CH : 25 Metting new People, Plans to Clear out Zombie

But in that darkness, a fierce determination to survive stirred within them. The world might have taken everything from them, but it hadn't taken their will to fight. He would find a way to endure, to adapt to this new reality, and to reclaim whatever fragments of the old world they could.

Back home, after supper, Ethan sat on the sofa and quietly looked at the skill book in his hand.

{Level 1 Skill: Critical Strike. After using the skill, 7 points of stamina will be consumed, the next attack will have double the destructive power (weapon damage is not considered)}

Ethan looked at the Critical Strike skill book, and slightly frowned. The skill's power is good, but compared to second and third tier skills, it was far worse. Seven points of stamina consumption was too much, Ethan also could not afford to squander it. This skill was of little value to Ethan, who had the Stinger Pistol.

"Is anybody here? I'm begging you, please open the door!" Accompanied by the sound of knocking at the door, came the voice of a woman pleading.

Luna took a look at Ethan, seeking his opinion.

At this time with the fighting force in the small group present, also with guns in hand, among the apartment building, there was no threat to them. For added security, Ethan positioned Mortis and Draugr on either side of the door.

Observing Ethan's nod, Luna approached the front door and peered through the peephole.

Through the peephole, Luna clearly saw that outside the door stood a plump and mature young woman with hourglass body, long blond hair standing next to a 12 or 13 year old girl.

"A woman and a small child!" Before opening the door, Luna reported to Ethan. After the brutal encounter with the mob of thugs and the harsh reprimand from Ethan following Grace's injury, Luna had become noticeably more cautious. The raw memory of the attack, coupled with the weight of Ethan's words, lingered heavily in her mind. The loss of the power grid had left them all in darkness, not just literally, but figuratively as well—isolated and vulnerable in a world that had turned against them.

Among the group, the girls especially felt this isolation keenly. With the grid down, the normalcy of life had vanished, leaving them alone with their thoughts, fears, and uncertainties. Luna had shared with the others the question she had asked Ethan: *Who would he save first?* The gravity of that question had dawned on them all. They knew that without Ethan, their chances of survival were slim to none. His leadership, his strength, and most importantly, his growing power made him the cornerstone of their fragile existence.

The revelation that Ethan could summon more than one skeleton had struck them deeply. Draugr alone was an unstoppable force, capable of holding off hundreds of zombies. The mere thought of Ethan commanding ten more of these relentless, untiring, and fearless creatures was staggering. It wasn't just survival that seemed within reach; with such power, Ethan could thrive. He could use his undead minions not just for protection but for rebuilding a semblance of society—decimating zombies, farming, cleaning, repairing, and constructing. The possibilities seemed endless.

As Luna reflected on all this, she knew one thing for certain: staying close to Ethan was their best, perhaps their only, chance at survival. The fear of being left behind, of being lost in the chaos of the new world, haunted them all. They saw in Ethan not just a leader but a lifeline, a beacon of hope in a world that had descended into madness.

Ethan frowned, thinking for a moment, and slowly said: "Let them come in."

Luna opened the door.

"Hello, miss. My name is Sarah, would you give us something to eat? We have not eaten for two days!" Sarah grabbed Luna's hand and pleadingly said.

At this point, Olivia was eating a cookie, and walked over. She was curious to see Sarah and her daughter.

"MOM, I'm hungry! I want to eat cookies! I want to eat cookies!" The little girl's eyes lit up when she saw the cookie in Olivia's hand, and noisily pleaded while grabbing Sarah's dress.

Sarah's eyes were red, with tears running down her face, pulled out a stack of bills and handed it to Luna: "Miss, please. Give us something to eat. I'm not asking for nothing, here is $10,000 for you. Please give us something to eat, or else we are going to be starved to death. "

Seeing the 10,000 in Sarah's hand, Olivia's eyes lit up. She came from an ordinary family, and has rarely seen a bundle of $10,000.

Luna, after all, is still a kind girl even after experiencing the thugs' event. She still was not able to get rid of her kindness: "Sister, you don't have to do that. Wait a bit, I'll get you something to eat."

Luna was stopped by Olivia, with a serious face said: "Wait a minute! Luna, we don't have much food, how can you just give it to others?"

In Luna's apartment, there were three rooms. There were more than a dozen people in two of the rooms. The food consumption of a dozen people was not small. Especially Ethan, Grace, and Luke, whose enhanced body consumed a lot of food. Over these dozen days, the supplies that they gathered from the two small supermarkets were almost used up. With such unrestrained consumption of supplies, at best they can only hold on for five or six days.

On hearing the news, the others gathered in the room.

Luna's eyes red with anger towards Olivia said: "Olivia, how can you say that? They are a mother and daughter that have been hungry for two days! Don't you see the face of the young fairy there. Don't tell me that you want them to die and not help?"

Olivia harshly said: "It's just their story. Luna, all of these supplies are hard to come by. You just give people food, did you ask everyone? You know our food reserves, at best, we can only have enough for five days. You are a good person to give away food to others, do you want us to starve?"

Listening to Olivia's words, Luna and the rest of the girls that were going to help, all shut their mouths. They are afraid that if the food runs out, at that time, they would not know what to do. Deep down, they are not willing to feed others, but saying no like Olivia causes their consciences to feel guilty. So they can only choose to be silent. The world has not changed too long ago, they have not gone through too much suffering, so their conscience has not disappeared.

Seeing the other girls were quiet, Sarah's eyes filled with fear. Her daughter and she have been hungry for two days to the point of exhaustion. Otherwise, she did not dare to take the child out of the safety of the room.

Ethan approached the group, his arms laden with two bags of instant noodles and a few buns of bread. The room fell silent as everyone turned their gaze toward him. He offered the food with a gentle smile and said, "Here, take these. Make sure the little one gets enough to eat. We can't afford anyone getting sick, especially her. Doctors are rare now, and finding medicine is even harder."

He knelt down beside the little girl, petting her head with a tenderness that seemed at odds with the harshness of the world around them. His smile was warm, a flicker of humanity in a world gone cold. The little girl, Clara, looked up at him with wide, adoring eyes.

Olivia, standing nearby, kept her thoughts to herself. She was wise enough to know that crossing Ethan wasn't in her best interest. His generosity was a lifeline she couldn't afford to jeopardize.

Sarah, the girl's mother, took the bags from Ethan, her eyes welling up with tears of gratitude. "Thank you, thank you so much! You're a good person," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. She then urged her daughter, "Come on, Clara, thank your big brother."

The thirteen-year-old girl beamed up at Ethan, her young voice filled with affection and gratitude. "Thank you, brother!" she chirped, her small hands clutching the bread like it was a treasure.

Ethan's eyes softened as he looked into Clara's. There was something pure and unbroken in her gaze, a rarity in the world they now lived in. "And who might you be, young lady?" he asked, his tone light and playful.

Clara giggled, a sound like bells in the stillness of the room. "Clara," she replied, her voice as sweet as her smile.

"What a lovely name for a little princess," Ethan complimented, his words bringing a flush of color to Clara's cheeks. She giggled again, a sound that seemed to lighten the mood for everyone around.

"If you ever feel hungry, you can come and ask for food anytime, okay?" Ethan added, petting her head one last time before standing up.

Clara nodded eagerly, her eyes shining with a mix of admiration and hope. The simple kindness Ethan had shown had left an indelible mark on her young heart.

After expressing their gratitude once more, Sarah turned to Ethan and pressed a bundle of cash into Luna's hands—$10,000, an amount that might have meant something once but now was just paper in a world that had moved beyond it. "Thank you," she said again, before taking Clara's hand and quickly heading toward the stairs.

As they left, the room felt a little brighter, a little more connected, thanks to the small but meaningful act of kindness. Ethan watched them go, his expression unreadable but the warmth still lingering in his eyes. He had given them more than just food; he had given them hope.

Seeing Sarah act like that, the girls in the room were touched. Under the protection of Ethan, Grace, and Luke, they have been well fed the last dozen plus days. Seeing Sarah begging and crying over two bags of instant noodles and buns, left a tremendous impact on their minds.

Most girls also noticed the fact that Ethan had a soft spot for kids as since they were with him they had hardly seen him smile like that which just made it even harder to let him go.

Luna took the bundle of money to Ethan and asked: "What about the money?" Her pedigree was excellent; the $10,000 was not much in her eyes.

Ethan, without looking at it, said: "Whatever, whoever wants it can have it."

Now that the world has changed, even if you have money, it cannot be used to buy anything. Even if used as toilet paper, Ethan would complain that it's too rough. Now it's just paper.

But Olivia quickly said: "I want it! Give it to me!"

Luna glimpsed at Olivia, then threw the bundle of money to her.

Olivia looked at everyone, and in her mind she sneered: 'A bunch of fools. The government has established a survivor enclave; you will know the pain of having no money when you get there.'

Money represents the trustworthiness of the government. If there is no government, then the money is equivalent to worthless paper. With the existence of the government, the money is not worthless and still has the power to purchase. How much it's worth, however, is the question.

Grace went besides Ethan, and asked: "We don't have enough food supplies. When will we search for more?

Ethan unhesitatingly said: "Tomorrow!"

Early the next morning, Ethan convened everyone in the apartment.

Nikki, Jessica, and Sydney were left behind to guard, while Ethan led the others to the two Volvo trucks and left.

"They've set off again!" On the 6th floor, Sarah looked out the window, watching with envy as Ethan left on the Volvo truck. She did not have the ability to go out and gather supplies with the others.

Using the two Volvo trucks, Ethan cleared the zombies around two nearby convenience stores. After loading all the edible provisions, they returned home.

This time, no one complained. Besides Luna, Julia, and Grace, all the girls were involved in handling the supplies. Compared to Sarah, they were very lucky to not have to worry about food.

Back home, the girls moved the supplies to the apartment. Ethan killed any zombies that interfered, but otherwise did not help the girls with their job.

These girls were afraid of fighting zombies, and Ethan also did not have sufficient ammunition to convert them into marksmen. Their only role right now was to transport supplies.

After they finished, Ethan took Luna, Julia, William, Grace, and Luke to the two Volvo trucks and left.

He led them to a gas station to fill the two trucks and containers with all kinds of gasoline and diesel. They even filled water bottles and loaded them all onto the vehicles.

Grace looked at Ethan's strange behavior, frowned and asked: "What are you planning?"

Ethan, in a deep voice, said: "I will kill the two Hunters today."

"Why? Our levels are still too low, fighting the two Hunters will be very dangerous!" Grace argued. After yesterday's battle, she had also advanced to level 8, but she understands how terrifying the two Hunters are. Even if she were to use her High Speed Movement skill, she would still be slower than them.

Ethan slowly said: "The zombies are evolving too quickly. The city will be a more dangerous place, so we have to leave as soon as possible. Even a minute earlier would be better."

Ethan and his team were able to kill swarms of zombies, only because they had levelled many times and therefore were strengthened and they had Ethan's summons. Their power was far above normal zombies, but Ethan, who has been observing the zombies, was able to clearly see that they were constantly evolving. The world has changed for less than a month, but the zombies have already evolved into S1 zombies, L1 zombies, and even terrifying Hunters Types.

If they stayed in Havenstead City, in terms of 100,000 zombies, even if one zombie evolved the ability to command the other zombies, or a zombie specialising in Spirit or Luck. All of them would die without having a place to be buried and their stronger bodies would roam the world as walkers.

In addition, the Searching for Novice Village mission was very tempting to Ethan. He wanted to get the rewards first and then immediately evacuate.