In less than twenty seconds, the last four zombies on the mountaintop collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Wen Rou stood there in shock, swallowing nervously as she stared at Lin Mao.
On the way here, Lin Mao had practically carved through the zombies like cutting vegetables.
At the top of the mountain was a large cave.
Not only was it much bigger than the previous shelter, but the terrain was also perfect for defense.
“What are you standing there for?” Lin Mao called out. “Come help.”
“O-Okay, I’m coming.”
Inside the cave, Lin Mao gathered dry grass and branches before using sparks of electricity to ignite a bonfire.
The cave instantly lit up.
Sitting beside the fire, Wen Rou suddenly remembered something and hurriedly searched through her pockets before pulling out a small pile of crushed berries.
“I secretly hid these while collecting food earlier,” she said proudly. “You can eat them.”
Lin Mao almost laughed at the sight.
If this girl found out he currently possessed a thousand boxes of instant noodles, she’d probably lose her mind.
“So food inside the shelter is really running low?” Lin Mao asked while casually tossing a berry into his mouth.
“It’s bad,” Wen Rou admitted softly. “Song Leyi and her group are guarding most of the food supplies. They only hand out tiny portions every day. That’s why we had to come out searching for food ourselves.”
As she spoke, Wen Rou kept staring at the berries in her own hands, swallowing repeatedly.
“You should eat some too,” Lin Mao said after noticing her expression.
“No!” Wen Rou quickly shook her head. “You’re the main fighter. You need to recover your strength first.”
The moment she finished speaking—
Grrrrr…
Her stomach growled loudly inside the quiet cave.
Wen Rou’s face instantly turned bright red with embarrassment.
Lin Mao sighed.
“I won’t let people in my shelter starve.”
He opened his backpack and pulled out three cups of instant noodles along with six bottles of mineral water before handing them to her.
“Cook all of them. You get one cup, I’ll eat two. After dinner, you’re taking the night watch.”
Wen Rou’s eyes widened immediately.
Ever since arriving in this world, she knew exactly what everyone had been eating.
Plant roots.
Wild berries.
Unripe fruits.
When Lin Mao was still around, he occasionally hunted rabbits or birds, but there was never enough meat for the entire class.
Everyone only got a sip of soup at best.
Right now, these instant noodles looked like a royal feast to her.
She tore open the package and immediately bit into the dry noodle block itself.
She nearly cried from happiness.
“I still have plenty more,” Lin Mao warned. “Go ahead and cook them properly. These things won’t stay fresh forever anyway.”
Truthfully, he was worried she’d get too emotional and serve him uncooked noodles with vegetable flakes.
Soon, the seasoning packets were opened.
Hot water was poured in.
Instantly, the rich aroma of braised beef noodles filled the entire cave.
The two of them devoured the food hungrily.
Especially Wen Rou.
She ate even faster than Lin Mao.
After finishing her cup, she stared pitifully at the remaining noodles in his hands.
“Um…” she said awkwardly. “If possible… could I have one more?”
Afraid he might refuse, she quickly added:
“Don’t worry! After the Blood Moon ends, I’ll definitely repay you!”
“Repay me?” Lin Mao snorted while slurping noodles. “What exactly do you have that could repay me?”
Wen Rou froze.
Her eyes slowly turned red.
That was right.
In an apocalypse like this, what could she possibly offer him?
The only thing she really had…
Was her body.
And Lin Mao had already saved her life.
If it was him…
Then maybe…
Maybe she wouldn’t mind.
As if making up her mind, Wen Rou bit her lip softly and slowly began removing her clothes.
Lin Mao looked up—
And nearly choked.
In just seconds, Wen Rou had already stripped down to her underwear.
At that moment, Lin Mao finally understood why the system had given her a figure score of 97.
This girl truly had overwhelming assets.
Large stretches of smooth white skin reflected the firelight beautifully.
Even Lin Mao felt dizzy looking at her.
Seeing that Wen Rou was about to continue undressing, he hurriedly stopped her.
“Wait! Who told you to repay me like that?”
Wen Rou froze.
Her already flushed face became even redder.
She lowered her head so deeply she practically buried her face into her chest.
“You… don’t want this?” she asked timidly.
“I want you to help me bring people out of the shelter,” Lin Mao replied calmly.
Wen Rou blinked blankly.
“Huh?”
“Of course,” Lin Mao said while pointing at the small pile of firewood nearby. “Otherwise, who’s going to gather firewood and stand guard later?”
Then his expression turned serious.
“But I have conditions.”
“First, anyone who betrayed me alongside Song Leyi is rejected.”
“Second, freeloaders are rejected.”
“Third, anyone unwilling to sign a contract is rejected.”
After what happened before, Lin Mao had no intention of being a nice guy anymore.
In this world—
Strength and resources were everything.
The weak only existed to be exploited.
“Then what should I do?” Wen Rou asked nervously. “Tomorrow is already the Blood Moon. We can’t leave easily.”
“Just follow my instructions tomorrow.”
…
The next day.
Near the old shelter.
After awakening his talent, Lin Mao’s physical abilities and movement speed had improved dramatically.
The journey that once took hours now only required half an hour.
The two sat atop a small hill.
Around them were fallen trees arranged as barricades.
At the very top of the hill, Lin Mao had deliberately lit a bonfire and placed a large pot above it.
Inside the pot boiled rich broth made entirely from instant noodle seasoning packets.
“Will this really work?” Wen Rou asked uncertainly. “Do you really think they’ll come out?”
“Relax,” Lin Mao said while stirring the soup to spread the aroma further. “With Song Leyi’s personality, she’ll definitely force the others out eventually. Otherwise, that shelter can’t possibly hold everyone.”
At that moment, near the entrance of the old cave shelter—
A girl suddenly shouted excitedly:
“Class monitor! I saw Lin Mao! Wen Rou’s with him too! They’re cooking something on the opposite hill, and it smells amazing!”
Song Leyi frowned and walked toward the entrance.
Several zombies wandered between the two groups.
Since the Blood Moon hadn’t risen yet, the zombies weren’t overly aggressive.
As long as Lin Mao didn’t provoke them, they wouldn’t attack.
The rich aroma drifting through the air made Song Leyi swallow unconsciously.
“Hmph. It’s probably just a few instant noodle seasoning packets,” she said stubbornly. “There are many people in our shelter. Everyone just needs to endure a little longer. After the Blood Moon, I’ll make sure everyone gets a proper meal.”
The moment she finished speaking—
Lin Mao deliberately lifted a bowl of noodles and loudly slurped them.
The students inside the shelter nearly lost their minds.
“HEY! LIN MAO!” Song Leyi shouted furiously. “Who gave you permission to eat food that belongs to everyone?! Don’t you know all supplies should be shared equally?”
“That’s right!”
“Bring the noodles over right now and maybe we’ll let you back into the shelter!”
“Zhang Yuxin died because of you! Don’t you feel ashamed?! Hurry and give us the food!”
Listening to the ridiculous accusations from those self-righteous girls, Lin Mao almost laughed out loud.
Even now—
They still didn’t understand the situation.
Then again, these girls had never truly experienced reality since arriving in this world.
Now they actually expected him to hand over food willingly.
Absolutely laughable.
Only now, when they were starving, did they think about begging him?
Where was all that attitude before?
The people inside the shelter shouted angrily for a long time.
The noodles never came.
But their yelling did attract several zombies toward the cave entrance.
The moment the zombies approached, the girls who had been screaming the loudest instantly retreated deeper into the shelter.
Only a few frightened female students holding wooden spears remained outside to resist the zombies.