A few days had passed since the apocalypse began. The flora in the residential area had grown increasingly lush. The turf, originally only five or six centimeters high, had surged to twenty centimeters. If it continued to grow, it would soon swallow a person’s knees.
In the garden, blooming peonies swayed. A butterfly fluttered over and landed on a stamen. The very next moment, the blossoming peony snapped shut in an instant, engulfing the butterfly within.
An arm-thick willow tree sent its branches reaching out. As soon as they brushed against the trunk of a neighboring locust tree, they coiled around it, wrapping tighter and tighter. In the corner, the ivy had extended its tendrils high up the building’s walls.
Through his binoculars, Luffy observed all this meticulously. His heart swelled with emotion. Every living creature in this world was evolving in a terrifyingly maddening direction.
Only about one in ten zombies possessed a Corpse Pouch, making the appearance of a Tier One Zombie exceptionally rare. Luffy had no choice but to search patiently. The difference between a Tier One Zombie and an ordinary zombie lay in whether the skin on their face had peeled off and if their muscle mucosa had begun a secondary stage of growth.
Luffy himself was the prime example.
"One, two... seven." In Room 702 of Building Five, a zombie appeared in Luffy’s binoculars.
The zombie stood in the living room, its head tilted, looking at who-knows-what. Judging from the skin on its face, it was undeniably a Tier One Zombie.
He then switched to his heavy sniper rifle. The reason he had used binoculars first was that their field of view was much wider than the rifle’s high-power scope, making them far better suited for hunting prey.
BANG!
A moment later, Luffy cursed inwardly. The shot had clearly missed the zombie’s head, only shattering the balcony window. The piercing sound of breaking glass caused a commotion among the nearby zombies.
The Tier One Zombie inside the room was also attracted by the noise. It ran forward, tripped over an intact piece of glass on the floor, and tumbled out the window. After flipping a few times in the air, it landed squarely on its legs. The violent impact resulted in a comminuted fracture of both legs, leaving it unable to stand or walk. However, this didn’t defeat the zombie. With its legs useless, it resorted to crawling with its hands. As long as its brain remained intact, it would never stop fighting.
After crawling a few paces, it unexpectedly vanished from his line of sight.
"Ah, this damn marksmanship," he cursed inwardly. "And this fucking efficiency."
It was almost noon, and Luffy hadn’t managed to scavenge a single Tier One Energy Crystal. But for the sake of power, he endured it. He stayed prone and resumed his search for Tier One Zombies.
At dusk.
Luffy returned to the villa. To be honest, he felt somewhat discouraged. Over the entire day, he had only obtained two Tier One Energy Crystals. For his current needs, two crystals were an utter drop in the bucket.
Upon entering the villa, an unexpected scene unfolded before him.
"You’re back! You must be exhausted. Hurry and come eat!"
Wearing an apron, Lin Qiaoni trotted out of the kitchen carrying a plate and placed it on the dining table. Luffy looked over. There were four small dishes. Though they were instant food, they had all been heated and were steaming. Two bowls of snow-white rice sat on the side.
The atmosphere was unusually warm and cozy, but...
Luffy gestured to her. Lin Qiaoni understood that he was telling her to eat. Her expression shifted as she asked, "Are you not eating? Ever since I met you, I haven’t seen you eat anything or even take a sip of water. Aren’t you hungry?"
"Eat? If I were to eat, I’d eat you. I’d probably strip you right down to the bone!"
Seeing the message Luffy typed on his phone, Lin Qiaoni’s face flushed red.
Then, she saw Luffy type another message: "I’ve already eaten. You go ahead!"
With that, he tossed a large bag onto the sofa. Lin Qiaoni peeked inside and immediately expressed her profuse thanks. It contained some new underwear and essential feminine hygiene products.
As the saying goes, if you walk by the river often enough, your shoes are bound to get wet. Although Luffy deliberately concealed himself when he went out, blending into the zombie hordes so seamlessly that survivors wouldn’t spot him without careful observation, he let his guard down somewhat upon returning to the villa. Furthermore, Lin Qiaoni had also been seen moving around in the villa’s courtyard.
In the underground parking lot of City Garden.
The zombies here had already been cleared out, leaving the parking lot eerily silent. Suddenly, a voice spoke up. "The plan was made very clear yesterday. Ignore the zombies surrounding the villa. Sneak directly into the villa and control the woman inside!"
For several consecutive days, Luffy continued to ambush Tier One Zombies within the residential area or along its outskirts. He ignored ordinary zombies altogether. Sometimes he would encounter survivors, but he always avoided them; communication was difficult and could easily lead to misunderstandings.
His goal was simple: to collect Tier One Energy Crystals. Over the past few days, he had gathered fourteen. Judging by the changes in his body, he felt he would need a hundred Tier One Energy Crystals to advance.
From needing ten ordinary Corpse Pouches to requiring a hundred Tier One Energy Crystals—the leap was fucking massive. It made Luffy start doubting his life choices. Yet, he also harbored a faint sense of anticipation. The fact that it required so many Energy Crystals meant that advancing would bring enormous benefits.
Therefore, despite the low efficiency, Luffy worked tirelessly.
Back at the villa, Lin Qiaoni was also training like crazy. No longer having to worry about food, she had only one goal: to become an Evolver.
Ten Corpse Pouches, sealed in plastic bags, were sitting in the basement, but she didn’t dare take the risk of using them, nor did she want to entertain the thought of whether Luffy would deceive her. As for Luffy’s father, he hadn’t become an Evolver yet either. Perhaps he was also waiting for the right opportunity.
She didn’t know what Luffy did outside for most of the day, but the zombie flesh and blood staining his clothes when he returned made her realize this man was out there risking his life. Consequently, aside from keeping Luffy company, she became increasingly strict with her own training.
Whenever she was so exhausted that not an ounce of strength remained in her body, she would still grit her teeth and persevere!
"I have to become an Evolver as soon as possible. I want to help him!"
A powerful emotion was breeding in her heart...
Soon, the basement was no longer sufficient for her needs. She could often be seen running laps around the villa in the courtyard.
Early one morning, before dawn had even broken, Luffy headed out. Lin Qiaoni was already used to this. After waking up, she ate something and started her day’s training.
"Thirty laps... forty laps... PANT PANT!"
Just as Lin Qiaoni rounded the back of the villa once more, three filthy zombies appeared in the courtyard.
No, these weren’t zombies; they were survivors! The villa had been invaded!
Before she could even let out a cry of alarm, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. The person hissed into her ear, "If you don’t want to die, shut your fucking mouth!"