Born rested for the night.
With seven maids around, he didn't have to lift a finger.
Some boiled water, some used the gathered supplies to cook, and others even washed his feet.
The life of an ancient king couldn't be much better than this.
Among the newly recruited five, the leader was named Pearl, who was a supervisor.
She wore black stockings and a professional short skirt, exuding a mature and authoritative aura.
She had been hosting a gathering at home with some young colleagues when the apocalypse broke out. Someone mutated, and the five of them escaped.
Unfortunately, they ran into Tony and his gang.
Born also studied the surveillance footage. Most hallways and important roads in the community had cameras.
He mapped out where the zombie concentrations were higher and where they were smaller.
In the following days, Born checked information on his phone while clearing zombies in the community.
Among the seven, Laura had the strongest combat skills, with her airborne splits being something not everyone could perform.
Once most zombies were cleared, the next step would be the streets. Street zombies numbered in the hundreds or thousands, far beyond what a few people could handle.
Ding! Special talent detected. Please check, host.
Born was surprised by the new system prompt.
"Help me."
A voice reached Born's ears. He looked up to see a woman in a white coat standing at a third-floor window.
Doctor: With 3, team virus immunity increases, self-healing speed +10%. With 5, team virus immunity increases, self-healing speed +15%. With 7, the host can unlock new possibilities.
Ignoring the inappropriate hint, the self-healing speed boost was quite useful. Every injury requiring points for healing would hinder point accumulation.
Yet, to fight effectively, points were necessary.
The virus immunity boost was crucial.
Previously, one of Pearl's subordinates had been bitten by a zombie during a battle, and it cost 10 points to clear the virus.
Having a doctor to handle external injuries would be quite beneficial.
Born headed upstairs, pinpointing the room based on the window location.
The door was opened by a short girl wearing a white lab coat that almost dragged on the floor.
Her hair was a tangled mess, like a bush.
The lab coat looked ancient, slick with oil and grime.
"You're quite a peculiar little girl."
"Hmph, who are you calling a little girl? I'll have you know, I'm already 21 years old!"
The girl watched Born and his seven maids enter, her mouth twitching as she muttered under her breath, "Player."
Born's eyes changed as he looked at the girl.
Angelica: Biologist, Doctor, Genius
It was the first time he'd seen so many traits. Before, he had only noticed the doctor attribute from below.
"Angelica, your name is Angelica, right?"
"Wow, graduation photo, bachelor's in basic biology, master's in microbiology..."
Pearl exclaimed in surprise.
Born looked around and saw the room filled with medals and shelves of thick books.
He couldn't understand any of them.
The system had really hit the mark; this girl was a treasure.
"Angelica, why don't you join my team? I can bring you lots of good things."
Born tried to coax Angelica.
Unexpectedly, she saw through him immediately.
"You're coming off as creepy, trying to trick me like that."
Born felt an immediate wave of embarrassment, wishing he could sink into the floor.
Fortunately, Pearl stepped in to ease the tension, leading Angelica aside for a chat.
As evening approached, Born decided to stay at Angelica's house for the night. The house was spacious enough for them.
Watching the setting sun, he murmured, "It should be about time."
He raised his phone, and suddenly, a message bypassed the phone's system and popped up directly.
It was a video.
"This disaster is a global catastrophe. Ninety percent of cities within the country have fallen. Citizens are advised to ensure their safety and wait for rescue or head to the nearest shelter..."
The signal began to flicker, and the audio from the video gradually weakened.
Finally, a map of the country appeared, marking ten red dots.
Born was in Dover City, a second-tier city with no shelters.
The disaster broke out, and apart from this message, there was no further information.
When would rescue come?
Born had been thinking a lot these past few days. With the system at his disposal, he could potentially establish his own base.
Every recruited soldier had traits, and these traits formed synergies, making their combat abilities formidable.
Biologist: 3 biologists grant a 1% research bonus, 5 grant a 2% research bonus.
Though the bonus seemed small, it wasn't the main point.
The fact that even such attributes could be boosted showed that his system was versatile and not solely combat-focused.
He needed to choose a suitable place to establish a base.
Did Dover City have such a place?
At that moment, Pearl approached.
"Master, oh no, Born, I've convinced Angelica. As long as you help her find her sister, she'll join your army along with her sister."
Born was stunned. That simple? And it was a two-for-one deal?
"Where is her sister?" Born asked.
Pearl glanced at Born, hesitating for a moment.
"Starry Night Laboratory, a cutting-edge biology lab located in the western suburbs of Dover City."
"The owner, Aileen, is a renowned biologist with three top degrees, specializing in vaccines and pharmaceuticals."
"You didn't know?"
The last sentence carried a hint of surprise.
Aileen?
Upon hearing the name, Born immediately pictured someone in his mind.
Long black hair, glasses, standing in the sunset with the evening light casting a glow on her white lab coat.
She was renowned as the youngest and most elegant biologist. How could he have forgotten?
The main issue was that this young girl didn't seem to fit the image of being connected to Aileen.
Most importantly, that advanced biology lab even had some armed forces, high walls, and was located in the suburbs.
It was the perfect place to establish a base.
However, with his current strength, he clearly wasn't ready to go there yet.
He needed to improve first.
Born looked at his personal panel.
Level 1 Recruitment: To upgrade to the next level requires 500 points. Current recruitment count: 7/10
He had enough points; he hadn't spent any recently.
As for the recruitment count, there were a few candidates to fill the slots.
He started to feel a bit excited, believing that upgrading would surely unlock new functionalities.
At that moment, Angelica also looked over at Born.
"Alright, I agree to take you to find Aileen, but you must keep your promise and join my army with your sister when the time comes."
Angelica's eyes flickered with thought.
After a long pause, she nodded and smiled, "Alright, I'll observe you for a while."