Shiro let out a breath and stepped forward to check.
The elite zombie’s body was slowly dissolving, leaving behind a silver-white treasure chest and a palm-sized dark-purple bone plate.
[Obtained: Elite Zombie Core x1, Bone Plate Armor x1] [Rarity: Fine] [Description: A special mutated tissue from an elite zombie.
Its hardness far exceeds ordinary steel.
It can be used to craft armor or upgrade RV plating.] Shiro stored the bone plate in his system warehouse.
Twelve of the 20 warehouse slots were already filled with various materials.
He crouched down and opened the silver-white treasure chest.
Inside the chest, several items were neatly arranged: three pieces of steel with a metallic sheen, which the system displayed as “Special Steel x3,” a dagger flowing with blue light, and a card radiating a faint golden glow.
Shiro’s gaze was immediately drawn to the card.
It was only about the size of his palm, and its material felt like some kind of alloy.
It was cold to the touch, with a complex summoning-circle pattern printed in the center.
Beneath the pattern was a small line of text.
[Obtained: Random Character Invitation Letter x1] [Rarity: Epic] [Description: New players are constantly being pulled into the Survival World.
After using this invitation letter, an invitation will be sent to one player who is about to enter the Survival World, directly recruiting them into the user’s team and making them the user’s teammate.
The invited player will appear directly inside the user’s RV and receive one chance to draw a talent.
The invitation letter disappears after use.
The invited player will be permanently bound to the team and will occupy one slot in the RV’s population limit.
Current RV population limit: 3 people (2/3).] [Use Requirement: RV Level ≥ 2 (Requirement met)] [Warning: The invited character is completely random and will be drawn from new players who are about to enter the game.
Please be prepared to accept any type of teammate.] Shiro held the invitation letter and fell silent for several seconds.
Epic rarity meant its value far surpassed fine-grade items.
From the description, this item did not create a teammate out of thin air.
Instead, it intercepted one of the unlucky people who was about to be pulled into the Survival World and recruited them directly into his team.
In other words, the recruited player would have a team and shelter the moment they entered this world.
At the same time, Shiro and Shizuka would also gain a third teammate ahead of time.
However, the words “completely random” made him hesitate.
“Shiro-kun?
What is that?” Marikawa Shizuka leaned in, her soft, ample breasts inadvertently pressing against Shiro’s arm.
“An invitation letter.
It can randomly recruit one new player who is about to enter the game and directly bring them into our team.” Shiro handed the card to Shizuka so she could look, then picked up the dagger inside the treasure chest as well.
[Obtained: Armor-Piercing Dagger x1] [Rarity: Fine] [Description: A short weapon with armor-piercing properties.
Deals 150% damage to armored enemies.
Suitable for agility-type characters.] After storing all the loot, Shiro glanced out the window at the gradually darkening sky.
Looking out from the third-floor window, the plant-covered city seemed even gloomier in the dusk.
On several distant high-rises, he could faintly see black figures swaying.
He could not tell whether they were zombies or something else.
“Let’s go.
We’ll return to the RV first.
The third-floor elite monster has already been dealt with, so we’ll clear out the shops on the second floor that we haven’t searched yet along the way.” The two spent about half an hour searching through the remaining usable supplies.
Their haul included: Unexpired Snacks x23 bags, Mineral Water x8 bottles, New Clothes x6 sets, and a portable induction cooker that still worked.
Since they still did not have a kitchen module, this item came at exactly the right time.
When they returned to the parking lot, the sky had already gone completely dark.
Several new RVs had appeared in the lot.
Two of them had clearly been upgraded, their bodies a full size larger than ordinary RVs.
Shiro noticed that the windows of those two RVs were covered by thick curtains, making it impossible to see inside.
“Let’s get inside first.” Shiro opened the door and let Shizuka enter first.
He took one final glance around the parking lot, confirming that no one was following them before shutting the door and pulling all the curtains closed.
Although the RV had become much more spacious after the upgrade, it still felt crowded after so many supplies were piled inside.
The bunk-bed design made the sleeping area much roomier.
Since they had not installed a kitchen module yet, Shiro could only place the induction cooker on the floor for now.
Shiro sat on the edge of the lower bunk, repeatedly turning the faint golden invitation letter over in his hand.
“What are you thinking about, Shiro-kun?” Marikawa Shizuka asked, putting away the last piece of chocolate.
She turned and walked over to him, straddling his lap without hesitation and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Are you thinking about that Invitation Letter?” “Mm.” Shiro did not hide it.
“The randomness is too high.
If the person we invite is troublesome or doesn’t get along with us, they might end up dragging us down instead.” “But Shiro-kun said before that after the RV upgraded, it could hold three people.” Shizuka tilted her head.
“If the system designed it this way, it should be encouraging us to expand our team, right?
And judging from what we’ve experienced so far, exploring resource zones with only two people really is a bit difficult.
If we’d had one more person when we fought that elite monster today, things would’ve been much easier.
Besides, haven’t we always been lucky?” Shiro had to admit that Shizuka had a point.
The reason that elite zombie had managed to force him against a pillar today was largely because he had been the only one restraining it from the front.
Shizuka was brave, but her combat ability was indeed limited.
Her greatest value lay in her healing and shielding talent.
If they could gain another teammate skilled in combat or scouting, the entire team’s survival ability would rise significantly.
“And besides…” Shizuka suddenly leaned closer, the tip of her nose almost touching Shiro’s.
“I trust your judgment, Shiro-kun.
No matter how difficult someone is to get along with, I’m sure you’ll find a way to handle them.
After all, even someone as dazed and clumsy as me made it this far because you were leading me.” Looking into those water-blue eyes, Shiro could not help lowering his head and giving her a light kiss on the lips.
“Fine.
Then we’ll use it.” He pinched the invitation letter and connected his thoughts to the system.
A faint golden light lit up from the card, growing brighter and brighter inside the cramped RV.
The card floated into the air on its own and slowly rotated.
At the same time, the Codex in Shiro’s mind began radiating a soft golden glow.
The summoning circle on the card began to expand.
Ring after ring of complex runes appeared in the air, while the golden light from the Codex also spread outward.
In the end, a light formation about one meter in diameter formed in the center of the RV.
Shizuka stepped away from Shiro, and the two stood side by side in front of the light formation.
A figure vaguely appeared inside the formation.
The figure was slender and nearly half a head shorter than Shizuka.
As the light gradually faded, the outline became clearer and clearer.
The first thing that entered their eyes was long black hair reaching her waist, with slightly curled ends.
Then came a delicate young face, fair skin, tightly closed eyes, and long lashes that trembled faintly.
She wore a yellow high-school uniform with a dark-blue pleated skirt that fell just above her knees.
A school emblem was pinned to the left side of her chest, and a dark-blue schoolbag with slightly frayed seams hung from her shoulder.
On the zipper dangled a rabbit charm whose color had already been worn away.
The girl’s eyelids trembled before slowly opening.
They were amber eyes.
Something seemed to flash deep within her pupils, but only for an instant.
A moment later, those eyes were swallowed by fear and confusion.