''t expect you to be a guy who betrayspanions."


    ID 347923: "Hmm... shouldn''t you be paying attention to 10086, howe he can use air conditioning?"


    ID 495839: "Hiss! Yeah, how can 10086 use air conditioning? Does he have electricity? Holy cow?!"


    ID 397454: "No! I can''t ept it!! I haven''t even eaten my fill, howe someone is living a bourgeois life!"


    ID 894759: "Come on, bro, it''s been over a week, and you''re still struggling to meet basic needs..."


    ID 397454: " It''s because I''m useless, now I only have two meals a day (tears streaming down face)."


    ID 10086: "Ahem, I''ve been using electricity for several days, you guys hang in there, there will be bread, there will be milk, everything will be there."


    ID 93749: "Never thought, even in the end of the world, there are still sses, and I''m still in the miserable poor ss."


    ID 10086: "Almost forgot to mention, I put some shampoo, shower gel,undry detergent, and stuff on the shelves, you guys can buy if you want, cheap price, no deception..."


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