Aron dismissed the notification and pocketed the crystal. Now wasn't the time to observe it.
From different angles, flocks of low-tier zombies swarmed toward him. Even though the truck had already lured away nearly two-thirds of the horde in Zone C, there were still far too many. The population of the poor was nothing to scoff at.
But Aron wasn't the least bit worried. He chose an angle in the tightening encirclement and pulled out his last three grenades. To most, using grenades here would seem suicidal, it would only stir the horde further. But Aron didn't care.
He pulled all the pins and hurled them in one direction. The moment the first blast tore through the air, he dashed straight toward it. By the time the other two exploded, the wall of zombies in that path had been shredded. A few stragglers remained, but he cut them down with ease.
[Zombie lvl 3 killed, 300 exp!]
[Zombie lvl 3 killed, 300 exp!]
[Zombie lvl 2 killed, 100 exp!]
[...]
Reaching the corner of a building, Aron activated his stealth. The zombies trailing him instantly scattered like headless chickens, confused and lost.
Seeing the trick work, Aron let out a sigh of relief. Even though he was far stronger than ordinary zombies, even though he could mow down dozens at a time, numbers were numbers. In the end, no matter how mighty, even an elephant could be eaten alive by an army of ants.
Stealth was good, but far from perfect. The moment someone laid eyes on him, it became useless. It only concealed his scent, sound, and presence, but not sight. it wasn't invisibility.
(When will I get something sci-fi?) Aron couldn't help but grumble in his heart. In every movie, people gained flashy powers, laser eyes, flight, fire. And him? He was stuck with defective scraps. His thoughts drifted to the Burst ability.
But that one was off-limits. He had decided long ago never to use it. Since the beginning of the apocalypse, every zombie he'd seen use Burst died even faster because of it.
After weaving through several buildings and confirming he had shaken off pursuit, Aron finally arrived at the Custom Warehouse.
Inside, it was no different from a super mall, stacks of biscuits, chocolates, drinks, sacks of rice, beans, noodles, all in bulk. Clothes, shoes, cars, bikes… enough supplies to last him five lifetimes.
Aron's heart turned bitter. He almost felt like crying. If only he could trade all his so-called abilities for a storage skill. Even the goods he had scavenged before could barely fit into a single car, what use was standing before such abundance when he couldn't take any of it with him?
It was like wandering thirsty for thirty years, only to finally find a pond, just to realize he had no mouth to drink.
Aron tore his gaze away with great reluctance and headed toward the car electric section. He searched for one with space, something practical. After searching for a while, he spotted a large sealed crate in the middle of the cars which was very odd. Using an iron bar, he pried it open, revealing the sleekest black car he had ever laid eyes on.
It was perfect. The black color would blend easily in the night, making it hard to detect. Inspecting further, he realized it was a tri-breed, capable of running on electricity, fuel, and even solar energy. The body itself absorbed sunlight to power it.
Though solar was useless in the apocalypse, the craftsmanship fascinated him. He was certain something this advanced had never been released to the public. If it had, it would have shaken all of Solara. And sure enough, it was the only one of its kind in the warehouse.
Etched across the car body, the steering wheel, and its frame was a single engraving: Lisa.
It wasn't painted or printed, it was literally carved into its design.
Aron's eyes narrowed. A custom piece.
He slid into the driver's seat. The comfort was surreal, almost making him drowsy on the spot. The interior glowed in warm orange tones, creating a soothing atmosphere.
Aron began searching for the ignition, but after minutes of fumbling he found nothing. Instead, he discovered a beginner's manual tucked inside. Following its instructions, he found a cleverly hidden button near the handbrake, perfectly blended into the design.
The moment he pressed it, the car came alive. Thin lines of light traced across the body, streamlining into a luminous pattern. The driver's display lit up, and then a voice greeted him:
"Good morning, Your Highness. Welcome to Nule, the most advanced car on planet Solara. I am Nina, your personal AI assistant. Your voice and face have been recorded. Please set a password and place your palm on the screen for verification."
A square-shaped imprint appeared on the display, with the outline of a palm.
Aron froze, feeling like he had stepped into something surreal, almost magical.
As the AI spoke, a memory resurfaced. Alisa Morgan. Her family 'Morgans' were tech giants, the richest family in the whole Solara they were so rich and powerful they were called: Rulers, and she herself was a genius who revolutionized the world. She had invented the Grape Phone which was the most sought after phone all over the world, built the first rocket to successfully land on pas planet, and had once been the richest woman in Solara.
Well before Rihanna stole his wealth.
Aron remembered her vividly because, during his meteoric rise in trade, Alisa had publicly confessed to him, on a live conference stage, no less. That same year, he married Rihanna, and afterward, Alisa seem to disappear entirely.
They had only met a few times, and he could hardly even recall her face.
But this car… this was something only she could have created. Solara might have been in its technological age, but not to this level.
But what baffled him was its location. Why was something so advanced here in Zone C? Her family operated from Zone A. Their products never leaked this far down.
Aron's heart raced.
He was a thousand percent certain now, this car was no ordinary vehicle.
This was the real deal.
***
Yo!!! 🔥🔥 The love has been CRAZY, and I can't thank you guys enough! I'm honestly so, so grateful for all the support, it means the world to me! ❤️
We're not stopping here, let's blast through the rankings together, baby!! 🚀🚀
Special shoutout to the legends who made possible:
✨ Lordmoonlight
✨ N_E_X_U_S
✨ Leaf 001
✨ Sri_Ram_1496
✨ Abhiraj 5th
You guys are absolute GOATS! 🙌 Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! 😩🙏🔥