The night pressed against the boarded windows, thick and restless.
Ethan and others return to the room where their group was hiding.
"Knock knock"
The door opened, and John saw Ethan and others come back. That made John sigh in relief, and he let them in quickly after checking.
"Come in quickly,"
In the room,
John, Alice and Emily looked at Ethan and others who sat on the sofas, and they asked
"Well, is there any news? Did any of you guys get bitten?" asked Alice.
She also looked carefully all over our bodies to find injuries that might result from fighting as well.
"No, we didn't get injuries, but there is some special news that you all needed to know," said Ethan.
"First, before we departed, I mentioned the sound that appeared when we killed a zombie. That is real." Said Ethan.
Then he showed his status window to all of them.
Status
Strength – 3
Agility – 4
Stamina – 6
Points – 6
Notice: 5 points represent a normal, healthy human baseline.
Emily and others also observed, and they were also amazed by this news as their life became increasingly turned into strange events.
"Right now, Mike and I have three kills each, so we need seven more kills each to open the system," said Nathan.
"We have already cleared all six rooms in this building, so we should be safe for now," said Mike.
"My idea is we should first clean all the room with corpses and bring anything useful to this room," said Ethan.
Emily looked at John and Alice while she said, "Then we will do that job, as we should also help you guys out with something."
"Yes, I also would like you guys to do as I and others are thinking about hitting the nearby 7/11 to raid food, as we should collect as much food as we can right now," said Ethan.
"Right now, is about 2 o'clock, so we should be back around 3 or 4, as even though 7/11 is near us, we also have to dodge the zombies that might be on the way," said Mike.
John looked like he also wanted to come with us, but Ethan said, "John, I need you to stay here, as the corpses in the other room are not few."
Alice and Emily were fine with this arrangement, as they were really scared of even looking out of the windows.
Ethan made Nathan and Mike find some useful weapons for the upcoming event. They managed to find some fire axes, but they found them heavy, so they just adjusted their spears longer and decided to continue to use them.
Ethan then put 2 points to agility, 2 points to strength and 2 to stamina.
Status
Strength – 5
Agility – 6
Stamina – 8
Points – 0
Notice: 5 points represent a normal, healthy human baseline.
The moment he added, Ethan felt like something was boiling inside him, and he felt his senses smoother. He can lift his axe more easily, and he also feels a clearer mind.
'Right now, my stamina is nearly double the basic human baseline,' thought Ethan.
The streets were still. A few cars sat abandoned, doors open, alarms long dead. Streetlights flickered dimly over cracked asphalt.
Ethan led until they reached the corner. "Store's two hundred meters that way. You two go in. I'll cover from behind."
On the way, every zombie that came across was slow for Ethan as he felt like he was playing an easy mode, but he didn't let his guard down, as carelessness can lead to death literally.
Mike and Nathan also helped him out, but Ethan didn't want to take too much time travelling outside, so most of the kills on the way went to Ethan.
After arriving at the 7/11 store,
Ethan looked at Mike and Nathan after observing inside the store. He concluded that Mike and Nathan should be able to handle it, so he told them, "You guys went in, I will guard the door as I don't want to be sandwiched after the raid."
"What?" Mike whispered. "You're not coming?"
Ethan shook his head. "You'll need room to move. I'll make noise if anything follows you. In and out—30 minutes."
Nathan frowned. "You're sending us alone?"
Ethan didn't answer. His eyes were on the rooftops. "You've both killed before. You can handle it."
Mike cursed under his breath but nodded. They gripped their weapons—Mike's makeshift spear, Nathan's dented knife—and slipped across the street.
The sliding doors of the 7-Eleven were shattered, one panel hanging off its rail. Inside smelled of stale bread and rot. Shelves were knocked over, and drinks were spilt across the floor.
Nathan whispered, "Grab whatever's sealed."
Mike snatched bottles of water and a few instant meals. Nathan swept packets of bread and jerky into his backpack. Every rustle felt too loud.
Then came the sound—soft dragging, somewhere between the aisles.
Nathan froze. "Did you hear—"
A shadow lunged from behind the counter, knocking him to the ground. Gray hands clawed at his throat. Mike shouted and thrust his spear forward. The tip tore through the creature's eye. It convulsed once and fell limp.
"One," Mike panted.
Nathan shoved the corpse aside and scrambled up. "We need to move—"
More figures emerged from the storerooms slowly, shuffling, four of them. Employees, still in uniforms, faces twisted and torn.
Mike braced the spear. "Left two are mine."
Nathan swallowed, tightened his grip on the knife. "Right two."
They met in silence. Mike's first thrust caught one in the chest—too shallow. The zombie grabbed the shaft, pulling him closer. He twisted, ripped it free, and jammed the point through its temple.
Nathan sidestepped a lunging one, slammed its head into the shelf corner, and stabbed repeatedly until it went still.
"Two," Mike gasped. "Three."
The last two stumbled forward together. Nathan ducked a swipe and drove his knife up into its jaw. Blood splashed across his arm. Mike swung the spear like a bat, caving in the final skull.
"Four… five," Nathan said between breaths.
The store fell silent except for the drip of blood on the tile. Their hearts pounded loud enough to fill the room.
Then, faintly, a pale light flickered above the corpses:
「System Acknowledgement: Group Kills = 10 (Total)」
「Points Awarded = 5 (1 Point per 2 Kills)」
Mike stared at it. "That's… five points. We did it."
Nathan looked at the bodies, his hand shaking. "We killed clerks," he muttered. "People who probably stayed here when it started."
Mike grabbed his shoulder. "They weren't people anymore."
The shimmer faded. They stuffed the last of the supplies into their bags and slipped back into the street.
Ethan was waiting by the exit, watching the dark rooftops. When he saw them, he raised a hand. "You're alive."
"Barely," Nathan said, tossing down the bag. "We got food."
"And five points," Mike added flatly.
Ethan's eyes sharpened. "Five?"
"The System counted every two kills as one point," Mike said. "We hit ten."
Ethan nodded once. "Good. That means it's consistent."
Nathan stared at him. "That's all you care about. We nearly died in there."
Ethan met his gaze evenly. "And now we know the ratio. That's how we survive."
Nathan's jaw clenched. "You sent us in there alone to test your theory?"
Mike stepped between them. "Hey, knock it off."
But Nathan wasn't done. "You stood outside while we fought for our lives. You didn't even know if the System would work."
"I knew enough," Ethan said quietly. "We needed food. We needed data. We got both."
Nathan's voice rose. "You call that data? We killed ten people for five glowing numbers on a screen!"
Ethan didn't flinch. "Would you rather starve tomorrow?"
The silence after that felt colder than the night air. Mike sighed and dropped onto the floor. "Enough. We got food, we're breathing. That's a win."
Nathan shoved his knife into his belt and turned away. "Maybe for you."
Ethan looked down at his blood-streaked hands. "You both did well," he said after a moment. "Next time, we move together."
Then they went back to their base.
Ethan also opened his system window, and he saw
Status
Strength – 5
Agility – 6
Stamina – 8
Points – 8
Notice: 5 points represent a normal, healthy human baseline.