The Lottery

The team retreated while fighting and quickly got back on the bus. Born hurried over to Angelica, concerned. "What happened?"

Pearl looked guilty. "It was my fault. I didn't expect a zombie under the vehicle to suddenly knock Angelica down." In truth, Pearl had intentionally been a bit slow. Otherwise, the zombie would have been taken down instantly.

Angelica, pale-faced, hurriedly hid her hand. "No, it's not a zombie bite. Don't worry about me, I'm fine!"

Born wanted to say something, but Angelica ran to the back of the vehicle alone. He pondered for a moment. If Angelica did transform, he could still recruit her, and it would be even easier. But right now, the number of recruits wasn't enough; they needed to quickly clear out the zombies.

"Zombies are following us. Everyone, join in and clear them out!" Born shouted.

In the team, only the school doctor stayed to drive. Everyone else grabbed their firearms or crossbows and began eliminating zombies.

---

Nighttime at an abandoned construction site.

Born and his team parked the vehicle and settled there. The site had a few scattered zombies, but not many. The building was only halfway constructed, with concrete outer walls, open ventilation, and very basic structure. There were still quite a few zombies on the upper floors, and some lay dead on the stairs without railings.

Born searched the site and found a few people hiding on the top floor. He didn't disturb them, choosing instead to rest on the fourth floor. In the apocalypse, human nature was the most dangerous. Besides his maid corps, Born didn't want to interact with anyone else.

Lane leaned against the wall, patting her thigh. "Come here, pillow."

Born chuckled softly and lay down. From this angle, Lane looked very beautiful. Her slender neck, a touch of red on her small lips, long eyelashes... Born watched her until his eyes closed.

Two gentle, boneless hands rested on his temples, massaging lightly.

In his consciousness:

"Pearl, how is Angelica doing?"

"She really shows no signs of transformation."

"Based on observations, anyone bitten by a zombie would start convulsing and spasming within one or two hours. But Angelica only has a fever."

Born frowned slightly. Angelica had been bitten; everyone saw it. There was no mistake. It had been almost half a day now, so why hadn't she transformed?

"She's just running a fever. I'm taking care of her, don't worry, Master."

"Pearl, you also need to be cautious. If she starts to transform, tell me immediately."

Born disconnected from the mental network. Having Lane's mental net was indeed convenient, allowing them to communicate secrets without fear of being overheard.

After a while, the surroundings grew quiet. Born remained with his eyes closed, resting but not asleep.

[Points: 1235]

[Points reached 1000, recruit limit 15/15. Confirm level up?]

"Confirm level up," Born said in his mind.

[Congratulations, Host, on reaching Recruit Level 3]

[Recruit Level 3: Recruit points 30, can randomly increase 2 attributes, recruit limit: 15/25]

[Congratulations, Host, for reaching Level 3 recruitment, you are awarded 2 lottery draws. You now have a total of 5 draws. Seriously, Host, you should use them more often!]

Born almost opened his eyes in surprise. The system notifications were usually normal, so why did the messages change after awakening his powers?

Born quickly asked the system some questions, but there was no response.

As for the lottery in the mall, he had truly forgotten about it. The beginner's package had given him three chances, but he hadn't paid it any mind. 

Lotteries were just about triggering adrenaline, giving people a thrill. Nowadays, with a beautiful woman in his arms, long legs as a pillow, and morning wake-up calls whispered in his ear, who needed such thrills?

Born sighed and opened the mall lottery interface anyway. The interface was divided into two sections: Hero Units Lottery and Items Lottery. 

Hero units were special recruits as the system had previously mentioned. Through the lottery, you could collect fragments. Hero units came with special skills, basic skills, and their ability levels were all above level 30, with at least two special abilities. Drawing one of those would be a major win. 

Born glanced at it but decided against it. He opened the items lottery, which included various weapons, vehicles, and even a combat base!

"This is more practical."

[You have redeemed 5 item lottery draws, starting the wheel...]

[Thank you for participating!] *3

Born's mouth twitched. This lottery indeed had the feel of a certain game company.

If he got another "Thank you for participating!"...

[Thank you for participating]

Fuck!

Born jumped up from where he was sitting. It would have been better if he hadn't been reminded to draw.

Suddenly, the virtual lottery interface in front of him lit up with golden light.

"Wow, a golden legend."

[Congratulations, Host, you have received a level 3 combat vehicle (upgradeable). Please deploy the combat vehicle in an unoccupied area.]

[Level 3 combat vehicle: accommodates 20 people, requires 1 primary and 2 secondary drivers, all of whom must have driving skills. The secondary drivers can operate the combat vehicle's weapons.]

In the virtual interface, a combat vehicle appeared before Born, resembling a tank. With just one look, Born fell in love with the combat vehicle. The entire vehicle gleamed with a metallic sheen, covered in steel plating, with only the design ports having movable glass windows, likely made of bulletproof glass. The front of the vehicle had four wheels, while the back had six.

On top of the vehicle were two machine guns, aimed forward and backward, and it was also equipped with radar devices. With this combat vehicle, any zombies daring to block their path could be directly run over!

With this combat vehicle, they wouldn't need to search for a place to stay every day. Born recalled the map Mallory had given him. Eight kilometers from the Starry Night Laboratory, there was an art exhibition hall. The exhibition hall had cash-transport-level security, allowing security personnel to carry firearms. The outer layer of the exhibition hall was made of heat-resistant, high-strength bulletproof material. Both exits were equipped with steel doors, 3 cm thick, capable of achieving a lockdown, making it difficult for zombies to break in.

Before their strength reached a certain level, this place could serve as a transitional base. Of course, the ultimate base was still the Starry Night Laboratory, the most reliable option.

At this moment, Lane stood up and patted Born.

"What's with you, one moment going crazy and the next moment laughing?"

"You wouldn't understand. I just saw something amazing."

Born smiled mysteriously and didn't explain further.

"Master, come quickly. Something seems wrong with Angelica's condition."

Hearing Pearl's words, Born rushed over. Angelica was already in a coma.

"No, I don't want to inject this thing..."

"Sister..."

Angelica kept mumbling, her face flushed red like a monkey's bottom. Born touched her forehead; Angelica's temperature was extremely high, almost burning to the touch.

"Damn, we don't have a thermometer."

"But what's going on? Where's her wound? Let me see!"