The supplies on the second basement floor had been stacked into a small mountain.
Frozen meat filled every freezer until there wasn’t a single inch of wasted space. Boxes of food were piled against the walls, and even the corners were crammed with supplies. A mountain of instant noodles sat in one corner with nowhere left to put them.
Ethan stood in the middle of it all, staring at the overflowing stockpile with a deep frown.
His Survival Space was simply too small.
Two hundred cubic meters might have sounded impressive before the Apocalypse, but after several days of scavenging it had become painfully inadequate.
"I need to find a way to expand it."
He rubbed his chin, eyes slowly moving across the supplies. The diesel they had collected was enough to keep the generator running for roughly six months. Six months. It sounded like a long time, but in a world that had already collapsed, Ethan knew better than to assume anything.
There was plenty of food. There were weapons. There was fuel. But nobody knew how long the Apocalypse would last. And the zombies were becoming more dangerous by the day.
Over the past four days of scavenging, Ethan had noticed a disturbing change. The zombies he encountered were noticeably stronger than before. Among them were more than a dozen that moved frighteningly fast. Their skin was tough and elastic, almost like thick rubber. Even when he struck their skulls with his blade, the impact traveled through the weapon and left his hand numb.
That wasn’t normal.
And the more villas he searched, the more disturbing evidence he discovered. Almost every villa contained the remains of mutated animals. Bones were scattered across floors and yards, stripped clean of flesh.
Ethan’s expression darkened.
The zombies were clearly eating mutated animals. And if they were eating mutated creatures, there was a possibility they were swallowing Cores as well.
A frightening thought immediately surfaced.
"If humans can awaken Abilities by consuming Cores... what happens if zombies can do the same?"
A chill ran down his spine. If zombies could evolve by consuming Cores, then the future would become far more terrifying than he had imagined. His mind immediately returned to the Mutant Siberian Tiger he had encountered—the monster that had seemed almost completely invulnerable.
Could that tiger have become so powerful because it consumed a Core?
Ethan’s expression became grim. The world was changing. And whatever rules governed the Apocalypse seemed to be becoming more complicated with every passing day.
He slowly clenched his fists. His Ability had to become stronger. Not just because he needed more room to store supplies, but because stronger enemies were coming.
And there was another problem.
They had taken too much.
After four days of scavenging, there was no realistic way to hide the sheer amount of food, fuel, and other supplies they had accumulated. Eventually the people living in the villa district would notice. In a desperate world, having too much wealth was dangerous. The more resources you possessed, the more likely someone would eventually come looking for them.
Ethan’s gaze shifted toward the five Cores stored inside his Survival Space. Four were roughly the size of peanuts. The fifth was about the size of a walnut. None of them emitted the faint white glow associated with Space Ability Cores. The walnut-sized Core was the most valuable of the five. It had come from a Mutant Viper. Killing that creature had taken him nearly an hour. The viper’s tail had struck his left arm hard enough to fracture it, and even now, days later, a dull ache still throbbed through the injured limb.
Ethan stared at the Core for several seconds.
"I’ll try this one."
He made his decision. The Core would go to Daisy.
He specifically called Daisy down to the gym on the second basement floor. After making sure no one else was around, Ethan quietly pressed the Core into her hand. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"This is for you. See if it can strengthen your Ability."
The moment the cold Core touched her palm, Daisy’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately realized how different it was from the Core Ethan had given her before. It was several times larger. The energy contained inside it was also considerably stronger. It was obviously extremely valuable.
And Ethan was giving it to her without hesitation.
A faint blush crept across Daisy’s cheeks. Over the past few days she had noticed the changes in her sister. Debbie’s eyes lingered on Ethan longer than they used to. She smiled more when he was around. Once, Daisy had even caught her sister sitting alone, lost in thought, fingers absently tracing the edge of her own thigh as if her mind had drifted somewhere private and warm. Debbie was falling for him. Daisy could see it clearly.
The Apocalypse had already destroyed the old world. People could die at any moment. So why was she still hesitating? Ethan had protected her and her family repeatedly. He had given them food, shelter, and strength. Even if he did have feelings for her...
Daisy’s cheeks grew hotter.
"What’s wrong?" Ethan asked, deliberately teasing her when he noticed her staring blankly at the Core. "You don’t dare take it?"
"N-no!"
Daisy quickly closed her fingers around the Core. Her fingertips trembled slightly.
The instant she accepted it, the system notification sounded in Ethan’s mind.
[Ding! Detected gifting of Mutant Viper Core to a female with a Beauty Score of 96.]
[Base Return: 100x.]
[Detected target’s emotional fluctuation: Shyness + Gratitude.]
[High multiplier triggered!]
[Return: Survival Space expanded to 500 cubic meters. Space Teleportation Ability increased to 100 meters. New skill unlocked: Spatial Cut.]
[Spatial Cut: Can cut objects within a range of 5 meters.]
[Daisy Miller’s Ability Enhancement: Psychic Power perception range expanded to 30 meters. Imaging possible within 5 meters. Mental Link unlocked.]
[Mental Link: Allows conscious communication within a range of 30 meters.]
[Mental Interference enhanced. Can briefly control ordinary zombies for up to 2 minutes.]
Ethan’s eyes immediately lit up.
His Survival Space had expanded by another three hundred cubic meters. More importantly, he had gained a completely new offensive skill.
Spatial Cut.
He glanced toward a nearby barbell.
"Let’s see what this can do."
Ethan focused his mind and activated the skill. A nearly invisible wave of energy swept forward. There was no explosion. No loud impact. The barbell simply split apart. The metal bar had been sliced cleanly in half, the cut so smooth that it looked almost polished.
Ethan stared at it for a moment before a grin appeared on his face.
"This skill is incredible."
Daisy was experiencing her own transformation. Her Psychic Power spread outward like a wave. Thirty meters. Everything within that range became clearer in her mind. She could sense the presence of living creatures. She could perceive their emotional fluctuations.
And then she noticed something else.
At the top of the stairs leading to the first basement floor, Debbie was standing there. She had clearly been listening. Daisy could even make out the expression on her sister’s face.
Daisy hesitated before trying something new. She focused her Psychic Power on Ethan.
Ethan, can you hear me?
The voice appeared directly inside his mind.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "I can hear you."
Daisy’s eyes widened. "It actually worked."
"The results are better than I expected." Ethan nodded with satisfaction. Then, deliberately loud enough for someone nearby to hear, he said, "Daisy, your Ability has improved dramatically. Scouting will be much safer from now on."
A quiet cough came from the stairs.
Ethan looked up. Debbie stood there with her arms folded, a faint grievance visible in her expression.
"What are you two doing down here so secretly?"
Ethan immediately noticed the jealousy in her eyes. He almost laughed. But he kept his expression calm.
"We’re testing Daisy’s new Ability."
Debbie pursed her lips. She clearly wasn’t satisfied with the answer. Without saying another word, she turned around and headed upstairs. The way she walked made her irritation obvious.
Ethan exchanged a glance with Daisy. Neither of them said anything.
A little later, the two of them went outside to test Mental Interference. They found an ordinary zombie wandering nearby. Daisy stood several feet away and concentrated. Her Psychic Power slowly wrapped around the creature. The zombie’s movements became slower. Then slower still. Finally, it stopped. Its mouth hung open, but no sound came out. It stood completely motionless.
Daisy’s eyes widened with excitement. "I can really control it!" She clapped her hands before remembering they were supposed to stay quiet. "Can I make it move?"
"Try."
Daisy concentrated again. The zombie’s arm suddenly lifted. It moved awkwardly, almost like a puppet being controlled by invisible strings. Daisy stared at it in amazement.
"It worked!"
The control lasted for nearly two minutes. Then the connection abruptly disappeared. The zombie’s eyes regained their feral look. It let out a roar and lunged toward Ethan. He calmly stepped forward. One clean strike ended it. The body collapsed onto the pavement.
Daisy stared at the corpse, still processing what she had just accomplished. Her Ability had changed completely.
That night, Ethan quietly called Debbie into his room. He closed the door behind her and pulled out a peanut-sized Core.
"This is for you." He placed it in her hand. "See if you can use it to strengthen your Healing Ability."
Debbie stared at the Core. For a moment she seemed unable to believe it. Then her eyes brightened, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"You... didn’t forget about me?"
Ethan smiled. "How could I forget?" He reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head. "You’re such a good mother."
The system immediately responded.
[Ding! Detected gifting of Mutant Golden Retriever Core to a female with a Beauty Score of 95.]
[Base Return: 50x.]
[Detected target’s emotional fluctuation: Shyness + Surprise.]
[Multiplier triggered!]
[Return: Survival Space expanded to 600 cubic meters. Space Teleportation Ability increased to 110 meters. Spatial Cut range expanded to 10 meters.]
[Debbie Miller’s Ability Enhancement: Healing speed increased by 10%. Can now repair minor bone fractures.]
The white glow in Debbie’s palm immediately became brighter. She looked at it in surprise. Then she placed her glowing hand against Ethan’s injured left arm. A warm sensation spread through his body. The healing energy was several times stronger than before. The dull pain that had remained in his fractured arm quickly faded. Ethan flexed his fingers. The improvement was obvious.
"It works!"
Debbie looked up at him. The jealousy and grievance from earlier had completely disappeared. She was smiling brightly.
Ethan watched her happiness, but his mind had already moved on to something else.
Rose Lynn.
For the past four days, Ethan had been giving Rose enough food each day for herself and Sofia. Not too much. Not too little. Just enough for the two of them to survive another day. Every time Rose came to collect the food, Ethan noticed the same thing. Her eyes would inevitably drift toward the enormous stockpile inside the villa. There was longing in her expression. But she never asked for more. She seemed to understand that the supplies were precious.
That evening, when Rose came to collect her daily food, Ethan finally spoke.
"Come outside with me tomorrow. I need your help with something."
Rose froze. Her body stiffened slightly, and a flash of uneasiness crossed her face. She had sensed Ethan’s interest in her for some time. As the days passed and the supplies in the villa continued to pile up, his attention toward her had become increasingly obvious. Now he wanted her to leave with him alone.
Rose’s fingers tightened around the food she was holding. She didn’t know what he wanted. But she also knew that she depended on Ethan’s supplies to keep Sofia alive. She couldn’t afford to offend him.
After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her eyes and nodded.
"Okay."
Rose turned and walked away.
Ethan watched her disappear down the hallway, then slowly stroked his chin.
Tomorrow, he would find an empty villa. He would give Rose the Petrification Core there, away from Debbie and Daisy’s eyes. If she could absorb it successfully, there was a chance it might awaken an entirely new Ability.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He was curious to see what would happen.