《Re-establishing order in a world full of zombies》


 Chapter 1 Wake up at the end of the world

    In the ruins of the small town, Oliver Hart lies on the ground like a corpse. Suddenly, he opens his eyes. What he sees around him is in a complete mess. Old pieces of paper are floating in the wind and then slowly falling down. Broken walls are everywhere, and concrete fragments are spread randomly all over the ground. It''s frighteningly quiet all around. The once - bustling streets now only have the sound of the wind blowing the green trees.


    Oliver''s mind is in a complete mess. He was clearly in the bustling before going to sleep. Why is he in such a strange place now? The surrounding scene is like the end of the world, and he can''t see the slightest sign of human existence. Oliver jumps up from the ground in a panic. To his surprise, driven by instinct, he props himself up on the ground with one hand, does a backflip, and then lands steadily.


    "What... what on earth is going on?" Oliver asks himself in his mind. In Oliver''s memory, he was just an ordinary citizen in Lppleton. Fortunately, with the help of his relatives, he became a civil servant in the National Bureau of Statistics three years ago. Every day, he arrived at the office half an hour late. He made a pot of tea and then surfed the Internet. When the leader came, he took out a copy of the day''s newspaper and read it carefully. Even so, his superiors were still very satisfied with him. In just two years, Oliver had become weak due to a long - term lack of exercise.


    Oliver is 187 cm tall. Previously, he would feel tired after jumping a few times on the ground. But his performance just now has exceeded that of athletes who exercise regularly. Oliver can hardly believe it. His body is still the same as before. There is no extra muscle, and he doesn''t look like a strong man. However, Oliver can feel that he is full of strength. His eyes, which were slightly nearsighted before, can also spot tiny things hundreds of meters away by visual estimation.


    On the nearby street, three cars had been parked haphazardly. Their front windshields had been shattered into a pile of fragments. On the car doors, dark liquid had congealed, resembling a black flower. To the right of the three cars was a small supermarket, its metal roll-up door had been punctured with countless finger-width holes, and a gap had been blown open in the middle.Oliver can''t see inside through the gap. Hanging over the gap are many snacks. A trail of white rice stretches all the way to the middle of the road.


    Oliver''s eyelids keep twitching, and he doesn''t know why he used the word "explode" to describe the gap in the metal roll-up door.Did someone use explosives to rob a small supermarket, risking getting caught?What puzzled him even more was that, judging from the scattered snacks, the target of the bandits was actually these snacks.


    A gentle breeze blows again, lifting the scattered pieces of paper on the ground. Several green hundred-dollar bill. are picked up by the wind and finally land in front of the supermarket entrance.He can''t understand whether these bandits went mad with hunger, actually robbing snacks and giving up more valuable bills.There is a piece of paper that is blown up by the wind and flies toward Oliver''s forehead.


    Oliver reacts by grabbing the newspaper piece in his hand, his eyes scanning it hastily.It appear to be reporting, the successful lift-off of the US space plane, which was heading towards the target meteorite.Tattered pieces of paper, reporting just a few words.Oliver doesn''t even care and throws it away.This town gives Oliver a very uncomfortable feeling.Broken houses, dark liquids, fishy smells, and streets with no sign of human existence. All of this makes Oliver feel deeply uneasy.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Oliver finds himself with a watch on his wrist at some point.The black case shimmered strangely.Oliver doesn''t remember such a watch for himself. He tries to take the watch off his wrist, but finds it impossible to do so.


    Everything about this place is odd.Oliver has no idea where he is and tries to find someone to ask nicely, but there is no one around.


    Oliver habitually goes to try and pull his mobile phone out of his pocket, but he can''t feel it. His mobile phone was long gone somewhere.Oliver feels all over his body and is surprised that there are no items other than the odd watch and clothing.


    ¡®Damn it, who made that joke? If I found out,If I find out, I''ll kick his head off for sure.¡¯Despite Oliver''s incomparable anger, he can only walk forward. If this is a photo base, it''s impossible for there to be no one at all. There should always be some staff, right?


    Oliver walks to the intersection ahead and sees a bank with broken glass all over its perimeter.Oliver walks in.The bank''s lobby was full of scattered papers, the chairs behind the information desk had been knocked over, and the white floor was streaked with dark liquid, one even trailing to the door.Strong smells make Oliver uncomfortable.Oliver has a very bad guess about Dark Liquid. But he desperately tries to convince himself that it''s just a filming prop.


    Oliver stands at the intersection and looks around; there isn''t a single staff member from the photo base.Oliver starts to panic, he feels like he''s been thrown into a world of oblivion.


    ¡®anyone here? Is there anyone here?¡¯Oliver yells as hard as he can. The sound travels far and echoes through the empty intersection.


    It seems that the town awakens at Oliver''s yell, and a myriad of various types of voices ring out softly.The doors of residential buildings are opened, barrels are overturned, papers are trampled, and all the sounds are mixed together.Cars parked on either side of the street rattle, their doors are opened, and a single figure shimmies out of them. The figures seem to drag their bodies towards Oliver as they slowly encircle him.


    Oliver can hardly believe why he hadn''t spotted these people before.But,Oliver doesn''t want to concern himself with that though, seeing people makes him happy.He just wants to ask what this place is and figure out how to get back to Lppleton.Is it Thursday? It''s better if the superiors are away on a field trip.That way he won''t find out he missed half a day of work and still manage to keep his bonus for the month.


    Just as Oliver is thinking about it, he gets a good look at the first figure.It is a beautiful woman in a fashionable dress.The women has only a few strips of cloth covering her large beautiful breasts.Oliver isn''t a horny man, but he still wishes she didn''t have those strips of cloth on her chest. It''s a man''s nature to like beautiful things.


    Just before Oliver could savor these thoughts, he sees something that gives him the creeps.


    It seems that the town awakens at Oliver''s yell, and a myriad of various types of voices ring out softly.The doors of residential buildings are opened, barrels are overturned, papers are trampled, and all the sounds are mixed together.Cars parked on either side of the street rattle, their doors are opened, and a single figure shimmies out of them. The figures seem to drag their bodies towards Oliver as they slowly encircle him.


    Oliver can hardly believe why he hadn''t spotted these people before.But,Oliver doesn''t want to concern himself with that though, seeing people makes him happy.He just wants to ask what this place is and figure out how to get back to Lppleton.Is it Thursday? It''s better if the superiors are away on a field trip.That way he won''t find out he missed half a day of work and still manage to keep his bonus for the month.


    Just as Oliver is thinking about it, he gets a good look at the first figure.It is a beautiful woman in a fashionable dress.The women has only a few strips of cloth covering her large beautiful breasts.Oliver isn''t a horny man, but he still wishes she didn''t have those strips of cloth on her chest. It''s a man''s nature to like beautiful things.


    Just before Oliver could savor these thoughts, he sees something that gives him the creeps.

 Chapter 2 Escape from the town

    The woman''s face is deathly pale, her eyes are devoid of luster, and her hair is messily draped over her shoulders, smeared with a viscous black liquid. This isn''t what scares Oliver. What really terrifies him is that the woman''s lower lip has rotted away, and several of her teeth are missing. Oliver can clearly see several plump worms crawling in and out between the teeth. With the appearance of this woman, countless people with rotting bodies emerge from behind her.


    "Is the crew of Resident Evil filming a movie here? But I haven''t heard that they''re preparing a new series?" The moment these thoughts flash through Oliver''s mind, a sound comes from the bank behind him. Two bank security guards emerge in the originally empty bank lobby and walk towards Oliver. Their uniforms are dyed black, their bellies rot, and sections of intestines spill out. These intestines drag along the floor, scraping out streaks.


    Oliver immediately understands the reason for the trails he saw before. But he has no time to think. The two security guards have already reached him. They open their mouths full of black teeth and bite towards Oliver.


    Instinctively, Oliver dodges the bites of the two security guards. Oliver can feel a real threat to his life. He can''t believe this is a movie shoot. If it were, as a non - crew member showing up at the filming site, the director should call a stop. It''s impossible to keep filming. What''s more, the props can''t create such lifelike zombies.


    He runs at full speed and shakes off the two security guards. Oliver is just an ordinary person. The current encounter makes him extremely frightened, and his body is trembling constantly.


    He looks at the two security guards. Suddenly, Oliver figures something out. He turns his head to look at the street, and all the people closing in are like those two security guards, their bodies damaged yet still capable of movement. Oliver has worked at the National Bureau of Statistics for two years. He knows that a small town like this has at least thirty thousand residents.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The number thirty - thousand makes Oliver''s legs tremble. He sees the two security guards on the verge of pouncing on him once more. In a flurry, he dashes towards a street at the crossroads where no zombies are in sight. The zombies aren''t very swift, and Oliver quickly leaves them behind. However, Oliver is well aware that if he stops running, the zombies will catch up with him in no time.


    Oliver has watched the movie Resident Evil and knows well the horror of zombies. He has no weapons at present, so can¡¯t have any contact with them. If they harm him in the slightest way, he will become one of them in a few hours. Oliver doesn''t know how he got here or what has befallen the world. However, he is aware that once infected, he''s doomed.


    Oliver doesn''t know that his speed has broken through the level of 100m/s. He arrives at another crossroads, where more than a dozen abandoned cars are parked in the middle of the road.


    Oliver doesn''t care about the cars. What he''s concerned with are the dozen or so zombies beside the cars. Zombies have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. They can easily detect the scent of the living. All living people are their targets for attack. While Oliver is observing, the zombies start moving towards him.


    With zombies approaching from both the front and the rear, Oliver is seized by despair. He can almost envision his neck bitten through by the zombies, who then devour him bite by bite. He hasn''t confessed his love to the senior female schoolmate he''s had a crush on for ages. How could he die here?


    Oliver is extremely unwilling to accept this fate. He encourages himself in his heart, "As long as I leap over them, I''ll be safe afterward."


    The zombies are getting closer and closer to Oliver. He can even sense the aura of death on them. He is extremely nervous. He recalls the movements of gymnasts and starts running forward rapidly.


    Seeing Oliver seemingly courting death, the zombies go even wilder, all eager to devour him.


    More and more zombies appear, and they overturn the cars by the roadside. Oliver''s breathing turns heavy. He leaps into the air just one foot away from the zombies, somersaults several times in mid - air, and then lands on the roof of a car. The car let out a loud "pang". The huge impact of his feet leaves two footprints on the car roof. Ignoring the pain in his legs, Oliver jumps onto another car.


    The zombies aren''t about to let Oliver slip away. They turn around and give chase once more. Fortunately, after several jumps, there are no more zombies blocking Oliver''s path ahead. He runs with all his might and flees from this terrifying small town.

 Chapter 3 Know the truth

    Oliver runs like crazy, his mind feeling a bit dizzy due to lack of oxygen. The green trees on both sides keep receding in his vision. Oliver stops when his limbs are completely drained of strength. This place is probably two or three kilometers away from the town. A small river flows by the roadside, winding its way into the distance.


    Oliver collapses by the roadside. He looks at the deserted fields where the people who were once busy here have vanished without a trace. The scarecrow on the ridge has toppled over into the field, and the tattered cloak is thrown aside. The entire land seems to have lost all its vitality. Now, Oliver not thinks he''s in the middle of a movie shoot. Because there''s no way such a realistic scene could exist in a film.


    "What on earth has happened to the world?" Oliver roars frantically in his heart. The run has made his chest heave violently, and his eyes have turned blood - red due to lack of oxygen. The ordinary life of yesterday has turned into an apocalypse after he woke up. Oliver doesn''t know if he has only slept for one night or for many years. He can''t explain why he is here.


    As Oliver ponders, his watch starts making a "beep... beep" sound. The watch face, which was black, turns dark green. The watch face brightens up, and a row of time numbers appears on it.


    13:27:56, July 19th, 2079.


    The line of time digits causes Oliver to freeze. He looks at the time on the watch, and the situation seems to have rendered him unable to think.


    "No£¡This can''t be real..." Oliver don''t cares if he''ll attract the zombies. He springs up from the ground, roaring desperately like a gambler who has lost everything.Oliver clearly remembers that the date he''s in is July 18th, 2024. After work, he had dinner at a fast - food restaurant. When he got home, he plunged into online games and played for at least five or six hours. He quit and went to sleep when he felt sleepy. He remembers that it definitely wasn''t past 1 a.m. at that time.


    Could I be dreaming? Oliver plucks out a hair, and a sharp pain shoots through, proving that he isn''t dreaming. Oliver is panicking. It''s as if he has fallen into a thick fog and can''t make sense of anything. If this isn''t a dream, could the time on the watch be the real time?


    As Oliver is lost and helpless, the watch emits light once again. The light projects into the air and slowly forms a beautiful figure with a voluptuous figure. The light turns into seven colors, and the projection finally becomes a beautiful, sexy and alluring woman.


    Oliver looks at the beautiful woman, asks in disbelief, "Isabella?" Oliver is certain he isn''t mistaking. This is the senior he''s had a crush on since college, Isabella Rose Montgomery. He recalls being smitten the instant he first saw her. Sadly, Oliver''s kind of introverted, so he hasn''t got the guts to spill his feelings. After Isabella graduated from college and headed to another city for work, Oliver only run into her online once in a while.


    The girl he has been secretly in love with is now right in front of him. Why wouldn''t Oliver be over the moon?If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The figure in the air seems to come to life. She giggles and says in a voice full of endless allure, "Isabella? My name is indeed Isabella, but I''m not the Isabella you have a crush on. I''m just an imitation created by an intelligent program."


    Hearing Isabella''s voice, Oliver feels as if he''s been transported back to the college campus. He walked with her along the leafy campus paths. The moment she smiled at him, it''s that same voice. But what Isabella said is hard for Oliver to believe. "An intelligent program? How could there be such an advanced intelligent program already?" Suddenly, he realizes it''s 2079, fifty years from his own time. Developing a highly human - like intelligent program in this time span isn''t difficult. Thinking about his current plight, Oliver hastily asks, "Where is this? And what are they?"


    Isabella stretches lazily.Oliver notices that Isabella is wearing a sexy lace nightgown. The low - cut collar reveals half of her breasts. Although this is a digital figure projected by light, in Oliver''s eyes, she''s indistinguishable from a real person.


    Oliver can''t bring himself to look directly at Isabella, even though in his dreams, he has fantasized countless times about her appearing before him in such a way.


    Isabella giggles again. She waves her hand, and in an instant, the background changes to a living room, while the lace nightgown she was wearing turns into a purple dress. She sits on the sofa, takes a sip of the steaming hot milk, and then says slowly, "So, how was it? Was I really alluring just now?"


    Oliver nods, then shakes his head. His reaction makes Isabella laughing again, so much so that she spits out the milk. A bit annoyed, Oliver says, "I don''t care if you''re the real Isabella or not. What is going on? How did I end up here? Has the world been destroyed?"


    Isabella switches from her purple dress to a black professional suit and says gravely, "From the moment of my successful creation, my purpose has been to serve you. First of all, this is indeed Earth, and the year is precisely as shown on the watch. On December 3rd, 2075, the Coalition Government launched the space shuttle ''Rescuer'' to carry out a nuclear attack on a massive meteorite located 77.61 million kilometers away from Earth. Based on the velocities of the meteorite and the space shuttle, it was predicted that they would encounter each other at 15:22 on December 10th."


    Isabella continued, "The nuclear blast was extremely successful. The meteorite was shattered into innumerable fragments. Although a minuscule portion still continued hurtling towards Earth, it could no longer imperil the planet." Oliver relaxed a little, believing that Earth had managed to avert a catastrophe.


    "Owing to the power of the nuclear bomb, the velocity of meteorite fragments increased. At 17:05 on December 14th, 2075, the first batch of meteorite fragments entered the atmosphere. Two - thirds of them were incinerated by the atmosphere, while the remaining one - third, numbering around sixteen thousand, were scattered across Asia and the Americas. The second batch arrived 13 hours after the first one. There were approximately twenty - four thousand fragments, predominantly distributed in Europe and Africa."


    "At 13:22 p.m. on December 15, 2075, the Coalition Government discovered that the meteorite fragments were carrying radioactive substances. Since it was first detected in City X, this type of radiation was named X - ray. In the early morning of December 16, before the Coalition Government could figure out the impact of the X - ray, it erupted, generating the super virus XR. By December 20, the XR virus had spread worldwide through the air. 85% of the global population of 8 billion was infected. On December 21, the Coalition Government collapsed, and the vast majority of cities around the world descended into a state of disorganization."


    Just moments ago, Oliver had thought the Earth had dodged a bullet. However, Isabella''s words completely shattered his illusions. He suddenly became aware of the sheer horror of this global XR virus crisis. In just a few short days, the global death toll had reached 6.8 billion. Oliver could well imagine that even for those who had survived, when confronted with countless zombies, the number of people who could actually pull through would surely be far less than 1.2 billion.


    Just moments ago, Oliver had thought the Earth had dodged a bullet. However, Isabella''s words completely shattered his illusions. He suddenly become aware of the \ horror of XR virus crisis. In just a few short days, the global death toll had reached 6.8 billion. Oliver could well imagine that even for those who had survived, when confronted with countless zombies, the number of people who could actually pull through would surely be far less than 1.2 billion.


    Isabella showed no emotional fluctuations and still said coldly, "Based on the calculation of the digital model, there are currently fewer than 700 million humans on Earth. More than 500 million people had already died either at the hands of zombies or other humans, and this death toll was still slowly increasing."

 Chapter 4 Travel back and forth between two worlds

    Oliver is shocked by a few numbers from Isabella. There were only thirty thousand zombies in that small town a while ago. If 7.3 billion zombies? That''s a terrifying number! It''s totally beyond what Oliver can imagine.


    Is this the world fifty years later?


    Thinking about the time, Oliver asks, "Did you say the XR virus broke out on December 20, 2075?" He points at his watch and continues, "Is the time on this watch right?"


    Isabella smiles and says, "The time on the watch is Greenwich Mean Time, and it''s completely accurate. The XR virus has been spreading for three years and seven months now." Oliver can''t believe it. If the virus has been around for so long, are there still living humans on Earth? Zombies are so scary. You can''t kill them unless you hit their heads.


    "So, what happened to me? Don''t tell me I''ve been asleep for decades." Oliver says angrily. Just thinking about the scary scenes in the small town makes his whole body shake.


    Isabella answers, "Of course not. You were living in 2024 yesterday. You''ve been sent to this time through the time - space gate opened by the Matrix." Oliver interrupts, "Wait a minute. You said ''Matrix''. What''s that?"Isabella give Oliver a seductive smile, shakes her head, and says, "You don''t have the right to access that info. I can''t answer." Oliver frowns and asks, "Are you saying I was sent from 2024 to 2079?"


    "Yeah. Your job is to upgrade your genes and get more access rights. Only when you have enough rights can you understand the all things of the XR virus." Without giving Oliver a chance to ask, Isabella goes on, "Your body''s genes have been upgraded by the Matrix. There are ten levels of access rights. Your gene level is one now, and you can only get level - one rights."


    "I don''t care about the rights. I just want to go back to my previous world, not stay in this lousy world full of zombies," Oliver says.


    Even though Oliver is angry, Isabella still smiles. She says, "The main function of the watch is teleportation. As long as you want, you can go back to your previous world anytime." Oliver gets excited and says, "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and send me back. I want to leave this world right now."


    "Sure, you can go back, but the watch can only teleport once a day, and each time it''s only for three hours. After three hours, whether you like it or not, the watch will send you back here. You have to face 21 hours of danger every day." Isabella explains.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Oliver is shocked and then really angry. He shouts, "So, I almost have to stay in this hell for the rest of my life? Why did the Matrix do this? What does it want me to do?" Isabella gives an apologetic smile and says, "There''s no answer in the level - one database. What you need to do now is get stronger. Maybe when you unlock the second - level rights, you''ll know the Matrix''s purpose."


    "why me? Out of over eight billion people on Earth, why was I chosen?" Oliver is still furious. Anyone in his situation, suddenly in the future world, wouldn''t be happy.


    Isabella suddenly took out a document. She puts it on the virtual desktop, opens it, and after looking at it, says, "You should feel lucky. Among all the people on Earth, only you have the right gene sequence for the Matrix."


    Oliver looks at his thin body and says sarcastically, "So, should I thank the Matrix for this ''chance''?" Then he shouts, "I have a super - strong gene? That''s crazy. If so, wouldn''t sports stars become supermen?"


    Isabella covers her mouth and laughs charmingly. She says, "The strength of a gene doesn''t depend on how strong you look. Haven''t you noticed you''re stronger and faster than normal people? The strength of an ordinary person is 100 when counted as a number. A level - one gene makes you five times stronger than them."


    Oliver feels like he''s in a sci - fi world. He asks, "So my strength number is 500 now?" Isabella nods and says, "Yeah. This number will go up as you evolve. When it reaches five times the current level, your gene level will go up. But remember, before you upgrade your gene level, even if you have a strength of 2500, you can only use half of it in fight."


    "Only after I upgrade can I use all my power?" Oliver gets it quickly.


    "Right. Also, the Matrix gave you a space storage," Isabella says.


    Isabella makes a move, and Oliver suddenly finds himself in a one - cubic - meter space.


    It''s empty.


    "This is the space storage. With your gene level, you can only have this one - cubic - meter space. The watch is connected to your brain. When you want to open the space storage, just think about it in your mind, and it will open."


    "The teleportation works the same way." Isabella adds.


    Oliver thinks of a question and asks, "You mean I can open this space storage anytime, even in different worlds?" Isabella seems to know what he''s thinking. She smiles and says, "Yeah, you can take things from this world to your previous world and vice versa. But the things you take mustn''t be alive and must fit in the space."


    Isabella''s explanation makes Oliver think this is getting interesting. He can go back to his previous world for three hours every day and move things between the two worlds. This means he just needs to stay safe in this apocalyptic world for 21 hours a day. This makes Oliver regret not picking up the bills on the street in the small town. If he filled the space with bills, he''d be a multimillionaire.


    But regretting doesn''t help now. He''s only five times stronger than an ordinary person. He''s no match for the zombies. If they scratch him even a little, he''ll get infected and become one of them.

 Chapter 5 Resign

    Oliver still has many questions, but he doesn''t have time to keep asking Isabella.Because his loud shouts alert the zombies lying on the ridge in the distance. Several zombies dressed in farmers'' clothes sway to their feet and walk along the ridge towards the position where Oliver is. After being infected by the XR virus, the physical strength of the zombies reaches three times that of ordinary people. Their only weakness is their slow movement speed.


    Oliver says to Isabella in the air, "If I need to see you, do I also call you with my mind?" Isabella replies, "Yes. There are two forms in which I can appear. One is the current visible form, and the other is to communicate with you directly through your consciousness."


    Oliver understands Isabella''s words. Without hesitation, as the zombies are only five or six meters away from him, he hurriedly uses his mind to activate the teleportation function of the watch. Just as several zombies are about to pounce on him, Oliver''s body gradually disappears from the spot.


    During the few seconds of teleportation, Oliver can''t see anything. Suddenly, he can see again. Oliver finds himself lying on the bed in his bachelor apartment. Looking at everything in the extremely familiar room, Oliver pinches his thigh hard again. A sharp pain shoots through him, making Oliver can''t help but let out a cry of pain. The watch on his wrist makes his skin feel cold, and he curses, "Fuck! This isn''t a dream!"


    After shouting, Oliver lies on the bed, smelling the sweaty smell of the quilt, feeling extremely unreal. The time on the watch has been converted to the time of this world. The constantly flashing numbers remind Oliver that he have only the three - hour safe time.


    Oliver gets up from the bed and pushes open the doors and windows of the room. The dazzling sunlight shines in. Outside the window is the dormitory yard, where retired employees are sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree chatting. It''s working time now. He has skipped work without asking for leave today, and his superior will probably scold him severely. But he doesn''t care. Judging from the current situation, it''s impossible for him to stay in the National Bureau of Statistics any longer.


    Oliver feels a bit hungry, but he doesn''t want to waste the precious three hours on cooking. He takes his wallet from the cabinet and rushes out of the apartment in a hurry. His salary isn''t high. However, Oliver is a thrifty person. After working for two years, he has saved twenty to thirty thousand dollar. If he works for a few more years, his life will get better.


    But how can Oliver care about his future life now? He doesn''t know if he can survive the siege of the zombies when he transfer back after three hours. So, he decides to have a big meal that he''s been reluctant to eat before.


    Not far from the dormitory, there''s a two - Michelin - star restaurant. Oliver has only been there once at a gathering organized by his superiors. Of course, the consumption of over ten thousand dollar is use the bureau''s finance by his superiors.


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    Since he doesn''t have much time, Oliver only orders a few signature dishes and a bottle of 1990 - vintage red wine. Then he starts to enjoy the meal alone. When Oliver comes, he''s already made up his mind. He''ll go to the bureau to resign later. Oliver knows that the leaders in the bureau will surely approve it. Because as long as he completes the resignation process, it means that there''s one more vacant position, and they can arrange another person in. This is an income of over one hundred thousand dollar. Who wouldn''t be tempted?


    It takes him over half an hour to finish the meal. Oliver then only has 2 hours and 17 minutes left. He begins to regret his time - wasting behavior. He settles the bill and runs towards the bureau. He can''t waste time on things that are not essential now.


    The people in the bureau are very surprised to see Oliver show up at this time. As expected, his superior readily agrees to his resignation.


    When Oliver comes out, his superior even personally sends him out, saying things like it''s a pity that Oliver is leaving.


    Back in the apartment, Oliver uses his mind to activate Isabella''s intelligent program. This time, Isabella seems to be taking a bath. She doesn''t shy away from Oliver either, just using the bubbles in the bathtub to cover her body. She gives Oliver a roll of her eyes and says, "Can''t you see I''m taking a bath?" Oliver''s eyes almost pop out. Although there are a lot of bubbles blocking, he can still see the faintly visible white skin and the breasts that make hormones surge.


    Oliver quickly turns his head away and says, "Does an intelligent program also need to take a bath?" Isabella rolls her eyes at him again and says, "Although I''m a program, my intelligence completely comes from your dream lover Isabella. And," she says in a seductive voice, "my body, the current bathing movements and expressions are exactly the same as those of your secret crush Isabella. Haven''t you fantasized about this scenario countless times? You''ll miss the chance if you don''t look..."


    Isabella''s words make Oliver''s heart flutter. Facing his  dream lover, Oliver almost loses his resistance. But he still manages to control the desire in his heart and says, "Okay, stop messing around. There are only 1 hour and 40 minutes left. I don''t have much time."


    Isabella laughs softly. She stretches out her white hand and casually swipes, and a white curtain appears in front of her. She starts to put on clothes behind the curtain. Looking at the shadow reflected on the curtain, Oliver has an urge to rush up and hug her and kiss her wildly. He feels his genitals getting erect and swollen. ¡°Oliver grinds his teeth in hatred towards this intelligent program and thinks in his heart, "If she weren''t an intelligent program, I''d rape her."


    Soon Isabella changes her clothes. She sits on a sofa, and her beautiful appearance still makes Oliver''s heart flutter. Isabella strokes her wet hair and says, "Why are you in such a hurry to call me out? Do you have a question? Or are you missing your dream lover so much that you called me out to relieve your loneliness?"


    "Okay, I admit everything you said, okay?" Oliver says impatiently.


    Isabella giggles.


    Oliver says, "I thought of a question. Will the items I bring from the apocalyptic world be contaminated with the XR virus?" This question is very important. If the things he brings really contain the XR virus, Oliver can''t imagine the consequences.


    Isabella says, "The XR virus can only infect living organisms. And when the watch starts teleporting, it will automatically scan and process the space - time repository. Even if the items carry the XR virus, they will be cleared. So you don''t need to worry about bringing the XR virus here. However, it should be reminded that this scanning and processing doesn''t include you. If you are infected with the virus, then the watch will stop the teleportation function. In this way, it won''t affect the operation of this world either."


    After hearing the explanation, Oliver can''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He puts Isabella call back into the watch. Then he takes out several bottles of Coke, a few packs of instant noodles, and several sausages from the refrigerator in the kitchen and stuffs them into the space repository. After thinking for a while, he also puts a steel pot in. Of course, he doesn''t forget to put in cigarettes and wine. These things almost fill up the one - cubic - meter space. Oliver considers that he''ll have to stay in the apocalyptic world for 21 hours and can''t go without food or water. Judging from what he saw in the town, it''ll be very difficult to find something to eat.


    The supplies are very important for his survival in the apocalypse.

 Chapter 6 Meet humans

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    By the time he finishes his cigarette, the night has fallen. Oliver lights the branches. He then moves three stones over and makes a makeshift stove. He puts the pot on it. But then, he realizes, to his embarrassment, that he didn''t bring any water. This hillside is at least three hundred meters away from the river down there. That''s a long way, especially at night in this apocalypse.


    There''s nothing he can do, and Oliver just takes out a few cans of Coke. "Coke with instant noodles?Hmm, this is a first," he mumbles. He opens the Coke cans and pours them into the pot, starting to cook.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    There''s not a lot of Coke, so the water boils in just a few minutes. Oliver takes out two packs of instant noodles from his storage space, rips the bags open, throws them in, adds the seasonings, and soon, a nice smell fills the air. Just as Oliver is about to start eating, he embarrassingly realizes that he doesn''t bring any tableware.


    "Oh no..." Oliver''s annoyed at himself for not thinking this through.Is he really going to use the pot to eat directly? Oliver looks around. "Who cares? There''s no one around to see me doing this dumb thing anyway," he thinks.


    But before Oliver can do anything, he gets interrupted. He hears the sound of a car engine in the distance. Oliver puts down the noodles and hides behind a stone, peering out. He sees a car coming down the road towards him. The car''s not driving fast, but it''ll reach him in a few minutes.


    Sure enough, soon the car''s not far from Oliver. Two people jump out of the car, flashlights in hand, looking around warily.


    It''s a minibus. In the dim light, Oliver can see it''s all rusty, and half of the windshield is broken. The two people who jump out are a man and a woman. The man''s big and strong, and the woman is tall. The woman is wearing a tight - fitting coat that shows off her beautiful body curves.It''s so dark that he can''t make out the woman''s features. However, judging from her body curves, she must be very sexy.


    Both of them are holding guns, searching around in a ten - meter radius. When they''re sure there are no zombies, the woman flashes her flashlight at the minibus three times. The door opens again, and seven people get out one by one.


    Oliver frowns. He realizes these seven people are all old, weak, sick, or disabled. There are three old folks, three kids, and a guy in his thirties with his leg bandaged up. What surprises Oliver even more is that they seem to have picked this hillside too. They''re helping each other up the slope towards where he is.


    Looking at the little fire still burning on the stone, Oliver knows he''s gonna be found. He thinks about running away, but after thinking it over, he decides not to. He''s worried they''ll think he''s a zombie and shoot him.


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 Chapter 7 Gorgeous captain

    Oliver is still more than ten meters away from the muzzle of the gun, but he can  feel the killing intent from strong man. He''s very sure that if he makes any strange moves, the man will shoot him dead. So, as soon as the other side finishes speaking, Oliver immediately says, "Don''t shoot..." As he speaks, he walks out from behind the stone with his hands raised.


    The strong man sees that it isn''t a zombie coming out and heaves a sigh of relief, but his gun is still pointed at Oliver. He has learned many lessons and knows that sometimes people can be more ferocious than zombies. He shouts, "Don''t come any closer. Stand there, or I''ll shoot."


    Oliver can only do as he''s told and says, "Okay, okay. I don''t have any bad intentions. I don''t have a gun, and I don''t have any companions."


    The woman comes over with a flashlight. After she makes sure that Oliver doesn''t have any weapons in his hands, she carefully walks around to the front of the stone and checks again and again that there''s no one else nearby. She says to the strong man, "James, put down the gun. There''s no danger here." After that, she looks Oliver up and down.


    Oliver is also looking at her. This woman has a very delicate face, fair skin, and her blonde hair is tied into a ponytail, looking very energetic. She stares at Oliver with suspicious eyes. She''s wearing a tight windbreaker, and her figure is very sexy. Her chest is high, and Oliver thinks it''s at least a D cup or above.


    The two look at each other. Finally, the woman speaks first. "Why are you the only one here?" This question isn''t easy to answer, but Oliver has already thought of an excuse. "My team members are all killed by zombies on the way. Only I manage to escape here." He smiles and says, "My name is Oliver. What''s your name?"


    Maybe because she meets a fellow human, the beauty relaxes her vigilance and says, "My name is Victoria." In this world full of zombies, after more than three years of cruel fighting, it''s a happy thing to meet another person. So, Victoria Grace Kensington isn''t as cold to Oliver on the surface.


    When Oliver hears her name, he exclaims, "What a beautiful name. It''s as beautiful as you." Victoria''s face turns a little gloomy, and she quickly regains her cold expression. She sneers and says, "What''s the use of being beautiful? In this end - of - the - world, if you don''t have the ability, you''ll either be played with by others or become a zombie. Beauty is not as useful as a pack of compressed biscuits." After that, she turns around and directs the others in the team to set up camp beside the stone.


    It can be seen that the situation of this small team isn''t very good. There are three old people in their fifties. Because they haven''t had enough to eat for a long time, they''re very weak. Climbing up this small hillside seems to use up all their strength. There are also three teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old. Just like the old people, they don''t have enough to eat, their faces are sallow, and they''re so thin that they seem to be easily blown away by the wind. As soon as they reach the small hillside, without taking a rest, they take off the backpack from the back of the man with a leg injury and take out several thin and torn tents to set up.


    They seem to have cooperated for a long time. Victoria and James are in charge of guarding, shining the flashlight to check around.


    Oliver sees that they just stay close to him but don''t form a single camp with you. Obviously, they still have doubts about him, so he sensibly steps back. After all this fuss, Oliver is a bit hungry. He looks at the noodles in the pot, which have already cooled down. He breaks a small branch from the side of the stone to use as a fork and picks up the noodles to eat with enjoyment.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The smell of instant noodles is the strongest among all instant foods. You can smell it from far away, not to mention instant noodles cooked with cola. As soon as Oliver picks up the noodles, the smell spreads all around.


    Oliver has only eaten two mouthfuls when he hears a rush of footsteps. Three old people and three teenagers rush over from their camp and desperately surround him. Their eyes are all fixed on the pot in front of Oliver. The smell makes their mouths water. They keep licking their chapped lips, and their breathing becomes heavy, as if they''re trying their best to control themselves.


    Victoria,James, and the injured man also come over and surround him. They also stare at the instant noodles in the pot, constantly swallowing their saliva.


    The strong man£¬James suddenly points the gun at Oliver and growls in a low voice, "Hand over the food, or I''ll blow your head off." In the end of the world, it''s so difficult to find food. Either there are zombies blocking the way or it''s been looted by other survivors. A small and weak team like this simply doesn''t have the ability to find food.


    Oliver looks at the James in astonishment. He thinks to himself, "It''s just some instant noodles. Is it really necessary to be so exaggerated?" But seeing the muscles bulging in the him gun - holding arm, Oliver believes that he will really shoot. So he raises his hands and stands up, saying, "Don''t shoot. I''ll give you all the instant noodles."


    Oliver steps back more than ten steps. Except for Victoria and James, the other seven people cheer. However, they don''t rush to eat directly. Instead, they ask the injured man to divide the noodles equally and distribute them into the small iron bowls of each person. Two packs of instant noodles aren''t much, and each person only gets a little bit. When seeing the way they lick the soup in the pot clean, Oliver understands how short of food they are.


    Victoria and the James also get a share. The two swallow the instant noodles in one mouthful. Such a small amount of instant noodles can''t make them feel full at all, but it''s very lucky to have something to eat. After the instant noodles are all eaten up, James moves the gun away from Oliver and goes outside to stand guard.


    A blush appears on Victoria''s face. She walks up to Oliver and says a bit sheepishly, "I''m sorry. Just now we..." Oliver waves his hand generously and says, "It''s okay. I understand you." Victoria says gently, which is rare for her, "We haven''t eaten for three days, so we lost our manners. But we won''t eat your instant noodles for free." She takes out a gold ring from inside his clothes and says, "Using this ring to exchange for your instant noodles should be enough."


    Oliver instinctively takes it and feels like he''s dreaming. He says, "Exchange this ring for my instant noodles?" Victoria thinks Oliver thinks it''s too little. After hesitating for a while, she takes out a small bracelet and hands it to Oliver, saying, "Is this enough now?" Oliver can''t believe that two packs of one dollar instant noodles, plus a few cans of cola, can actually be exchanged for a gold ring and a white - gold bracelet. It''s really unbelievable.


    But Oliver quickly understands. In the end of the world, there are zombies everywhere, and the fields are all deserted. It''s extremely difficult to find something to eat. If you want to find food, you can only go to some villages and cities. Only there can there be a large amount of food. But there are also countless zombies there.


    In the end of the world, paper money is like waste paper. Only precious metals like gold are the only trading currency. It can even be said that food is more precious than gold. With food, you can exchange for a lot of gold, but with gold, you might not be able to exchange for food. This is why Victoria uses a gold ring and a white - gold bracelet to exchange for two packs of instant noodles.


    After figuring this out, Oliver suddenly becomes excited. You know, in his previous world, the ring and bracelet can be sold for at least a thousand dollars. The profit of these instant noodles is actually thousands of times.

 Chapter 8 Cooperate together

    Oliver suddenly gets inspired. He''s thinking about the banknotes that people have tossed away in this apocalyptic world, and the countless gold and diamonds in the cities. As long as he can take some back to his own world, it''ll be super easy to become a billionaire. And looking at the situation now, even if he can''t get the gold and diamonds in the cities, he can still get loads of them through food.


    But these thoughts just flash by, and right away Oliver feels down. He only has a one cubic meter space storage. How many bags of instant noodles can he bring here? There are a lot of banknotes here, but the printing dates are after 2070. They''re still mostly green, but he doesn''t even know which version they are. They can''t be used in his own world at all. There''s a lot of gold and diamonds in every city, but in the European area, which city doesn''t have millions of people? Those are millions of zombies. If he wants to die, he can think about going to get them.


    The ways to get rich he''s thinking of are all blocked, Oliver can''t help but sigh heavily. His dream of becoming a billionaire seems to be just a waste of time.


    Victoria sees that Oliver takes the ring and the small bracelet. Her face goes back to normal. She''s sitting in front of the campfire, casually putting down her gun, and throwing a few pieces of firewood into the fire. Only then does Oliver notice that Victoria is holding an automatic rifle. He doesn''t know what model the rifle is. After all, after decades, many things aren''t what he used to be familiar with. He''s thinking that in this apocalypse, the strong always have the power. Since he doesn''t even have a gun, he''s probably one of the weak.


    Oliver smiles awkwardly and sits opposite Victoria. He turns his head and sees that the three old people and three young people have already gone into the tent. He asks, puzzled, "Victoria, it seems your team isn''t very good." Victoria''s face looks a bit sad. She''s in a low mood and says, "Should we just leave them behind? Anyway, they''re all living people. As long as someone has a conscience, they won''t leave them. In this disaster, all of us should come together. Only then do we have a little chance to rebuild our homes." She smiles bitterly and sighs, "But how many people really understand this? In the face of disaster, everyone shows their true and ugly sides. As long as they can stay alive, anyone can be their stepping - stone."


    She becomes a pitiful woman in a flash, Oliver can''t help but feel sorry for her. He says, "Where are you going? The small town ahead isn''t easy to get through."


    Victoria looks sad and says, "Half a month ago, the base we''ve been guarding for three years runs out of food, and everyone''s running away. Just then, the base is being broken by zombies.Less than one - third of the people managed to escape alive.Along the way, a lot of people are starving to death because there''s no food. To reach the Dellai Base, many teams abandoned the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled.Because they need food and water, yet they can''t contribute to the protection of the team."


    Oliver looks at Victoria strangely and says, "So you can''t bear it and are willing to stay and lead them to form a new team?" Victoria nods and shows a determined look. She says, "In this apocalypse, women have the lowest status. They often just become tools for men to do bad things. But I''m going to prove to everyone that women can also kill zombies and lead the old and weak to the new base."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Oliver shakes his head and says, "To be honest, it seems really hard to make your wish come true now." Victoria says painfully, "Yes. When we left the base, there were more than thirty people in the team. But in half a month, only nine people are left. Without enough food, and there are still hundreds of kilometers from here to the Dellai Base We can''t make it there."


    If this were a normal world, a few hundred kilometers would just be a three - or four - hour drive. But in this apocalypse, there are zombies everywhere, and some roads are broken. It''ll take at least half a month to walk hundreds of kilometers. There are no safe places to get food along the way. If they want to eat, they have to take it from the zombies. And they''re also being suddenly attacked by zombies from time to time. It''s really lucky that their team can get here.


    Victoria looks at Oliver and asks, "What about you?" Of course, Oliver won''t tell her where he''s from. He shrugs and says, "I have no place to go now. I can only wander around. Maybe I''ll be eaten by zombies tomorrow. I''m alone and have no weapons. Do you think I can cross hundreds of kilometers to reach the new base?"


    Victoria hesitates for a while, stands up, and runs to the strong man who''s on watch. The two are talking in a low voice. After arguing for a few words, they come back to the campfire and stare at Oliver. She says, "Although I''m the team leader, James is the main fighter in the whole team. I get him to agree to let you join the team. Do you want to?"


    Oliver looks at this rather poor - looking team. He''s thinking that Victoria wants him to join probably because he can still fight. Oliver''s also thinking that in this apocalypse, he''s alone and has no weapons. Sooner or later, he''ll become food for zombies. Now, although this team is in bad shape, it''s still much better than being alone. Thinking like this, Oliver nods and says, "Sure, I do."


    Victoria smiles, showing her white teeth, and says, "Great. Now I''m your team leader." She pulls out a pistol from her leg and throws it to Oliver. She says, "There are only two automatic rifles in the team. You can use this pistol first."


    Oliver takes the pistol. He''s a bit excited.Oliver puts the pistol into a pocket that''s easy to reach. The matrix gave Oliver powerful shooting abilities and he thinks he can use the pistol to shoot down a branch a hundred meters away.


    Seeing that Oliver puts the gun away, Victoria takes out a map from her pocket, spreads it on the ground. She says, "This is our way to go tomorrow. We''ll pass through three small towns and seventeen villages. You came from the front. Can we try to go around?"


    Oliver nods and says, "Yes, there''s a small town a few kilometers ahead." Victoria says, "Can you tell me about it?" Oliver ran out of the small town ahead. He didn''t see many places clearly. But he still tells her everything he saw one by one. After listening, Victoria is a bit disappointed and says, "It seems that many people has already searched this small town. Otherwise, these zombies wouldn''t be so close together in one place. I wonder if there''s still any food left in the town."


    Oliver thinks of the small supermarket he saw. There might still be a small amount of food there.Victoria hesitates for a while, then suddenly slaps the map and says through gritted teeth, "We must go into the town tomorrow. The team has been hungry for three days. We must find food before we starve to death..."


    Oliver is really shocked. He knows that there are more than thirty thousand zombies in this small town. With only two automatic rifles and one pistol in the team? This is almost like going to die. Victoria seems so eager to get food that her actions become too impulsive.

 Chapter 9 Teammates

    Victoria is very decisive. Once she makes a decision, she never changes it. Oliver wants to stop her from this action. But when he thinks about the old and young in the team, who will starve to death without food, he gives up his idea.


    Victoria and James are in charge of the night watch. The injured man is named Liam. He is originally a teacher in Cranford. Because he has a strong immunity to the virus, he survives. He has been managing refugees in the base. During this escape, he gets hit in the thigh by a stray bullet and is abandoned by the large group. So he can only follow Victoria''s team.


    In this apocalyptic world, everyone can use a gun. Liam looks gentle, but after three years of guarding the base, he becomes a machine gunner. Victoria values his machine - gun skills. However, since the team doesn''t have a machine gun, he can only guard the shooting point on the minibus and is considered half a combatant.


    James is keeping watch in the first half of the night. Victoria goes into the tent with her gun. Soon, a faint snoring sound comes out.


    Oliver shakes his head.He lies beside the small campfire and feels a warm sensation in his heart. This is his first night in the apocalypse. His mood can''t calm down for a long time, and he is thinking about many things.He can''t fall asleep. Finally, he simply sits up and takes out a cigarette to smoke.


    After smoking half of it, Oliver calls out Isabella and starts to check the database. He finds that there is a lot of information in it, and the functions of the watch are also very powerful.For example, the map he needs most now can be found in the database and will appear flat in his mind. This discovery makes Oliver very happy. He can''t help asking Isabella, "Can we get real - time satellite maps?"


    Isabella smiles and says, "Surely we can..."


    Oliver is overjoyed again. In this way, can''t he discover every move of the zombies? But just as he gets excited, Isabella says, "But you need to reach the fifth - level gene authority to use this function!"


    Isabella''s words make Oliver very disappointed. Oliver smokes dejectedly and mutters, "This is almost like not saying anything!"


    At this time, footsteps come from behind. Oliver turns around and sees that it''s Liam. He walks over and sit beside Oliver. He sniffs hard and says, "The smell of cigarettes. I haven''t smelled it for over a year. I really miss it."


    Oliver knows what Liam is thinking. Liam also wants to smoke. Oliver directly hands the whole pack of cigarettes to him and says, "Here you are..."


    Liam is very happy. He takes out a cigarette, lights it with a burning branch from the fire, takes a big puff, and sighs, "I haven''t smoked for over a year. This is really torture." He looks at the cigarette pack by the firelight and is immediately surprised, "This is Winston.£¡This thing stopped production in 2045. Where do you get it? My God! This pack is worth at least five kilograms of rice."


    Oliver just smiles. He can''t explain that this pack of cigarettes actually comes from 2024. Oliver is surprised that a pack of Winston cigarettes can be exchanged for five kilograms of rice. His two packs of instant noodles can be exchanged for a ring and a bracelet. The five kilograms of rice is worth at least two or three hundred grams of gold, right? Converted into US dollars, it''s at least $10,000.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Did Winston cigarettes stop production in 2045?" Oliver feels a bit regretful for giving away something worth $10,000 so generously. He has to change the topic to stop thinking about it. Liam smokes greedily and says vaguely, "It stopped production in 2045. It''s very hard to see Winston cigarettes on the market now." After smoking, he searches in his pocket for a while, takes out a piece of gold about 20 grams, hands it to Oliver, and says sheepishly, "I can''t take your cigarettes for nothing. This is all I have."


    Oliver waves his hand and says, "Forget it. I seldom smoke usually. It''s a waste for me to keep this pack of cigarettes. We are a team. I''ll give it to you." Oliver is very generous. What seems very valuable in their eyes is just a cheap and easily - obtained item in his eyes. Like this pack of Winston cigarettes, as long as he returns to his previous world, he can get a lot.


    Liam doesn''t refuse. He puts away the cigarettes and says, "I''ll remember your kindness. I will repay you in the future." He stands up and goes back into the tent. A red glow is flashing in the tent. It seems that he is still smoking.


    Oliver shakes his head. He stops thinking about other things and lies down to fall into a deep sleep.


    Just at dawn the next day, Oliver feels someone gently pushing him. He opens his eyes and finds a young boy in the team. The boy is thin and sallow - faced, with a look of fear on his face. When the boy sees Oliver open his eyes, he quickly stands up, steps back a few steps, and points to Victoria and says, "The captain asks me to wake you up."


    Oliver smiles and says, "I''m not going to eat you. What are you afraid of? What''s your name?" The young boy turns around and runs towards Victoria, saying as he runs, "My name is Leo."


    Oliver only has one pot as his luggage. He can''t put the steel pot into the space storage in front of his teammates. He can only pick it up. He follows Victoria and the teammates and walks towards the minibus at the foot of the small hill.


    To be honest, in Oliver''s eyes, this minibus should have been scrapped long ago. Not to mention the windshield in the front of the vehicle, most of the paint on the whole body has fallen off, revealing the rusty iron sheet inside. Even worse, one of the rear tires has a big cut, and the inner tube can be faintly seen. Oliver even doubts whether this tire can still be used. If it has a flat tire when they are besieged by zombies, it will be a disaster.


    Victoria sees Oliver in a daze and says helplessly, "There''s no way. This is the only vehicle we can find that can still run. We can only make do with it for now. I hope we can find a better car in the town ahead."


    Oliver certainly understands Victoria''s difficulties. He just sighs and gets on the bus. Half of the seats in the minibus have been removed to pile up sundries. After the three old people and three young people get on the bus, they sit on the seats and fasten themselves with seat belts. Oliver throws the steel pot into the pile of sundries and finds a seat by the window to sit down.


    Liam comes over and kindly reminds, "Oliver, you''d better take out your pistol. The attacks of zombies are sometimes very sudden. If we can''t suppress them, they will soon surround the vehicle. At that time, the thin iron sheet of the minibus can''t stop them." Oliver has no experience in fighting against zombies. People like Liam, who have experienced more than three years in the apocalypse, are the most experienced. So Oliver takes out the pistol from his waist, checks the magazine, and after making sure it''s okay, says, "Thank you."


    Victoria is driving. After the minibus starts, the whole vehicle is filled with the noise of the engine. James was on duty in the first half of the night and is now lying beside the sundries catching up on sleep. Liam smiles at Oliver, goes to the back of the vehicle, and starts to stand guard.

 Chapter 10 A dangerous village

    The minibus drives for over ten minutes, and everything goes smoothly. When it passes through a small village, more than ten zombies rush out, but the minibus is speeding and leaves them behind.Zombies are slow and can''t catch up with the minibus which is running at 50 kilometers per hour.


    However, five minutes later, their good luck ends. Since the road is in the middle of the village, the minibus has to pass through the big village. As soon as they reach the village entrance, they see some zombies walking around. Oliver went around through the fields when he passed here yesterday, but that won''t work now.


    James gets up from the vehicle, picks up the automatic rifle, and comes to the front. Clearly, they''ve faced this situation before. Victoria asks, "Shall we rush through?" James nods and says firmly, "We must rush through." He turns his head and says coldly, "Sit firmly. If anyone gets thrown out of the vehicle, they''ll be eaten by zombies."


    James'' muscles are tight, and he looks very tough. Oliver can''t figure out why he stays in this weak - fighting team. But when he sees how James looks at Victoria, Oliver understands. James is Victoria''s admirer. In this in this apocalypse, it''s a miracle that such a weak team has made it this far.


    While Oliver is thinking, James looks at him coldly and shouts, "Oliver, you drive." Oliver is shocked. He has never driven such a big vehicle before. Fortunately, he got excellent driving skills from the Matrix. After a short hesitation, he takes Victoria''s driving seat.


    "Just rush through?" Oliver is a bit nervous. This is his first time to drive a minibus. James nods hard. Oliver presses the gas pedal all the way down, and the minibus roars and rushes forward like an arrow.


    The minibus engine''s sound quickly attracts the zombies at the village entrance. They smell fresh meat and rush towards it. The same sound also attracts the zombies in the village. They come out from the grass or houses and gather by the roadside.


    James yells at Oliver, "Don''t stop the vehicle, or we''re all dead." Oliver knows there are at least a thousand zombies in the village. Once they surround the minibus, they can''t stop them with just two automatic rifles and two pistols. Oliver''s hands are full of sweat. He holds the steering wheel tightly and keeps the gas pedal down, charging into the village entrance.


    Gunshots, bang bang bang, keep coming. James at the front keeps pulling the rifle trigger, and the bullets shoot out quickly. The zombies at the entrance fall one by one. The zombies with their heads shot lose the ability to move and become like soft piles.


    Oliver clenches his teeth and doesn''t slow down at all. The minibus runs over the zombies. The sound of bones breaking makes Oliver feel very uncomfortable. Once a zombie''s nervous system is damaged, its bones become like normal human bones. Oliver is sure that the zombies run over by the minibus will turn into a mess of flesh.


    After the minibus rushes into the village, over a hundred zombies come out from both sides. Luckily, they haven''t surrounded the minibus yet. The time for Oliver and the others is running out. The gunshots from James and the other two keep going, and they kill one zombie after another. As there are more and more zombies, they don''t have time to aim carefully. They just shoot a lot of bullets to slow down the zombies.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Damn it..." Oliver suddenly cursed. The road ahead is blocked by more than ten zombies. If they can''t get through before more zombies come, things will be very bad.


    James also perceived the situation ahead. He says coldly, "Crash through them..." Oliver grips the steering wheel tightly.What else can they do? The minibus doesn''t slow down because of Oliver''s hesitation and still rushes forward at the same speed.


    With a loud bang, the front of the minibus hits hard. Several zombies are knocked into the air. The thick, black blood splashes like water drops. The zombies knocked into the air fall on the road and are then run over by the roaring minibus. A zombie with its lower body cut off by the minibus still opens its mouth and crawls on the road with its two hands, trying to catch up with the running minibus.


    James'' rifle never stops. He changes the magazine very fast, taking less than three seconds each time. Facing the splashing dirty blood at the front, he doesn''t even blink. The rifle kills the zombies trying to jump at them. Although the zombies are fierce, in front of the minibus running at over 70 kilometers per hour, they can only be knocked into the air. The more than ten zombies in front are cleared away quickly.


    Oliver is so scared that his heart beats faster and faster. What he''s experiencing now is much more exciting than in movies. Oliver feels a bit relieved. Just as they''re about to drive out of the village entrance, two shadows rush up from the roadside. In a flash, they catch up with the minibus. Through the mirror, Oliver can clearly see two big black dogs chasing the minibus closely. They''re very fast, only two or three meters away from the minibus.


    Liam, who is at the back of the vehicle, shoots hard. But these two dogs are very quick and dodge most of Liam''s bullets. Even if a bullet hits them, it just makes them slow down a bit. The mutated black dogs can''t feel pain at all.It''s very hard to kill them if their nervous system isn''t broken.


    "Fuck..." James swears loudly. He runs from the front to the back. The mutated animals like these are even harder to deal with than zombies. They''re very quick, and it''s hard to hit their heads with a gun. Once they jump onto the vehicle, everyone on the bus will be their food.


    Victoria, who has been guarding the side of the minibus, also gets worried. She shouts, "Oliver, drive faster..." She gives up defending the side, and the three of them rush to the back, shooting crazily at the black dogs following behind. For a moment, the gunshots come one after another.


    Although the black dogs are quick, under the fire of three guns, one black dog that tries to jump onto the vehicle is shot in the head in the air. The rifle has a big caliber, and the strong bullet takes away most of the black dog''s head right away. The head - less black dog falls from the air, hits the road, and is quickly left far behind.


    While everyone is shooting at that black dog, the other one takes the chance to jump up. Its sharp claws tear the iron sheet at the back of the minibus, and its whole body hangs on the back. With a strong pull of its front legs, its whole body jumps up again, opens its mouth, and pounces towards Liam.


    "Go to hell, son of a bitch..." A sharp big knife appears suddenly and cuts off the head of the pouncing black dog. The splashing black blood gets all over Liam. It''s James who swings the knife. With all his strength, he almost falls, but he quickly turns his body and kicks the still - moving dog''s head out of the vehicle. Then he sits down on the things, breathing hard.

 Chapter 11 Return to the town

    It isn''t until they deal with the two mutated black dogs chasing them that the minibus is finally safe. Everyone on the minibus slumps in their seats, exhausted from the intense battle. It is particularly dangerous when the wild dogs catch up, and if it weren''t for the three of them firing frantically, the dogs might have jumped onto the minibus. Despite their efforts, the back of the minibus is torn apart, leaving it even more dilapidated.


    The minibus drives into the countryside, where only a few zombies wander by the roadside, posing no threat to the vehicle. Oliver runs over any zombies that get in the way.


    As the minibus approaches the town, Oliver stops the vehicle and says, "Up ahead is the town. The terrain here is open, and we''re some distance from any human settlements. As long as we''re careful, we should be fine." Victoria checks the surroundings and decides this is a good place to stop.


    The only ones in the group with any fighting capability are Victoria, James, Liam, and Oliver. Victoria says, "We''ve been without food for three days. The town ahead is our only hope. Liam, since you''re injured, you stay and guard the minibus. The rest of us will go into town to find food."


    James and Liam agree, but Oliver is concerned about leaving Liam alone to guard the minibus. Victoria decides that James should stay behind while she and Oliver go to find food.


    James says, "Victoria, you should stay. There are a lot of zombies in the town, and you haven''t eaten for three days. You might not have the strength to fight them off." Victoria argues, "But James, you haven''t eaten for three days either..." James confidently replies, "Don''t worry, during my military training, I could go three days without food or water and still be strong."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Oliver also doesn''t want Victoria to take the risk. He says, "Don''t worry, we''ll find food." He jokes, "Just have the pot ready with boiling water, so we can cook the rice as soon as we get back."


    Victoria smiles and tries to give the automatic rifle to Oliver, but he refuses, saying, "I have my handgun, which will be enough. You keep the rifle to provide cover for the minibus."


    Actually, Oliver has several packets of instant noodles in his spatial storage, but he can''t reveal this secret to anyone. Plus, the noodles have a production date of 2024, which would be too suspicious. Oliver plans to find an opportunity to tear off the packaging before sharing them.


    Without a vehicle, Oliver and James walk towards the town. Oliver says, "If we had a motorcycle, our chances of success would be much higher." James replies seriously, "This world has been at a standstill for over three years. Most vehicles would be out of commission by now. Finding a working motorcycle would be nearly impossible."


    The outskirts of the town have scattered houses and wandering zombies. They avoid the zombies, making their progress slow.


    Oliver says, "Let''s see if we can find a vehicle, maybe check out the town''s repair shop." James worriedly replies, "The zombies won''t give us much time."


    They reach the town''s entrance and find it swarming with zombies, making it impassable.


    Oliver and James go around this entrance.. Oliver says, "Yesterday, I drew most of the zombies to this entrance, so there should be fewer in other areas." James says, "Zombies have keen senses of smell and hearing. We only have about five minutes to get into town before they notice us."


    They reach the other side of the town, and Oliver uses his watch to pull up a map. He decides to go to the residential building to look for food.


    James is concerned about the number of zombies that might be inside, but Oliver says, "Yesterday, I saw that the town''s supermarket had been cleared out. I think going to the residential building will be safer."


    James agrees, saying, "Okay, just be quick. I can only hold off the zombies for five or six minutes."


    Oliver makes an ¡°OK¡± gesture, and James rushes out to draw the zombies away. Oliver then runs towards the residential building.

 Chapter 12 Start carrying the food

    The first floor of the residential building is about five meters high. In the past, Oliver would have never been able to climb it. But now, with his body strength enhanced fivefold, the impossible has become possible.


    Oliver leaps into the air, jumping nearly three meters high, and successfully grabs the window above. With this momentum, he easily jumps from the window to the second floor.


    The second-floor windows have iron bars, but this doesn''t stop Oliver.


    He puts his handgun back into his spatial storage and grabs the iron bars with both hands. With all his might, he pries them open. The bars twist and deform under his strength, eventually creating a large opening. Oliver rubs his sore arms; even with his enhanced strength, tearing open the iron bars is still quite tough.


    Oliver opens the window, listens carefully, and confirms there are no zombies before signaling to James in the distance. He then jumps through the opening and hides behind the curtains.


    He enters a large living room with ordinary decor and common but disordered furniture. On the wall hangs a family portrait of a couple in their fifties and their children in their twenties. Oliver glances at it, thinking they must have been happy before the virus outbreak.


    After confirming there''s no danger, Oliver contacts Isabella and asks, "Can the teleportation function only be used once a day?" Isabella stretches herself and replies, "The teleportation function resets at midnight every day. You can use it anytime during the day, but only once."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Oliver immediately activates the teleportation function, returning to his apartment in the real world. Oliver has made a plan. The small town is full of zombies. Going in in his current state would be nothing but a suicidal act. However, he can''t just stand by and watch the people in the team starve to death. The only solution is to teleport back to the real world and bring food from there.


    He quickly runs to the market, buys a 50 kg bag of rice and a pack of dried radish strips.He hoists them up and runs towards the apartment.


    Oliver''s actions are leaving the people at the market astonished, especially when they see him carrying over a 50 kg of rice and still running incredibly fast. His speed even surpasses that of a sprinter. Instantly, Oliver becomes the talk.


    After returning to the apartmen, Oliver considers the production date on the packaging and quickly finds a wooden barrel from the kitchen. He pours the rice and radish strips into the barrel.


    Oliver puts the wooden barrel into his spatial storage, and teleports back to the apocalyptic world.


    He jumps down from the window, using curtains tied into a rope to slide to the ground. Seeing that James is struggling, Oliver shouts, "James, let''s go!" James immediately follows, and the two rush into the field, shaking off the zombies.


    While resting in a dry ditch, James asks, "How''d it go?" Oliver opens the barrel, revealing the white rice and dried radish strips. James excitedly says, "It''s been over a year since I last had rice. I''m going to eat my fill this time!" Oliver smiles and says, "We should head back to the minibus and leave this town as soon as possible."

 Chapter 13 Dangerous combat

    As the two men climb out of the ditch, they hear a burst of gunfire in the distance. James furrows his brow, determines the direction, and his expression changes. "This is bad," he says. "The gunshots are coming from the minibus." Oliver immediately understands that Victoria and the others must have encountered zombies; otherwise, there wouldn''t be such intense gunfire. Without hesitation, the two men sprint towards the van.


    Just as James suspected, they see the minibus surrounded by dozens of zombies from afar. Although the teammate''s firepower is suppressing the zombies, a single automatic rifle and a handgun clearly won''t hold off these crazed creatures for long.


    Seeing the urgency of the situation, Oliver tosses the bag of rice on his shoulder to James and says, "I''ll go save them." Before James can react, Oliver is already sprinting at full speed. His speed astonishes James, even surpassing that of the top instructors from his special forces days.


    Oliver quickly reaches about ten meters in front of the minibus, and the zombies notice him. About a dozen zombies turn and lunge towards him. Oliver reaches out, and a handgun automatically appears in his hand from his spatial storage. He feels his reaction speed and accuracy greatly enhanced, shooting a zombie in the head with each pull of the trigger.


    Isabella explains in Oliver''s mind, "This is a Model 50 handgun, proposed by USMS SO in 2048 and officially equipped in 2050. It features low recoil, high power, and a large magazine capacity. It can also use special explosive rounds."


    Oliver''s Model 50 handgun holds 24 rounds, enough to deal with the zombies in front of him. He fires continuously, each shot accurately hitting a zombie in the head. Although the zombies look human, killing them makes Oliver feel uneasy. Despite his complex feelings, he knows that if he doesn''t kill the zombies, they will eat him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After taking down the zombies, Oliver feels a mix of excitement and concern. He asks Isabella, "Isabella, do you think this feeling might be a bit off, like turning into a killing machine?" Isabella smiles and replies, "You''re only killing virus-infected zombies; they''re no longer human. Your excitement is just an emotional response in your genetic state and will fade with more experience."


    Oliver breathes a sigh of relief, reassured that he won''t become a murderous maniac. With 7 bullets left in his handgun, he rushes onto the van and uses the remaining rounds to clear a path. He asks Victoria for more ammo, but she tells him they''re out of bullets for the Model 50.


    Without ammo, Oliver''s handgun is useless. As more zombies close in, he discards the handgun and grabs a steel pipe from the minibus. Jumping off, he swings it at a zombie''s head. With all his strength, he smashes the zombie''s head, splattering black liquid everywhere. He continues to fight, taking down more zombies with the steel pipe.


    In just a few minutes, the attacking zombies are either killed by Oliver''s blows or shot by Victoria and Liam, leaving a pile of bodies on the ground.


    James arrives with the bag of rice just as the last zombie falls. Oliver look at the corpse on the ground and feels like throwing up. Victoria and Liam are catching their breath on the minibus, while the other teammates look pale with fright.


    Once everyone has recovered, James asks, "Victoria, what happened?" Victoria points to the distant field and explains, "The zombies were hiding in the tall grass and silently approached us. If Liam hadn''t been on guard, they would have gotten too close for us. We won''t be able to stop them.It was really dangerous!"


    Liam smiles and says, "Luckily, Oliver eliminated half of the zombies, or we would have been in serious trouble." He points to the minibus''s exterior, where deep scratches from the zombies'' claws are visible, showing just how dangerous the situation was.

 Chapter 14 Indulge in a delicious meal

    Despite going through a dangerous situation and being short on ammunition, the bucket full of white rice that James carries back still gets everyone excited in an instant.


    They don''t bother with their fatigue and drive the minibus around the town, then stop at an open section of the road to cook.


    Usually, these kinds of tasks are handled by the three old men and the three kids, while the members with combat capabilities are on guard around.


    The three old men get energetic right away and have a clear division of labor. One goes to carry stones to build a stove, another takes an iron shovel to dig a water pit in the field, and the other one, along with the three children, goes around to pick up withered branches and weeds for making a fire.


    James is on the roof of the minibus, keeping watch with an automatic rifle. Liam, dragging his injured leg, looks around from a stone not far from the minibus, holding a Type 50 pistol with only half a magazine left.


    Oliver is half - lying in the grass by the roadside, looking at the sun, thinking that if it weren''t for the apocalypse, this would be like a pleasant outing.


    Victoria comes over generously and sits down beside Oliver. "Thanks a lot for what you do just now!" she says.


    Oliver smiles and replies, "Captain, you''re being too polite. We''re in the same team. I just do my bit."


    Then, looking at the pit dug by the old man, Oliver asks in confusion, "The water in the river looks pretty clear. It should be okay to drink. Why go through all this trouble to dig for water?"


    Victoria is a bit taken aback. She thinks this team member''s questions are so strange, but still explains, "The XR virus infects not only humans but also a lot of animals. Take the fish in the water for example. Their nature has changed. They''ve got mutated abilities and will attack anything that gets close to the river. The river water may seem clean, but it''s deadly."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Oliver is surprised that the virus is so powerful and can''t help shaking his head. "Seems like the surviving humans are isolated by this XR virus," he says.


    Victoria lies down too and says, "Two years ago, many radio stations were still working, and the rescue bases around could still communicate. But as the zombies attack, the bases are breached one by one, and there''s less news now. Last year, I hear from a coastal base that most of the marine life has been infected and mutated too. They say a shark can easily tear a frigate apart. I don''t know if it''s true."


    Oliver is shocked. With so many marine creatures, if they are all infected, it will be dangerous for humans to set foot in the ocean. But Dellai Base is an inland province, so they don''t need to worry about it for the time being.


    Thinking about the ammunition issue, Oliver asks, "How much ammunition is left in the team?" Victoria''s expression turns serious. "Liam is the only one with half a magazine of pistol bullets. The automatic rifle is a bit better, with five magazines, but it won''t last long against the zombies. Even if every shot hits, it can at most take out about a hundred zombies," she says.


    Oliver frowns. In this apocalypse, zombies are everywhere. Without enough ammunition, they can''t stop them. Once the zombies get close, the team will be doomed.


    Oliver sighs and says, "Let''s figure out a way to get some bullets later. If we save this bucket of rice, it should last us until we reach the dellai base." Victoria nods in agreement.


    The aroma of the cooked rice wafts over. For those who haven''t eaten for days and haven''t had rice for over a year, this smell is irresistible.


    Victoria, forgetting her image, drools and rushes towards the rice pot. The others are even more eager. Even James and the others who are on guard run to eat. Oliver has no choice but to climb onto the roof of the minibus to keep watch.


    After everyone is full, they realize they have forgotten about Oliver. There is only a little bit of rice crust left in the pot. The old man suggests cooking another portion. Everyone know this is not just about food, but also about a person''s feelings.


    Victoria scrapes the remaining rice crust into a bowl, climbs onto the roof of the minibus, and stammers to Oliver, "Thanks... Oliver. I hope you don''t mind. We just can''t control our hunger and end up like this. But I promise, this won''t happen again in the team. Really, you have to believe me." After saying that, she looks at Oliver nervously.

 Chapter 15 The gasoline is running out

    Oliver looks at Victoria, who looks so pitiful in front of him, with a somewhat amused expression. He''s thinking, how could she possibly think he''d blow up over a meal? He had a great meal with plenty of meat just yesterday. Why would he get mad about this black - charred, half - cooked rice without any side dishes? Looking at the rice, Oliver loses his appetite. So, he makes an excuse, saying he''s not hungry and suggests giving the food to Leo and the others.


    Victoria thinks he''s angry, and she quickly explains that they took his food yesterday, and he won''t have the strength if he doesn''t eat today. All of a sudden, Oliver smiles and says,"You finally looks like a woman now. "


    Victoria blushes and gives a rebuke.


    Then she turns around, trying to get off the vehicle. Oliver calls out to her, secretly takes out a can of Coca - Cola from his storage and gives it to her. Victoria takes it, her face still red, and then hurries into the vehicle.


    After everyone gets their things packed up, the team continues their journey.


    When Oliver gets on the vehicle, Victoria throws him a piece of clothing, then silently sits in the driver''s seat and starts driving.


    Only then does Oliver realize his clothes are covered with the stinky liquid of rotting flesh.


    After changing into the new clothes, he distributes cigarettes to Liam, James, and the three old men. Soon, the inside of the vehicle is filled with smoke.


    Liam sighs, saying he hasn''t felt this comfortable in years. He also apologizes to Oliver for what happened before. Oliver says it doesn''t matter, as there''s still rice in the bucket and they can cook it later.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    James remarks that Oliver is really good at fighting. Close - range combat with zombies requires a lot of courage. If one is infected with the XR virus by accident, the consequences would be disastrous.


    Oliver is actually scared too. He only resorted to this method because of the shortage of ammunition at that time. He decides to avoid such situations as much as possible in the future. But now, with the lack of ammunition, it''s a real problem to stop the zombies.


    The journey goes fairly smoothly. They occasionally come across a few zombies and some abandoned cars. To save ammunition, they just drive straight through. The impact of the minibus is enough to crush the zombies that get in the way.


    Oliver closes his eyes to rest and communicates with Isabella in his mind. He learns that his genetic strength has increased by nearly half, reaching 975, which makes him really excited.


    He asks Isabella how the genetic strength is calculated.


    Isabella says there are two ways.


    One is the degree of familiarity with using the genetic power. High - intensity use will generate familiarity, which will be counted towards the genetic strength.


    The other is that killing zombies can slightly increase the genetic strength.


    There''s also an extreme way to stimulate genetic potential, but it can only be triggered when one''s life is under a fatal threat. After hearing this, Oliver is a bit scared and doesn''t want to experience such danger.


    By noon, the team has advanced 230 kilometers, and there''s only half the distance left to their destination. When they find an open area to rest, Victoria comes to Oliver, looking worried.


    She tells him that the minibus is running low on gas and can only last about three hours. They have to refuel at the gas station ahead. But gas stations in the apocalypse are hard to deal with. They passed a gas station before, where there were more than a dozen cars parked and dozens of zombies.


    They couldn''t clear the zombies with their strength, so they chose to give up.


    Oliver frowns and sighs. With the shortage of ammunition, it seems there will be another tough close - range battle.


    He can only hope not to be infected by the zombies.

 Chapter 16 Capture the fuel

    After getting along with Victoria for these two days, Oliver has gained an in - depth understanding of her character. In front of others, she''s a capable and decisive. But when night falls and everything is quiet, her vulnerability and helplessness come out. That''s why, ever since Oliver showed his strong abilities, whenever Victoria runs into a problem, she subconsciously comes to consult him.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll handle the fuel issue," Oliver says with a smile, trying to comfort the anxious - looking Victoria.


    The lunch isn''t burned, but the half - cooked taste is still hard to swallow. After what happened in the morning, Victoria is now in charge of distributing food. Looking at the minibus filled with all kinds of clutter, Oliver can''t help but complain, "Are we escaping a disaster or moving house?" Unable to eat any more, Oliver hands half a bowl of rice to Leo. "Kid, you need to eat more to grow," he says. These words make the kid''s eyes turn red with feelings of gratitude.


    The road conditions ahead are really bad. The road has been in disrepair for years, with cracks all over the place, and weeds are growing wildly, seriously blocking the view. Victoria has to slow the minibus down to 20 kilometers per hour, and the fuel - shortage problem is getting more and more serious.


    Oliver checks the map and finds a gas station over forty kilometers ahead. But seeing the village marked next to it, he feels both hopeful and a bit worried.


    Along the way, most of the area is uninhabited mountains, and everyone is taking a rest.


    Oliver and Liam are talking in whispers. "Don''t underestimate Victoria just because she''s a woman. She has a long - term vision," Liam says, leaning back on his seat. "Those three old men all have real skills. George has been fixing cars for forty years. The minibus can run thanks to him. William has been an electrician for over thirty years, and Frederick has been repairing electronic equipment for almost thirty years. Together, they can solve all the problems with the minibus."


    "What about the three kids?" Oliver asks curiously.


    "They''re all junior high school students. They''re the fresh blood of the team now. If we get some guns in the future, they might become the main firepower of the team," Liam replies with a smile.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    After driving out of the continuous mountains and moving forward for another five kilometers, they finally see the gas station. To avoid alerting the zombies in the nearby village, they stop the minibus five or six hundred meters away. Oliver and James get off the bus with fuel cans in their hands. "If everything goes well, these two cans of fuel will be enough to get us to the Dellai  base," Oliver says in a low voice.


    There are dozens of cars parked in front of the gas station. It''s obvious that many people have had their eyes on this place. But all kinds of signs indicate that the previous teams were trapped by zombies. It doesn''t look good, and this makes Oliver really nervous. There must be a huge number of zombies in the gas station.


    Seeing some zombies wandering around, Oliver and James quickly hide behind the bushes. "James, this place is dangerous," Oliver whispers. "I''ll draw the zombies away. You take the chance to fill up the fuel. After that, go back to the minibus. Don''t worry about me. I can get away."


    James nods and hands his automatic rifle to Oliver. Oliver refuses and shakes his steel pipe. "I''m just here to draw the zombies. You keep the gun in case of any accidents."


    "Be careful. If it doesn''t work, just run. Don''t worry about me," James says with concern.


    Oliver takes a deep breath and then suddenly rushes out of the bushes towards the gas station. He covers the distance of seven or eight hundred meters in just a few seconds and reaches the outskirts. The zombies react quickly, and a dozen of them come charging at him immediately. Oliver jumps onto a car. Before the zombies arrive, he starts smashing the car''s glass crazily. "Come on, you monsters! Chase me!"


    With Oliver''s roar, the gas station suddenly comes to life. Zombies pour out from all directions. The scene is extremely terrifying.


    Oliver tries his best to hold back his fear. At this moment, not all the zombies have move yet, so James doesn''t have a chance to get the gasoline. The first batch of zombies reach the car and start scratching and hitting it crazily. Oliver waves his steel pipe, but the car is shaking so much that he could fall at any moment.


    After killing a few zombies, all the zombies in the gas station come out. Oliver jumps off the car and leads the zombies towards the wasteland to prevent them from blocking the road. As soon as the zombies leave, James rushes out, carrying his gun and the fuel cans, and runs towards the fuel dispenser.


    Oliver breathes a sigh of relief and starts leading the zombies in circles in the wasteland. It takes at least three minutes to fill up the fuel, and including the time for retreat, he has to hold them off for five minutes. Looking at the zombies getting closer and closer, Oliver starts to worry, "Can I really hold them off for five minutes?"

 Chapter 17 Zombies have mutated

    Oliver takes a glance at his watch. Only one minute has passed. This wasteland isn''t big, and with over two hundred zombies crammed together, his moving space is shrinking constantly, and the chance of escaping is getting slimmer and slimmer.


    Facing these tireless zombies, Oliver feels helpless. If he had an automatic rifle and enough bullets, he could take them out in ten minutes.


    But he doesn''t.


    Oliver looks at the weed - covered wasteland and gets an idea. He approaches the mud wall which is more than ten meters high. With the help of a steel pipe, he starts climbing. When he''s halfway up, he digs out a place where he can stand and sits there, swinging his legs and mocking the zombies, "Aren''t you guys so tough? Come on up!"


    By now, three minutes have passed. James have filled up the gasoline. Oliver just needs to hold off for a few more minutes to let him get away safely.


    The zombies swarm to the bottom of the mud wall and start climbing with their hands. In less than a minute, several of them have climbed nearly three meters high. They stick their fingers into the soil, not caring about the rotting flesh falling off.


    More and more zombies are climbing up. Oliver''s face changes. He didn''t expect they could actually climb up.


    "Well, if that''s the case, don''t blame me for being ruthless." Oliver grips the steel pipe tightly. When the zombies get close, he hit them away.


    Just when Oliver is in a flurry, a male gas - station - attendant zombie in the zombie horde stops moving. Its rotting flesh and bones change from pitch - black to blood - red. Muscles bulge one by one, bursting its already tattered uniform. Its whole body trembles, and it lets out a howl like a ghost.


    Oliver is stunned when he sees this. "Fuck! What''s going on here?" The muscles of zombies were supposed to be destroyed by the virus, but now new muscles are growing. This situation completely shatters his understanding of the XR virus.


    Just then, Isabella shows up and warns, "This zombie has mutated. Its ability is about five times stronger. You ran into this one - in - ten - thousand chance of mutation."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Oliver comes to his senses. Thinking about the terrifying ability of the mutated zombie, he breaks out in a cold sweat. "Zombies can mutate? If this keeps up, will there be any living space for humans after a few mutations?"


    Isabella explains that the mutation rate of ordinary zombies is one in ten thousand, but certain conditions are required. Approximately, one or two mutated zombies may appear among every fifty thousand zombies. The probability of further evolution after each mutation is also one in ten thousand.


    Theoretically, among the seven billion zombies in the world, about three hundred and fifty thousand mutated zombies will be produced, and among them, about one hundred and fifty will be three - time evolved zombies. The principle of the XR virus is very complicated, so the appearance of four - to - five - time evolved zombies can''t be ruled out. The evolved and mutated zombies are classified into levels R1 - R5, and there might even be an R6 level.


    After hearing this, Oliver feels a bitter taste in his mouth. The ability of an R1 zombie is about three times that of a human, and an R2 zombie is seven times. With his ten - times - human - strength ability, he can barely deal with an R2 zombie.


    During their conversation, the male gas - station - attendant zombie finishes evolving and reaches the R2 level. Its throat can make monotonous notes. It first growls at Oliver, then leaps from the zombie horde, lunges onto the mud wall, and crawls towards Oliver quickly, using both hands and feet.


    Oliver''s scalp tingles. This speed is several times faster than that of an ordinary zombie. It''s going to be hard to deal with.


    The R2 zombie comes at him fiercely. Oliver pulls out the steel pipe and stabs at its head. The R2 zombie turns its head to avoid the attack, but its body still rushes towards Oliver. Its cyan - colored fingers are extremely sharp and incredibly hard.


    Oliver didn''t expect the R2 zombie to be able to dodge the attack. It seems that it''s not just about enhancing muscle strength. He adjusts the direction of the steel pipe slightly and stabs it into the R2 zombie''s eye, destroying its nerves.


    With this fatal blow, the R2 zombie twitches once and then stops moving.


    Oliver throws away the corpse. This seemingly simple strike has exhausted his strength. If he hadn''t hit it, he would have been very difficult for him to escape in such a narrow space.


    Thinking about the speed of the R2 zombie, if it were to appear in front of ordinary people, even with powerful firepower, it would be hard to hit. And they''d have to hit its head to kill it.


    If there were a few R2 zombies hidden among a group of zombies, it would be a devastating disaster for teams that don''t know about them.


    At this moment, Oliver finally sees James running at full speed with the gas can. He stabs the climbing zombies down and continues climbing up the mud wall. Above the mud wall is a hillside. After getting rid of the zombies, he rushes towards the minibus. He has to get through this section of the road before the zombies swarm back to the gas station.

 Chapter 18 On the highway

    When Oliver rushes back to the minibus, James has already filled it with gas. When everyone sees him return safely, they cheer with joy. The looks of admiration in their eyes make Oliver feel a bit embarrassed. He thinks that all he does is draw the zombies away, which isn''t a huge achievement.


    Victoria knows time is of the essence. She starts the minibus and quickly increases the speed to 50 kilometers per hour. In just a few minutes, they pass the gas station. After losing sight of Oliver, the zombies slowly make their way back, and the minibus passes just in time.


    Everyone cheers again because they only need to travel another ten - odd kilometers to reach the highway. If everything goes smoothly, they can reach the Dellai Base tonight and have a good night''s sleep.


    James takes out a few magazines and throws them to Oliver, saying that he picks up some bullets at the gas station. He also takes out four Type - 50 pistols and gives each of the three teenagers one pistol and two magazines. Immediately, the minibus is filled with laughter and chatter. The team''s firepower and safety level increase significantly.


    Fifteen minutes later, everyone sees the entrance to the highway. There are likely to be zombies here, so everyone is on high alert.


    Victoria drives carefully, while James and Liam stick their gun barrels out of the window. The three teenagers hold their pistols, excited and nervous. Only Oliver seems rather calm.


    The result is unexpected. In front of the toll station are all long - dead zombies that have been shot. Obviously, it''s the work of other teams passing by. It seems that they aren''t the only ones heading to the Dellai Base.


    Oliver has expected this but doesn''t say anything. He thinks it''s a good thing for the team to stay vigilant as it can reduce casualties. This team is his reliance in the apocalypse.


    The minibus drives onto the highway. The road is desolate, quite different from its once - busy state.


    The minibus reaches its top speed of 75 kilometers per hour. At this rate, they can reach the base in two hours, and everyone is excitedly chatting.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    However, after more than ten minutes, Victoria makes a gesture indicating danger, and everyone tenses up. She points at the rear - view mirror and says, "Look behind you."


    Oliver looks over and sees a huge vehicle chasing after them quickly, with more than ten other vehicles following.


    James takes one look and says uneasily, "A heavy -duty road opener. This team is no ordinary one. This heavy duty road opener is equipped to the military in 2058. With six - wheel drive, it weighs 120 tons but can reach a speed of 110 kilometers per hour."


    A few minutes later, the heavy - duty road - opener catches up with the minibus. It''s several meters high, making the minibus look tiny in comparison.


    The diamond drill on the front of the road - opener is covered in black blood, clearly having crushed many zombies.


    As the two vehicles pass, a young man with yellow - dyed hair sticks his head out of the cab of the road - opener.


    He gives everyone in the minibus the middle finger and then honks the horn. "Du... Du..." The loud noise shatters the minibus''s glass. Everyone in the minibus is temporarily deafened, screaming in pain.


    The minibus sways out of control.


    The young man with yellow hair shouts, "You''re lucky to have made it this far with this piece - of - junk vehicle. Otherwise, I¡¯d crush it into pieces." Then he drives away quickly.


    Behind the road - opener are five large trailers with shooting holes and machine - gun barrels. In the middle are three BMWs and a Mercedes - Benz, which seem to be the vehicles of the leaders.


    There''s also an oil tanker, and just by listening to the engine sound, one can tell the tank is full of oil. At the end of the team are six cars of various models. Since the windows are closed, it''s hard to see the people inside.


    After the team passes, the minibus stops. Victoria''s ears are bleeding from the loud noise, and she groans in pain. The others are also dizzy. George, who has a weaker constitution, even vomits.


    The whole team seems to have lost their combat ability after the few honks.


    Oliver is the least affected, but his head still tingles. He stands up, kicks the inside of the minibus, and curses, "These bastards. If I meet them again, I''ll blow their heads off."


    James bitterly and says, "We''re no match for them. This team has at least a hundred people and many heavy weapons. With this road - opener, who would be afraid of those damned zombies?"


    Liam is also full of envy. "Yeah, if we had such a road - opener, we wouldn''t have had such a tough time on the way."


    After everyone recovers, Victoria tries to start the minibus but can''t. She shakes her head helplessly and says the vehicle has a problem. Hearing this, Oliver, who is already in a bad mood, gets even angrier and curses, "I should have shot their tires just now."


    George finds the toolbox and crawls under the minibus. With his years of experience, he can tell what''s wrong just by listening to the starting sound.

 Chapter 19 Dellai Base

    After waiting for a few minutes, George, with his hands covered in oil, climbs onto the minibus.


    He holds up the broken fuel pipe in his hand, and says, "The sound of that horn break this old fuel pipe. I do a quick check, and there are several other parts of the minibus that are damaged. Unfortunately, I can''t fix them without the right parts. But these damages aren''t too critical. The minibus can still move, as long as the speed doesn''t exceed 40 kilometers per hour. We should be able to make it to the Dellai Base."


    Without George having to say more, Oliver can guess that the minibus will probably be completely useless after reaching the base. Thinking that the minibus can only go at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour now, everyone starts cursing the team that has just passed by.


    Liam can''t help but curse loudly, "I hope those sons of bitches run into tens of thousands of zombies up ahead and get eaten alive." But everyone knows this wish is hard to come true, so they just get on the bus in silence.


    Since Victoria''s ears are injured, James takes over as the driver. The team is short of medicine, so Victoria can only stuff cotton in her ears and lean back in her seat, closing her eyes to rest.


    In this brutal world, she knows that the weak get bullied, and if they aren''t strong enough, they have to endure.


    At a speed of 40 kilometers per hour, the journey that originally takes one and a half hours is extended to two and a half hours.


    It is already a little past two in the afternoon. Even if everything goes smoothly, they won''t reach the base until around five o''clock.


    Everyone knows that outsiders have to go through a 5 - to - 6 - hour quarantine check before entering the base, and then there is also the matter of getting assigned housing.


    They will probably have to sleep in the quarantine area tonight.


    The journey is relatively smooth. There are a lot of people heading to the Dellai base, and they come across seven or eight teams along the way.


    These teams are different from Oliver''s group. The people who survive the apocalypse are all elites, and each team has at least thirty or forty people. It is hard for many to believe that Oliver''s team of only ten people has made it this far.


    So when many teams pass their shabby minibus, they greet them in a friendly way.


    Nearing five o''clock, the minibus finally approaches the area under the base.


    At the exit of the highway, there are five steel towers. On each tower, there are four soldiers operating heavy machine guns. The muzzles move from time to time, aiming at the vehicles being briefly inspected below. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The entrance and exit are filled with cars waiting for inspection, and dozens of soldiers in camouflage uniforms are scattered around, highly alert with their gun safeties already off.


    James lines up the minibus in the queue and says, a bit wearily, "This is the only road to the Dellai Base. It''s about 50 kilometers from here to Dellai City, the capital of Dellai State. This base was probably transformed from a town. I get this information from the radio when I''m at the base before. I''m not really sure about the details.


    At this point, Frederick, a bit excited, takes over the conversation. He has decades of experience in electronics repair and often fixes radios, so he knows quite a bit of news.


    He says, "The Dellai Base is established by surviving officials, together with the surviving soldiers from the military region. Dellai City is an international metropolis, It has a permanent population of five million and a floating population of tens of millions. It is impossible to use it as a base.


    Under the pressure of tens of millions of zombies, they have to evacuate. They clear a small town 55 kilometers away from Dellai City and build the current base, which is Vulcan Town, the place we''re going to."


    Vulcan Town is an important town in Dellai State. There are several large machinery factories and dozens of food factories. Perhaps that''s why it is chosen as the base.


    The factories here can provide conveniences. For example, with a little modification, the large machinery factories can produce guns and ammunition, and if used well, they can even assemble heavy - duty vehicles. However, what they might value more is probably the food factories. After all, in the apocalypse, food means survival.


    Almost an hour later, it is finally the turn of Oliver''s minibus. The inspectors show little interest in this shabby and battered minibus. Usually, a job that requires five people to check is done this time by only two people in customs uniforms, unarmed, carrying laptops.


    They get on the minibus.


    As soon as the two get on the bus, they look around, their eyes full of disappointment.


    Soon they notice the rice bucket, and they excitedly run over, lift the lid.


    When they see the white rice, they exclaim, thinking they are very lucky.


    Without saying a word, they take out bags and start filling them with rice, completely ignoring the people on the bus.


    Oliver is shocked and angry. He stands up and shouts, "What on earth are you doing?"


    The shout makes the two of them stop for a moment, but they quickly stand up and sneer, "Normal inspection of items. Guns, ammunition, and contraband will be confiscated."


    Oliver is furious. He points at the rice and asks, "Is rice a contraband item too?"


    The two turn livid with anger and say, "Boy, if you want to enter the base, be obedient. Otherwise, if the inspection fails, we''ll kick you out. The base doesn''t accept teams infected with the XR virus."


    Oliver is so angry that he wants to kill them. He never expects such blatant extortion in the apocalypse.


    Liam, stands up, takes out a pack of cigarettes, and hands one to each of the two men, smiling, "Guys, don''t be angry. The young man is impulsive. Take the rice. Our team should pass the inspection, right?"


    The two men''s expressions soften. They light the cigarettes and pat Liam on the shoulder, saying he is sensible.


    Then they continue filling the bags with rice, and more than half of the large bucket of rice is taken away.


    The inspection work is simple - confiscating weapons, registering the personnel, and recording the team leader. But because of the greedy demands of these two men, it becomes extremely uncomfortable. Oliver even starts to wonder if coming to such a base is the right choice for them.

 Chapter 20 Quarantine area

    After passing the inspection, the minibus drives off the highway and follows the traffic.


    There are still about 5 kilometers to the Dellai Base.


    When they are 3 kilometers away from the base, they can see the outer defensive works.


    Relying on the engine units that Vulcan Town originally had, three layers of power grids are laid around the base. Behind the power grids is a 5 - meter - high cement wall that encircles the entire Vulcan Town.


    There is a shooting post every ten meters on the high wall, with two soldiers guarding each post. And there is a machine - gun post for every three shooting posts, which forms the main firepower output.


    Behind the high wall, there is also an inner wall that is 3 meters high, but the security there is relatively less strict.


    It''s sunset. Through the window without glass, Oliver can see zombies scattered in front of the power grid. They are shot dead by the soldiers on the high wall before they can get close. Even if they survive by chance, they will be electrocuted to charred corpses once they touch the power grid.


    With such strict defenses, the base is basically safe as long as there isn''t a collective charge of tens of thousands of zombies.


    Vulcan Town is quite large, with a permanent population of about 100,000. It must have taken a lot of effort to kill the zombies when choosing this place as the base.


    After the minibus enters the high wall, it arrives at the quarantine area between the two walls. This area is vast and seems endless. Oliver and the others are arranged into a cement room, and the leading soldier locks the door with a big iron lock.


    The ceiling of the room is transparent, which makes it convenient for the soldiers on the high wall to monitor. There is also a small scanner in the room to detect if anyone is infected with the XR virus.


    As soon as Liam and the others enter the room, they relax. There are no beds in the room, so everyone just lies down on the floor directly. After arriving at the destination, many things on the minibus are no longer useful, and they only bring some personal belongings.


    Oliver sees a bound book of the base''s laws and regulations hanging on the wall. It states that upon arrival at the base, people''s guns and vehicles will be taken over by the base for unified allocation. Thinking that the arrogant yellow - haired kid''s heavy - duty road - opener  will also be confiscated, he feels a sense of satisfaction.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    In the Dellai Base, power is under control. The generator units need to supply power to the three - layer power grids, the command center, and the food factory. The remaining power can only supply the town with electricity for three hours a day, at six in the morning, one in the afternoon, and eight in the evening. After nine o''clock, except for the high wall, the base is pitch - black. Oliver knows they have to spend the night in the quarantine area.


    Late at night, the noise in the base gradually fades away, leaving only the patrolling sounds of the soldiers on the high wall and the laser beams cutting through the sky.


    Lying on the cold cement floor, Oliver can''t fall asleep. He wants to activate his watch several times but holds back, worried that there are monitors in the room. Revealing his secret could cost him his life. He doesn''t fall asleep until around three or four in the morning.


    At half - past five the next day, a harsh alarm suddenly rings in the base. The people in the quarantine area all think the zombies are coming, but judging from the relaxed expressions of the soldiers on the high wall, that''s not the case.


    Oliver can''t figure out the meaning of the alarm either. After the alarm, the area around the quarantine area becomes lively. Many people pour out of the base and gather in the open space. The sounds of cars and people mingle. Then these people and vehicles leave, but the direction is outside the base.


    At seven o''clock, the staff in charge of the quarantine area ask the soldiers to open the iron locks of each room and register the people again for filing.


    When it''s the turn of Oliver''s room, it''s already half - past seven. Three people come in and ask who the team leader is. Victoria stands up. Surprised to find out that the team leader is a woman, the leader of the three tells them that according to the base regulations, the team has to be disbanded after arrival. Then he crosses out the words "3277" on the notebook. Although Victoria is reluctant, thinking that the team was originally formed to reach the base and now the goal has been achieved, she feels relieved.


    After the team is disbanded, each person gets a card with their accommodation number written on it. Fortunately, all ten of them are assigned to a residential area in the town. Although they are not in the same building, they can still look out for each other.


    After the housing is allocated, the leading staff member reminds them that food in the base is uniformly allocated, and military - style management is implemented. Fighting and robbery are prohibited. Offenders will be punished with food deprivation at the least, and expulsion at the worst.


    Oliver knows that in the apocalypse, this is to restrain the ugly side of human nature. After all, cutting off food and expulsion are both equivalent to a death sentence.


    When leaving the quarantine area, everyone looks confused. They feel that although they are far away from the zombies in the base, they seem to be in captivity. Seeing this, Oliver smiles and says to James and the others, "The team is disbanded, but our bond isn''t. If you want to follow me, then come on!"


    After that, he strides into the streets of the town.


    Liam reacts first, picks up his luggage and catches up. James and Victoria look at each other and smile, then follow suit. The three elders and three kids hesitate for a moment, but finally, they also follow in their footsteps. In this apocalypse, strength is the only thing they can rely on. They all understand that following Oliver might bring new hope.

 Chapter 21 Trade rice for guns

    The town as a whole is relatively well - preserved, but the shops on both sides of the street are covered with bullet holes, which are the marks left when the zombies were cleared out. Now the streets are deserted, and most of the shops are closed, with only a few still open.


    Oliver is very curious that there are still people running shops in the apocalypse. He looks back and sees that Victoria and the other nine people are all closely following him. This makes him very satisfied, thinking that he already has the foundation of his team.


    He walks into a shop without a billboard and with its door half - closed. It''s dim inside because there is no electricity, and it''s piled high with all kinds of parts. A thin man is sitting on the sofa in a daze, not even noticing when Oliver comes in.


    Among the piles of parts, Oliver sees car parts, firearm parts, and even a gun barrel over two meters long. He can''t help but be a bit surprised.


    When he turns to leave, the man notices him. He quickly puts down his water cup and greets him with a big smile on his face, "What would you like? I''ve got parts for transportation vehicles and accessories for controlled weapons here, and they''re all very cheap."


    Oliver is interested and stops in his tracks. He asks, "The vehicles have all been taken over. What''s the use of these parts?"


    The man gives him a glance and says, "You must be new here, right?" Seeing Oliver nod, he then smiles and says, "The vehicles have been taken over, but the parts are useful. When it''s time for the hunt, you''d better hope your car doesn''t break down."


    Oliver presses on, asking, "What hunt?" But the man doesn''t answer directly. He just says vaguely, "A strong man like you will surely be told about it when the time comes."


    Then he leans in and whispers, "I guess your guns have been confiscated too, right? In this chaotic world, having a gun means having the right to speak."


    Oliver knows that there is more to what he said. He knocks on the counter and asks, "What do you have?" Seeing that he''s interested, the man''s face lights up. "I''ve got both long and short ones," he says.


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    Oliver asks again, "Where''s the goods?"


    The man immediately rummages through the piles of parts. He skillfully picks out dozens of pieces from thousands of parts, assembles a pistol in just over thirty seconds, and then spends a little over a minute assembling a submachine gun, and places them on the counter.


    The man says proudly, "Although guns are controlled here, everyone has a trick up their sleeve. Even if it''s discovered, at most the gun will be confiscated. As long as you want, I can even get you an infantry gun, provided you have enough food and the guts."


    Oliver picks up the submachine gun and the pistol and plays with them. He asks, "What about the bullets?"


    The man smiles and says, "The Blasting Star pistol comes with 50 standard bullets and 5 explosive bullets. The Whirling Horse submachine gun comes with 150 bullets. Cash on delivery."


    Oliver asks, "How much do these two cost?" The man sneers, "Money? Banknotes are useless in the apocalypse. We only trade with standard gold or food."


    Oliver then remembers that paper money has been invalidated in the apocalypse. He doesn''t have much gold, so he says, "I''ll trade with rice. How can I trade for the pistol and the submachine gun?"


    As soon as the man hears the word "rice", his eyes light up. He stares at Oliver and swallows his saliva, saying, "Just five kilograms of rice, and both the pistol and the submachine gun are yours."


    Oliver sneers, "Five kilograms of rice? That''s equivalent to over two hundred grams of gold."


    The man is a bit flustered, "I''ll also give you 20 explosive bullets and 100 submachine gun bullets. If it weren''t for the rice, I wouldn''t make this deal."


    After estimating, Oliver thinks the price is reasonable and agrees to the deal.


    He goes to the door and waves at James.


    James runs over carrying a snake skin bag filled with rice. Oliver says he wants to trade rice for guns. James gets anxious, "What do we need guns for? Staying in the base, food is more useful than guns. We don''t have much rice left..."


    Oliver pats him on the shoulder, "With guns, we''ll naturally have food."


    There is less than ten kilograms of rice in the rice bag. Oliver weighs out five kilograms and throws the rest to James, who looks heartbroken. He says, "This is enough for us to eat for two meals. Trust me, we''ll get more rice."


    The man squints his eyes and puts away the rice. He takes out a pile of magazines from under the floor, selects the promised amount and puts them in a bag, then hands it to Oliver. He also says, "If you have more rice, I''ve got a lot of good stuff here."


    Oliver takes the magazines. He keeps the pistol for himself and throws the submachine gun with the magazine loaded to James. He smiles at the man and says, "You''re really good at doing business." The man happily carries the rice and goes upstairs.


    Looking at James, who is still feeling heartbroken, Oliver smiles and says, "Jim, in this apocalypse, food is important, but weapons are even more important. With weapons, we can snatch food from the mouths of zombies. Trust me..."

 Chapter 22 Tarzan of the Apes

    Coming out of the shop, James looks wronged. five kilograms of rice was just exchanged for two guns. He keeps muttering to himself, "He really has the nerve to do that. If we saved the rice, it could last us four or five days."


    The residential area they were assigned to is an old one. The highly intelligent and automated residential areas are only for senior talents with strength and ability to live in.Oliver actually thinks that the facilities in this old residential area are better than those in the apartment complex in his previous world.


    Half of the people in the community have already moved in. As soon as Oliver and his group of new arrivals show up, most people''s eyes reveal a greedy and fierce light, while only a few people have friendly looks.


    Those who have survived for three and a half years in the apocalypse are mostly not nice people. Killing people and zombies is as common as having a meal. In their view, when new people come to the base, they will more or less bring food or valuable items. As the "old hands", they can just "teach" the new people a lesson and collect some "protection money".


    Oliver just smiles. He thinks that even without a gun, he can handle fighting ten people at once. Now that he has a gun, he is even less afraid of these people.


    But he overestimates his image. He looks thin and weak on the outside, and he seems to be an easy target to bully. As soon as Oliver and the others enter the community, more than a dozen strong men surround them.


    "Everyone, welcome to the community..." The leading strong man says with a smile. He seems to be very familiar with this kind of "business". He doesn''t give Oliver and the others a chance to speak and says, "My name is Tarzan. My character is just like my name. You know what I mean."


    His words make his subordinates laugh knowingly, as if Oliver and the others are already in their grasp.


    People who have lived in the apocalypse for a few years can''t fail to understand what Tarzan means. James'' arm muscles bulge, and the blue veins stand out. Now he understands why Oliver wanted to exchange rice for guns.


    Even though the base implements military control, it''s hard to guarantee that there won''t be violent incidents. He reaches into his bosom and holds the submachine gun. The cold touch gives him the confidence to deal with these more than a dozen people within five seconds.


    Oliver gently pats the nervous James and smiles as he takes out a cigarette, lights it skillfully, takes a puff, and waves it at Tarzan, "Do you know what kind of cigarette this is? The food that can be exchanged for just one of these cigarettes can make a strong man full for a whole day. Want one?"


    When they smell the cigarette, everyone takes a deep breath.


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    Tarzan is so excited that he trembles. He hasn''t smoked such a top - quality cigarette for a long time. He didn''t expect that this seemingly weak team actually has good stuff. Tarzan almost presses his nose against Oliver''s cigarette and roars, "Hand over the cigarettes and the food, or I''ll let you know who''s the boss of this community."


    Oliver smiles and throws the cigarette that he has just taken a few puffs of onto the ground and crushes it with his toe. Tarzan and the others feel as if their hearts are broken too, and they are almost crazy. Looking at their expressions, Oliver actually feels a bit pleased. He says to Tarzan, whose eyes are bloodshot, "So you''re Tarzan? Or should I call you Ape Man?"


    Tarzan looks confused, "Ape Man?" Oliver chuckles, "It seems you''ve forgotten a very famous movie from the late 20th century. But it doesn''t matter. You''ll like it in the future."


    Tarzan doesn''t care about any movie. He knows that "Ape Man" is an insult to him.


    With so many of his subordinates surrounding them, and the other party still daring to make fun of his name, Tarzan is furious, "Ape Man? Damn bastard! How dare you call me a beast? I''m going to kill you!"


    As soon as Tarzan raises the ax in his hand, James quickly presses the submachine gun against his chest and says coldly, "Put down the ax. I don''t mind wasting a few bullets."


    "Damn it..." Tarzan''s face changes slightly, and he curses, "Those inspectors are all good for nothing! They can''t even detect such a big gun. A bunch of good - for - nothing who only know how to extort and take bribes."


    Tarzan isn''t really afraid of the submachine gun. He has been in the base for a year and has seen all kinds of situations. He just doesn''t want to lose his life, so he has to put down the ax.


    Tarzan''s subordinates are all elites who have experienced countless battles. They can remain calm even in the face of death. Facing James'' submachine gun, they still hold the steel pipes tightly, and some even quietly reach into their bosoms. Since they can rule this community, how could they only have these cold weapons?


    They all secretly hide firearms for self - defense.


    Seeing this, the Blasting Star pistol suddenly appears in Oliver''s hand.


    He takes a look at the few people who are reaching into their bosoms, calmly takes out five explosive bullets and loads them into the pistol, and says softly, "You should know the power of this pistol. With the explosive bullets, its power is no less than that of a grenade. If we try it on someone''s head, it will definitely blow their head to pieces like a watermelon."


    When everyone hears this, their faces change greatly. The terrifying reputation of the Blasting Star pistol is well - known.


    Oliver points the gun at Tarzan''s subordinates and easily snatches a steel pipe over one meter long. He says disdainfully, "You''re all grown - ups, yet you''re still playing with children''s toys. When you''re robbing, bring some useful tools. Aren''t you ashamed to scare people with this?"


    As he speaks, he exerts force with both hands, and the fine steel pipe quickly deforms in his hands and finally rolls into several steel rings.


    Oliver takes off the steel rings and throws them on the ground.


    He claps his hands and says to the stunned Tarzan, "Okay, I still have something to do. Let''s talk another day." Finally, he takes out a cigarette and inserts it into Tarzan''s collar pocket, "The cigarette really smells good."


    Watching Oliver and the others leave, Tarzan pats his forehead in disbelief, points at the steel rings and the steel pipe on the ground and roars, "Can anyone tell me, is this a children''s toy? Did the workers add aluminum liquid to the steel pipe?"


    His subordinates are also speechless. They unconsciously grip the tools in their hands tightly. The cold touch makes them understand that the thin and weak man just now is not someone to be trifled with.

 Chapter 23 Decide on the place of residence

    After getting away from Tarzan and his gang, Victoria can''t help laughing out loud. Gasping for breath, she says, "Oliver, I never thought you could be so humorous.."


    Oliver shrugs. "We''ve just arrived here. We should try to avoid trouble as much as possible."


    Liam nods in agreement and then says, "Boss, since we''re all following you, we need to solve the housing problem. It''s not good for so many of us to be scattered around."


    Oliver has already thought about it. Most of the buildings in the community are suite-style. Finding a bigger one that can accommodate ten people is not a problem. The key is to persuade the people who are already living there.


    However, he''s not worried. When you point a gun at someone''s head, they''ll naturally know what to choose.


    Oliver waves at Leo and points at Tarzan, who is fuming in the distance. "Leo, go and tell him that I''m inviting him to have some steamed rice." Leo nods and runs towards Tarzan. A child like him who has been through life and death is not afraid of thugs like Tarzan at all.


    James asks Oliver in confusion, "Why are you inviting him to dinner?"


    Oliver smiles and explains that many things can''t be solved by force but by negotiation.


    In the apocalypse, nothing is more tempting than steamed rice. Tarzan will definitely come, and once he''s here, there will be a way to make him do something for them.


    The apartment Oliver was assigned to is a suite with one living room and two bedrooms.


    In the other room lives a man in his thirties wearing glasses, who looks like an office worker in a skyscraper.


    When the ten of them squeeze in, the man is startled. He immediately goes back to his room and locks the door.


    "Damn it, we''re not robbers. Why are you closing the door?" Liam yells angrily.


    As a result, the man is even more afraid to open the door, and there is the sound of him using something to block the door. Liam has no choice but to shut up and sit on the sofa.


    Oliver claps his hands and says, "Everyone stay here for now. I''d like to trouble the three elders to cook. We''re having an extra meal today. Cook all the rice."


    When Victoria hears this, she gets anxious. "If we cook all the rice, what will we do for dinner? We don''t know how the food is distributed here."


    In the previous base, they only had two steamed buns a day. There are a lot of people in the Dellai Base, and the food is in short supply. She''s worried that if they cook all the rice, they''ll be hungry again tomorrow.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Oliver understands Victoria''s concerns, but for him, rice is not a problem. He waves his hand to let the three elders go and cook and soothes Victoria, "Don''t worry about the food. I have a plan."


    Victoria wants to say something but stops. Now Oliver is in charge of the team.


    The natural gas in the town was cut off two years ago, but the technology has advanced rapidly in the apocalypse. A gas cartridge the size of a fist can burn for 120 hours, which has almost replaced natural gas. Now most people in the town are using it.


    Oliver thinks that the apocalypse is full of treasures. With an extra fifty years of development, the technological progress is huge. Any one of these things taken back to his own era could earn him endless wealth.


    After a while, Tarzan comes with two of his subordinates, following Leo. He asks Oliver with a puzzled look on his face, "I heard you''re inviting me to have some steamed rice?"


    Oliver nods. "That''s right, white, fluffy steamed rice."


    Tarzan doesn''t believe it. There''s no such thing as a free lunch. He sits directly on the sofa and says, "Get to the point. I don''t believe you''re being so kind."


    Oliver throws the whole pack of cigarettes onto the table. "Straight to the point. Do me a favor. If you get it done, this pack of cigarettes is yours, and you can also have a big meal of rice. How about it?"


    Tarzan looks at the cigarettes, swallows his saliva, and frowns. "The offer is good. What''s the favor?"


    Oliver smiles and says, "It''s simple. Get me a big suite, the kind that can accommodate ten people."


    Tarzan looks reluctant. "That''s not easy. The accommodation is all under control. The rooms have intelligent programs. If the identity is wrong, the people from the control bureau will find out immediately. They''re not easy to deal with."


    Oliver strokes his chin and stares at Tarzan. "Intelligent program? I don''t believe that among so many senior talents, no one knows the trick." Tarzan feels a bit guilty under his gaze. "There are people who know, but..."


    Oliver smiles and says, "Two kilograms of rice. Whoever can deal with the intelligent program gets the rice."


    When Tarzan hears this, he''s overjoyed. "As long as there''s food, everything is easy. Leave it to me. I promise to get you a comfortable big suite by tomorrow night."


    When Victoria hears that Oliver is going to seal the deal with Two kilograms of rice and that all the rice has just been put in the pot, there''s no more rice to give to the other party. She doesn''t dare to speak out and can only give Oliver a lot of meaningful looks.


    Oliver ignores her and chats with Tarzan about some trivial matters.


    Victoria pouts angrily and turns away, ignoring him. She doesn''t even understand herself. Where has her former strong - woman demeanor gone? Why does she seem like a little woman in front of Oliver?


    They don''t chat for long before the three elders finish cooking the rice. Although the dish is only dried radish, everyone thinks it''s a delicacy. Oliver invites Tarzan and his two subordinates to sit down. The thirteen of them sit in a circle with rice in front of them.


    Tarzan finishes a bowl of rice in a few bites. Chewing on the dried radish, the big man actually sheds tears and sighs, "I''ve been eating steamed buns for over a year. I almost forgot what rice tastes like." His two subordinates are even more exaggerated. Ignoring their boss, they keep wolfing down bowl after bowl.


    James and the others feel the same way. If it weren''t for Oliver, they might never be able to eat such rice again. Thinking of this, everyone looks at Oliver with fanatical eyes.


    Maybe by following this man, they can live a better life in the apocalypse.

 Chapter 24 Rescue the world

    After the meal, Tarzan, along with his two subordinates, doesn''t forget to pick up the pack of cigarettes on the tea table and leaves in high spirits.


    Oliver doesn''t care about it. He has plenty of cigarettes and doesn''t mind losing this pack.


    After the meal, he says to Victoria, who is clearing the dishes, "I''m going out for a walk. I''ll leave this place in your care for now." Before Victoria can react, Oliver has already gone out. She only manages to call out, "Be careful..."


    There are quite a few idle people in the community. Less than one in twenty people in the base has a job, and most of them have nothing to do.


    Looking at those people who are wandering around or resting under the trees, Oliver feels a pang of pity in his heart. In the apocalypse, with zombies running rampant outside, people are trapped in the base and lack entertainment. It''s no different from being in prison.


    From Tarzan, Oliver has learned a lot about the town. The large mechanical factory has been transformed into an armory, and most of the ammunition and weapons supplied to the base come from there. The food factory initially produced snacks like biscuits, but later, due to the deteriorating environment, it has only been producing steamed buns for the past two years. In the past six months, coarse grains have been added to the steamed buns, making them turn gray. It''s obvious to anyone that the base is running out of food.


    Oliver has also figured out what the so-called hunt mentioned before is. With the shortage of food, the base implemented a mercenary system half a year ago, and people can sign up to go out and look for food.


    Weapons and vehicles are issued by the base. They set out at six in the morning, and the base closes at six in the evening. Generally, the hunting time is 12 hours.


    No matter how much they''ve harvested, they have to rush back before the base closes. When they return, the base takes half of the prey as the usage fee for the weapons and vehicles. Although the fee is high, people who are starving still participate enthusiastically.


    As the capital of a state, Dellai City had enough food reserves to feed ten million people for five years, which would be enough for over a hundred thousand people to live on for a lifetime. But with a large number of zombies, people can only look for food in areas with a sparse population on the outskirts.


    The base has a hunting team equipped with heavy weapons. Last month, they even broke into the food storage facility and brought back ten large trucks of rice. However, it''s said that all of it was consumed by the upper echelons.


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    As it gets close to noon, more people appear on the street. Oliver turns into an old street and hides in a dilapidated house. After confirming that no one is paying attention, he activates the teleportation function of his watch.


    A few seconds later, he is back in his own room.


    He lies on the bed and lights a cigarette. After turning on his phone, there are more than a dozen text messages and nine missed calls. The text messages are from his best friend, asking if he''s been caught by the FBI. All the missed calls are from his mother.


    Oliver decides to call his mother back.


    His mother scolds him about his resignation. He explains, "Mom, it was my fault for not telling you in advance that I resigned. But I''m already twenty four  old. I want to go out and make a living while I''m still young."


    His mother doesn''t object but just asks him what his plans are.


    Oliver is stumped by the question. He thinks to himself that he can''t just keep shuttling between the two worlds aimlessly. He has to find a job to reassure his family, and he also doesn''t want to watch the world be destroyed decades later.


    He remembers that Isabella said the Coalition Government launched the  space shuttle. If he could develop a more advanced one before the disaster, he could detonate the meteorite from a distance or make it deviate from its orbit, thus saving the world.


    But this idea faces many difficulties.


    A space shuttle is extremely expensive to build and represents the pinnacle of human technology, which is beyond the reach of an individual. Moreover, with the current technology, it''s impossible to reach distant places.


    However, Oliver isn''t daunted. He has a watch that allows him to travel between the two worlds. The technology of the apocalypse doesn''t seem so difficult to do it. And the top talents are in a sorry state.


    He gets excited at the thought. If he brings the technology of the apocalypse to the modern world and lets the talents of the apocalypse work for modern companies, he can not only make money but also keep track of the world''s development trend.


    Realizing this, he tells his mother excitedly, "I''m going to start a company!"


    Just then, the watch lights up, and Isabella appears on the wall, smiling and saying, "I''m glad you understand your mission: to save the two worlds."


    With a wave of her hand, the background changes to the apocalypse. Zombies are swarming, the human base is breached, and finally, the Earth is hit by a comet and becomes a fiery planet without life.


    Isabella says seriously, "This is the ending of the Earth in the apocalypse. If nothing is changed, the Earth will be completely destroyed. For you, in the modern world, you need to save it from the XR virus crisis, and in the apocalypse, you need to save the Earth''s civilization. This is the mission given to you by the Matrix."


    Oliver is stunned. Pointing at the image, he asks, "Is this what the Earth will eventually look like?"


    Isabella nods in affirmation.


    Oliver asks again, "When will the destruction happen? How long is it until 2079?"


    Isabella replies, "July 14th, 2109. There are still 30 years to go."


    Oliver lies on the bed feebly and mutters, "30 years? I simply don''t have the ability to stop the comet from hitting."


    Isabella smiles and reminds him, "The Matrix has arranged everything. There must be a way to solve it. It''s just that your data level is low, so you don''t know the specific method. If you work hard to improve your level, you''ll be able to learn the secrets."


    Oliver regains his hope. As long as there''s a way, there''s hope.

 Chapter 25 Come back to the previous world again

    Isabella smiles but doesn''t answer. She changes the background to the living room. In the blink of an eye, she has already changed into a bathrobe and is lying lazily on the sofa.


    She waves her hand, and a plate of purple grapes appears. She picks one up and puts it into her mouth, which is very alluring.


    Oliver is a bit frustrated. He was talking about something crucial to his life and death, but she''s acting so casually. He smiles bitterly and almost raises his hands in surrender. "This isn''t how it''s supposed to be, is it?"


    Isabella spits out the grape seed and laughs. "I just want to remind you that if you want to get your dream lover, you have to cherish everything and don''t let yourself disappear in the apocalypse."


    The issue comes back to the same point. Oliver is troubled. He just told his mom that he''s going to start a company, but he doesn''t have that much capital at all. The $100,000 in his bank account isn''t even enough to rent a good office space, and there will be a lot of expenses after the company is established.


    "It seems that the right thing to do is to find a way to get some money." He has a headache. His friends in the modern world are all paycheck-to-paycheck people and can''t lend him much. Even if he borrows from his relatives, he''ll only get a little over $200,000, which is so less. "Could it be that I can only get money from the apocalypse?"


    Oliver thinks of the apocalypse, which is like a ruin but has amazing wealth. There are hundreds of bank branches in Dellai City. Even if paper money is useless, gold is valuable. When he thinks of the central bank''s gold reserve center in Dellai City, his throat goes dry. Even if he takes just one percent of it, it will be a huge fortune.


    "But, this thing seems to be a bit difficult..." Oliver calms down. He''s not familiar with Dellai City. The two cities are thousands of kilometers apart, and the gold reserve center is in the city center, where there are millions of zombies.


    It''s too difficult to get the gold. He''s confused that his location in the apocalypse isn''t the familiar Lppleton. "It seems that I still have to go to Dellai City." He plans to get familiar with Dellai City in the modern world first, which will be helpful for his actions in the apocalypse.


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    Just as Oliver is getting excited about the idea, he looks at the time and finds that half of the time has passed.


    His brief thinking has taken so long.


    He doesn''t want to waste any more time, so he waves his hand to make Isabella go back into the watch.


    But he''s embarrassed to find that he has a strong feeling for her, and his body''s reaction makes him blush. He flees from the apartment in a hurry. No matter how he runs away, Isabella is still on his wrist.


    There are many supermarkets and markets near the apartment, and Oliver wants to fill up his space storage.


    He has already thought about how to distribute the food. Rice is too eye-catching, so he''ll only buy a small amount. He mainly buys compressed food, which is the mainstream in the apocalypse. Thinking that it''s hard to eat meat in the apocalypse, he buys a few pieces of cured meat, each weighing two kilograms, and also takes a few bottles of red wine and a case of cola, planning to enjoy life in the apocalypse.


    After getting everything ready, there''s still an hour left. He puts the things into the space storage and wanders around the street, feeling that modern life is wonderful and worth cherishing. Although the space storage is full, there are still many things on the street that catch his eye. Bringing just a few of them back to the apocalypse would be worth a fortune.


    With a sense of regret, he goes to a restaurant and has a good meal, then goes back to the apartment and activates the teleportation function.


    Back in the apocalypse, the hustle and bustle is gone. There are few people on the street, and only idle people are wandering around. People''s expressions are cold, and they walk in a hurry. Where there are people, there is a market. The things in the apocalypse market are all kinds of strange. The most popular thing is food, and the second is gun parts. Although Vulcan Town officially bans guns, no one really cares in private, and the management turns a blind eye.


    Oliver originally wanted to visit the market, but considering that he has been out for almost three hours, he gives up and returns to the community. He has already divided the rice into portions. When he gets to the door, he takes out a bag of rice and a piece of cured meat and puts his hand on the fingerprint reader.


    "Welcome home..."


    The door opens automatically.


    When they see Oliver coming back, everyone stands up. Liam, dragging his injured leg, comes over and takes over the bag. "See, I knew the boss wouldn''t abandon us."


    Oliver smiles and looks at Victoria. She''s fidgeting and gives Tarzan a "humph" and glares at him.


    Oliver looks at Tarzan. "why are you here again?"


    Tarzan looks uncomfortable and rubs his hands. "Well... Boss Oliver, I''m just here to let you know that I''ve taken care of the thing you asked me to do."


    Oliver asks back, "Are you really just here to inform me?"


    James suddenly laughs. "I''m afraid you''re here to get a meal, right?"

 Chapter 26 The strange behaviors of zombies

    ¡°Damn it, bro! Even if you know, you don''t have to say it out loud like that, do you?¡± Tarzan gets embarrassed when James exposes his intention of coming here for a meal.


    Even with his thick skin, he can''t help feeling awkward. He smiles stupidly and explains, ¡°James, you can''t say that. I really try my best to help Boss Oliver with his business!¡±


    Oliver glances at Tarzan and says indifferently, ¡°Anyway, it''s almost time for dinner. Tarzan, you can stay.¡±


    In fact, Oliver has already set his eyes on Tarzan.


    Tarzan has lived in Vulcan Town for over a year and is familiar with the situation here. Since Oliver is new here, he still has to rely on Tarzan for many things.


    As soon as Tarzan hears this, his embarrassment disappears immediately, and he becomes proud. Everyone suspects that his previous embarrassment is just an act.


    Liam takes the bag from Oliver. Suddenly, he lets out a scream, pulls out the cured meat, and shouts in disbelief, ¡°Cured meat? Holy shit! We''re rich now, haha...¡±


    In an instant, everyone''s eyes focus on the cured meat, their faces full of shock. In the apocalypse, meat is extremely precious.


    It''s very difficult to find healthy meat in the infected world. Most of the cured meat in the supermarkets has been eaten by zombies, and very little is left. Even for the top managers in the whole Vulcan Town, it''s a rare treat to have it once or twice a week. How can they not be shocked by the appearance of such a large piece of cured meat?


    ¡°Damn it, we''re going to have a great meal this time...¡± Tarzan swallows hard, his eyes fixed on the cured meat, and he''s calculating in his mind: If this cured meat is taken to the market, it can at least be exchanged for a hundred or so top-quality refined flour steamed buns. Converted into gold... He doesn''t even dare to think further.


    The reactions of the others make Oliver feel a bit proud. He doesn''t expect that a piece of cured meat can have such a great impact in the apocalypse.


    Everyone looks at him with eyes full of admiration. Oliver even thinks wickedly that if he takes out all the cured meat in his space storage, they will surely be stunned.


    James, who is always cold, is also full of shock. He asks in disbelief, ¡°Captain, how do you get this cured meat?¡± He is completely convinced by Oliver. Not only is he strong in combat, but his ability to find food is also terrifying. Following him, they won''t have to worry about not having enough to eat.


    This question piques everyone''s interest. Except for the three children who are surrounding Liam and sniffing the smell of the cured meat, the others all stare eagerly at Oliver.


    But how can Oliver tell them the secret? He stares and laughs vaguely, ¡°How do I get it? Well, it''s just like that.¡± Then he says seriously, ¡°What? Don''t you all want to eat the meat?¡±


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    Liam is the first to react. He snatches the cured meat back from Leo''s hand, looks at the time, and shouts, ¡°Oh, it''s almost lunchtime. I''ll go and cook. I used to love eating cured meat in my hometown. I learn how to make cured meat rice from my mom. I promise you''ll want to eat it again after you taste it.¡± After that, he slips into the kitchen.


    The topic is shifted, and everyone snaps out of their embarrassment and giggles stupidly.


    Oliver beckons to Tarzan, and Tarzan immediately runs over obsequiously, with a flattering smile on his face, ¡°Boss Oliver, what can I do for you?¡± Lured by the cured meat, Tarzan is completely ¡°captured.¡± Oliver sits on the sofa, and Victoria hands him a glass of water, her face blushing. Oliver doesn''t pay attention and asks Tarzan, ¡°How much do you know about the hunting?¡±


    Tarzan is taken aback, scratches his head, and says reluctantly, ¡°Not much. Even though I look fierce, I''m actually a bully who picks on the weak. In this day and age, it''s already very lucky to be alive. When I meet tough guys, I have to stay away. Hunting isn''t something we can do. It''s normal for teams of dozens or hundreds of people to be wiped out. Even if they manage to grab some food, it''s limited. In the past three years or so, the places where food was easy to find have already been emptied.¡±


    Tarzan gets more and more dissatisfied as he speaks and says resentfully, ¡°Damn it, now the powerful people in the base are living it up, while those of us without power can only wait for the base to distribute steamed buns every day. There are only two steamed buns, and it''s not enough to fill our stomachs at all. We''ve been eating them for over a year, and it''s so boring.¡±


    Oliver finds it interesting and says playfully, ¡°Are you just being a sore loser?¡±


    Tarzan is immediately at a loss for words. Seeing that Oliver is serious, he can only spread his hands and say, ¡°Well, I admit it. Actually, half a year ago, I still had dozens of subordinates. I thought it would be okay to go out and grab some food, so I applied for the hunting mission.¡±


    ¡°What happened then?¡± Oliver takes a sip of boiled water indifferently. He urgently needs to know about Tarzan''s hunting experience.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tarzan says with a bitter smile, ¡°The food in the suburbs has long been snatched up. To find food, we have to go into the city. Dozens of us are nothing in front of the zombies in the city. In the end, just to save face, we used bullets to make a way and rushed into a small supermarket on the outskirts of the city. We managed to grab some food, but only eight of us, including me, made it back to the base.¡±


    Oliver is also shocked. Dozens of people went out, and only eight came back. It''s so tragic.


    Tarzan shakes his head and says, ¡°People who haven''t seen it with their own eyes don''t know how terrifying it is. There are zombies all over the ground, and there''s hardly any place to stand. Bullets are useless if they don''t hit the head, but not everyone has such good marksmanship.¡± He suddenly remembers something and says worriedly, ¡°Boss Oliver, in the past half year, more and more zombies have been pouring out from Dellai City, and they''ve even appeared around the base. This isn''t a good sign. What do you think...¡±


    Oliver frowns. He has always thought that they were just wandering zombies from nearby villages, but he didn''t expect that they were pouring in from Dellai City, which is dozens of kilometers away.


    Tarzan shrugs and says, ¡°I don''t know either. Could they have followed the hunting team back? But the hunting teams all drive, and the zombies can''t keep up. Maybe the base is so attractive that the zombies can smell it from Dellai City? That''s really ridiculous. If their sense of smell is that good, the base have been torn apart long ago. The base''s defense seems strong, but if hundreds of thousands or even millions of zombies attack, it won''t be able to hold out for more than an hour.¡±


    Facing the questions raised by Tarzan, since Oliver has just arrived here, he doesn''t know the reasons either. But he understands that if the base is really faced with a zombie attack, it will definitely be a disaster.


    ¡°It seems that I still have to go to Dellai City and take a look!¡±

 Chapter 27 Black steamed buns

    Oliver and Tarzan are talking, and the others have already been drawn into the kitchen by the aroma of the cured meat. Liam is there, sweating profusely as he stirs the pot, extremely nervous. This cured meat is so precious that he can''t afford to burn it.


    While busy, Liam shouts towards the living room, "Boss, it''s too easy for the rice to burn in this steel pot. There are smart rice cookers in the market. How about taking some rice to exchange for one? I''m thinking about your stomach." Oliver thinks of the terrible food he had before, and his stomach feels uncomfortable, so he nods and agrees, "Okay. I''ll go out and take a look later to see if I can exchange for one."


    Just then, the doorbell rings.


    Oliver looks at the display screen. There are three men in uniforms standing outside. A fat man presses the doorbell impatiently, and two young men behind him are struggling to carry a large basket covered with a cloth.


    As soon as Tarzan sees them, he says, "They''re here to distribute food."


    Oliver is puzzled. "Don''t we usually go to the distribution center to get it? Why are they delivering it?"


    Tarzan explains, "The people at the distribution center want to embezzle the food. By delivering it to the door, they can find excuses to deduct it and don''t have to worry about people causing trouble in groups. They play tricks during the processing and distribution. Even if everyone knows about it, they can only endure it. If anyone is dissatisfied, they will be dealt with by other departments on the pretext of food issues."


    Oliver shouts to open the door. Before the fat man even enters, he starts complaining, "What the hell are you doing? Do you want to eat or not? My time is precious. There are still several neighborhoods I haven''t distributed to. I really don''t know what the higher-ups are thinking, distributing food to lazy bums who don''t work. What a shitty policy!"


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    He walks in, gives a cold glance around the room, and casually throws four steamed buns onto the shoe cabinet, muttering, "There are two people living here, two steamed buns for each person."


    He doesn''t care about any extra people.


    "Fuck!" Tarzan is enraged by these words. He rushes over and grabs the fat man''s collar. "Who are you calling a bum? Do you believe I''ll smash your head?"


    But the fat man isn''t flustered. He sneers, "You want to hit me? I''ve seen plenty of troublemakers like you. Be smart and let go. Otherwise, the armed police will invite you for a chat. Assaulting someone from the distribution center, we have the right to stop the food distribution. Without food, you can go eat shit!"


    Tarzan gets even angrier. The veins on his arm bulge. He lifts the fat man up and points at the steamed buns, shouting, "You call these steamed buns? They were white at first, then turned gray, and now they''re so black. Are these fit for humans to eat?"


    As he speaks, he shoves a steamed bun into the fat man''s mouth. "Let you taste what this black steamed bun is like!" The fat man struggles. Tarzan turns to Oliver and asks, "Boss, what should we do with this guy?"


    The two men outside the door want to rush in, but when they see James pointing a gun at them, they have to hold back, their faces full of anger. After all, they are from the distribution center. They''ve never been treated like this before.


    Oliver understands that Tarzan is showing his loyalty, and he also hates the fat man''s attitude. But he doesn''t want to cause a death in the base, so he says, "Give him a few slaps and throw him out. We don''t need this kind of food distribution anyway."


    Tarzan grins sinisterly and slaps the fat man. In just a few slaps, he knocks out the fat man''s teeth. Blood and steamed bun crumbs splash everywhere. Finally, he kicks the fat man out the door and spits, "Fuck you! If I run into you again, I''ll beat you up again!"


    The fat man is carried away by his subordinates. Unable to speak, he can only point at Tarzan with a trembling hand.


    Tarzan claps his hands and curses, "The distribution center thinks they can bully people just because they have power. If it weren''t for the need to survive, I''d blow them up!"


    Oliver smiles. He''s seen so many such things that they''re no longer surprising.


    Unexpectedly, the thin man with glasses who had been hiding before opens the door, sees the steamed buns, and rushes out like an arrow. He grabs two steamed buns and runs back into the room, slamming the door shut and even propping something against it.


    "Damn it..." Oliver can''t help but curse. "What the hell is going on here!"

 Chapter 28 Flea market

    Despite the conflict with the people who distributed the food, it didn''t dampen everyone''s enthusiasm for lunch in the slightest.


    Liam brings out the cured meat rice, and the unique aroma of the meat instantly makes everyone lose their composure.


    Victoria doesn''t care about her ladylike image anymore. She wolfs down the food, not even bothering to brush off the grains of rice that stick to her face.


    Liam has learned his lesson. Before serving the food, he specially prepares a large bowl filled to the brim with cured meat for Oliver. After all, they can eat the meat thanks to Oliver, and it''s only natural for him to have more.


    However, Oliver isn''t very interested in the cured meat. After quickly filling his stomach, he distributes the cured meat to the elderly. This act touches the Three-Flavored Elder and the others almost to tears. In the apocalypse, such virtue is extremely rare.


    Praised by the three elders, Oliver loses the desire to stay any longer. He grabs Victoria''s hand and pulls her outside.


    Victoria looks puzzled. With her hand being held by Oliver, a blush creeps onto her face. She asks, "Where are we going?" Oliver smiles and says, "Let''s go for a stroll in the market."


    Most women love shopping. When Victoria hears this, she almost jumps for joy and doesn''t mind having her hand held anymore.


    The others notice their expressions. James'' lips twitch, and he shakes his head, but it''s unclear what he means.


    Tarzan gets up from the sofa and follows them, saying confidently, "Boss, I''m familiar with the market. With me around, no one dares to act up." He winks at James and adds, "James, I''ll leave the house to you. Those people probably won''t dare to come again, but it''s better to be on the safe side."


    The flea market in the base isn''t big. It was transformed from the former People''s Livelihood Square. There are soldiers guarding all around, ensuring the safety of transactions.


    The people doing business here are all very shrewd, and you''ll suffer a loss if you''re not careful. The only trading currencies in the market are gold, diamonds, and food, with food being the most popular. You can even get discounts when trading with food.


    Even though it''s the afternoon, the flea market is already bustling with activity, squeezing the small square so tightly that it''s impossible to move freely.


    There are a wide variety of items here, from daily necessities to all kinds of electrical appliances. There are even some women with good looks flirting at their stalls and winking at the passersby.


    In the market, some people are secretly trading guns and ammunition behind the soldiers'' backs.


    When they first went out, Tarzan saw that Oliver had nothing in his hands and thought he was just going to take a look. But he didn''t expect Oliver to pick up a bag from an inconspicuous corner downstairs and hand it to Victoria with a smile. Tarzan has good eyesight and can tell at a glance that it contains compressed biscuits. One piece can allow a person to eat frugally for a whole day.


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    With the food in hand, Tarzan suddenly feels full of confidence and no longer cares where the compressed biscuits came from.


    After entering the flea market, he looks around and chats with the stall owners from time to time.


    The people who can do business here all have their own ways. Oliver knows that these people can be divided into two types: one type is those who participate in hunting and obtain items through hunting, so their goods are quite miscellaneous; the other type is those who work in the base factory and manage to bring out some parts to sell when going to and from work by some means.


    Oliver doesn''t have a specific purpose for coming to the flea market. He just wants to experience the apocalypse market.


    However, he is a bit disappointed. Although there are many people here, few of them actually have the purchasing power. After all, after three years, those without the ability have already squandered all their money and have no income, so how can they afford to buy things?


    Victoria is carrying the bag, and her mood is completely different from Oliver''s. She can''t even remember how long it''s been since she went shopping. She hasn''t had the opportunity since the apocalypse began. So she is extremely excited and stops to look at anything that catches her eye.


    But she is very sensible. For things that are useless, even if she likes them, she doesn''t show it, knowing full well the importance of food in the apocalypse.


    When they stroll to the electrical appliance area, Oliver is attracted by a smart rice cooker.


    This rice cooker is a bit different from the ones in the modern world. It has more powerful functions and combines the functions of a microwave oven and a rice cooker. It can cook rice in three minutes, and its power is only 500W, consuming very little electricity. It can be regarded as a must-have in the kitchen.


    The female owner of the electrical appliance stall sees that Oliver is staring blankly at the rice cooker and takes a look at his clothes. Knowing that he is interested in buying it, she greets him warmly, "So, what do you think? This rice cooker was among the top three brands three and a half years ago. It''s brand new and has never been used. It took a lot of effort to get it out of Dellai City."


    Seeing that Oliver doesn''t respond, the female owner continues, "Originally, this rice cooker is worth at least 20 grams of gold. Since you seem to want it, I''ll sell it to you for 15 grams."


    Oliver is a bit tempted. Tarzan laughs beside him and says to the female owner, "15 grams of gold? You''re basically robbing people. But..."


    He takes out a piece of compressed flatbread from Victoria''s bag and waves it. "One piece of compressed biscuits. If you agree, we''ll make the deal."


    The female owner is a bit tempted when she sees it''s food. One piece of compressed biscuits is enough for a person to eat for a day. But thinking of how hard it was to get the rice cooker, she shakes her head. "Two pieces. I''ll make the deal for two pieces."


    Tarzan chuckles. "Two pieces of compressed flatbread are worth at least 20 grams of gold. And your rice cooker? It''s not like you''re the only one selling it in this market."


    This hits the female owner where it hurts. She calculates for a moment and grits her teeth. "Okay, considering it''s food, I''ll make the deal for one piece of flatbread."


    Oliver smiles at Victoria and says, "Give her two pieces. We want two of them."


    Although Victoria doesn''t understand, she still does as he''s told. The female owner is also quite happy. In the apocalypse, two rice cookers aren''t really worth much, and she can accept getting them in exchange for one piece of compressed biscuits.


    In fact, the reason Oliver buys one more rice cooker isn''t for backup. It''s just that the functions of this rice cooker are so appealing to him.


    He''s thinking about taking the rice cooker back to the modern world to see if he can study and replicate it. If this kind of advanced rice cooker is introduced to the market, it will surely become popular all over the world.


    With this thought in mind, Oliver feels that many things here are worth buying, and any one of them can make people excited.

 Chapter 29 Participate in the hunting

    Oliver quickly calms down and realizes that he has been greedy. With his current strength, he simply can''t control the advanced technology here. Before he has the ability to protect his business, he can''t bring these things back to the modern era. He thinks to himself, "I still need to find some gold. After all, it''s the foundation of high technology."


    After that, whenever Oliver visits the market, he just wants to get familiar with the technology of the apocalyptic world. Thinking that Victoria is a girl, it wouldn''t be appropriate not to buy her something. So he says generously, "Buy whatever you like. Food is not a problem." These words touch Victoria deeply. Food is precious in the apocalyptic world, but he says such things, making her feel that she is being treated more than just as an ordinary friend.


    Tarzan gives an envious and strange laugh, "Victoria, if I were you, I definitely wouldn''t let go of such a generous man like the boss. Hahaha..." Victoria blushes and quickly explains, "Tarzan, what are you talking nonsense about? There''s really nothing between Oliver and me." But the more she explains, the more strange Tarzan''s expression becomes.


    Victoria isn''t polite. She exchanges a few compressed flatbreads for several sets of clothes she likes and doesn''t forget to buy a set for each of them. Tarzan is covered with clothes and is also carrying a rice cooker in his hand. He regrets it and says, "Why did I come here when they two are shopping? I''m just asking for trouble."


    The market is very strange. Besides goods and prostitutes, there are also some people with special skills. They are holding cardboard signs with their skills and service prices written on them.


    Oliver is envious. If there is enough food, it would be great to establish a company in the apocalyptic world and gather these people together. Now they just want to feed themselves and their families. But even after upgrading his spatial storage, it''s only 2 cubic meters. There isn''t enough food to hire them, and the origin of the food is mysterious. Once it''s exposed, the consequences will be serious.


    However, when he thinks of going out hunting, he can use that to explain the source of the food. It seems to kill two birds with one stone, and he is in a good mood. He says to Victoria, "Use up all the flatbreads in the bag." Victoria is very happy. She even spends three flatbreads on a bottle of facial cleanser. Oliver and Tarzan are speechless and sigh that a woman''s nature of loving beauty is not affected by the survival crisis.


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    After using up all the flatbreads, the three of them are satisfied with their gains. They take the things back to the room and all change into decent clothes. Oliver calls Tarzan and James over and says, discussing, "I want to go out hunting tomorrow. What do you think?"


    Tarzan objects first, "Boss, it''s too dangerous, and we may not even be able to find food."


    James replies indifferently, "I don''t care. I beat up the people from the distribution center today. They didn''t come for revenge in the afternoon. I guess they''ve cut off our distribution rights and want to starve us to death."


    Oliver agrees with James and says, "The food at home is only enough for tomorrow. If we don''t find a way to get food, we''ll all be hungry."


    Tarzan is in a dilemma, "Just the three of us?"


    Oliver thinks that three people are enough. However, thinking that Tarzan has more than a dozen subordinates, he can use them as a cover. Anyway, to grow in strength, he needs more people to join, and it doesn''t matter if he feeds a few more.


    He says to Tarzan, "Call your subordinates. Those who are willing to go hunting will be our brothers in the future. If I have food, I will never let them go hungry. Don''t force those who are not willing."


    Seeing that Oliver has made up his mind, Tarzan doesn''t hesitate anymore. His subordinates have also experienced a lot and are not afraid of hunting.


    A few minutes later, more than a dozen people gather around. When they learn that they are going hunting with Oliver, they are all very excited, knowing that Oliver is very powerful.


    After everyone reaches an agreement, Tarzan asks Oliver, "Did you have any transportation when you came here?"


    Oliver nods, but then feels a bit embarrassed when he thinks of that dilapidated minibus.


    Tarzan explains the hunting rules, "On the surface, the base allocates vehicles and weapons for hunting. In fact, we use the transportation we registered when we fled here, and the same goes for weapons. But we can exchange the right to use them with a certain proportion of the harvest."


    Oliver is speechless. It''s even a question whether that broken minibus can reach Dellai City. He asks, "Can we exchange a car with a proportion of the harvest?"


    Tarzan shakes his head, "Once a car is lost, there''s one less. The base only produces weapons. Those without transportation can only negotiate with those who have a car."


    Oliver is annoyed. Not only does the base take half of the harvest from hunting, but heavy weapons are needed to suppress the zombies, and they have to be rented from the base. When the car fare is included, what they actually get is no more than 30%.


    Tarzan says with a bitter smile that if they weren''t struggling to survive, who would be willing to take the risk? For families with the elderly and children, the children are growing and need four steamed buns a day, but that''s not enough nutrition.


    Oliver shakes his head and sighs, "This is the apocalyptic world. Life requires the courage to struggle." Even so, the hunting still has to go on.


    After signing up, Oliver applies for the renovation of the minibus. The people here don''t make things difficult for him, after all, the car is old and broken.

 Chapter 30 Modify the Minibus

    When they get back to the residence, Oliver quickly pulls George aside and asks straightforwardly, "George, can you fix and modify our minibus? It has to be done by tonight."


    The time is pressing, and the modification of the minibus is extremely urgent.


    George thinks for a while and answers seriously, "Fixing the minibus isn''t difficult. The main thing is to have parts. If there are enough parts, I can also modify the engine to make the speed reach about 120 kilometers per hour. But this is no small project. It will involve other components like the brakes."


    Oliver doesn''t know much about car modification, but there''s no shortage of talents in the apocalyptic world.


    He asks James and the others to stay and runs out with George. "I don''t understand this. If you need parts or helpers, just go ahead and get them. I just want the minibus modified by tonight. It would be best to seal the windows with titanium alloy and put iron plates on the front of the vehicle."


    Oliver has his reasons for doing this. The minibus has a weak shell and is vulnerable in front of zombies. He doesn''t want zombies to easily tear open the minibus when the firepower is insufficient.


    Although he has considered renting a car, he plans to go out every day, so it''s more convenient to have his own vehicle.


    Oliver has already prepared the food for buying parts, using the same method as when he went to the market before.


    Although George is surprised, he doesn''t ask too many questions.


    When they get to the market, George doesn''t rush to look for parts. Instead, he carefully reads the introductions on the cardboard signs at various talent stalls.


    Mechanical talents are in high demand in the apocalyptic world. After talking with several people, George hires three people who are proficient in cars at the price of a meal plus two compressed biscuits each. Oliver trusts George, who has over forty years of experience in car repair, and doesn''t ask too many questions.


    After finding the helpers, the four of them plunge into the pile of parts, picking out the parts needed to modify the minibus. Soon, a large pile is formed.


    Oliver is worried that the compressed biscuits he brought may not be enough to pay for everything.


    Nowadays, the electric welder is only the size of a pistol. Compared with decades ago, it''s much smaller in size. This makes Oliver sigh that any invention here, if taken back to modern times, could make a person extremely rich.


    George is good at bargaining. He manages to get this pile of parts and the electric welder for less than twenty compressed biscuits in total.


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    Oliver looks through the instructions of the electric welder and finds that its working time can reach an astonishing 48 hours, which means it can be used to modify about 10 cars with some time left.


    The minibus is taken out of the garage. Since cars can only be driven near the base gate, Oliver and the others move the parts to the front of the base and start the modification.


    There are many people modifying cars here, about fifty or sixty vehicles. Seeing other people''s cars and then looking at their own shabby minibus, Oliver feels a bit embarrassed.


    George comforts him, "Captain, don''t worry. After it''s modified, although the minibus may be a bit slower in speed, its hardness will far exceed their cars."


    Oliver thinks that safety is the most important thing. As long as they can come back alive, even an ugly car can be a hero, so he feels relieved.


    George is experienced in car modification. He leads the three of them to get into the minibus and throws out old parts from time to time.


    Although the appearance of the minibus hasn''t changed for the time being, Oliver knows that the inside has become very different. Modifying the engine is the most troublesome part and is personally taken care of by George. After all, he escaped in this minibus and knows it like the back of his hand. The engine is the "heart" of the minibus, the most important part.


    The three hired people, after finishing the work in other places, start to weld the outside of the minibus with titanium alloy.


    Oliver finally sees the power of this small electric welder. It''s easy to use. Just touch the nozzle to the joint, there''s a flash of light, and the titanium alloy bar is welded firmly. It''s much stronger than modern welding technology.


    There isn''t much titanium alloy in the market, so they can only seal the windows first. Oliver thinks that if there were enough materials, welding the whole vehicle would make the defense even stronger.


    The welding speed is very fast. They can weld one window in a few minutes. Watching the minibus gradually take shape, Oliver smiles. He feels that his journey in the apocalyptic world may start from this minibus, from tomorrow.


    In front of the base gate, the modified minibus looks very strange. After the windows are welded, it looks even uglier, attracting a lot of people''s ridicule. Someone shouts, "Dude, with your broken car, you''d better stay in the base. The outside world isn''t suitable for you."


    Oliver gets angry and gives a middle finger, cursing, "Damn it! What''s wrong with my broken car? I can still bring back food."


    A big guy jumps onto his modified Hummer King and laughs, "You''re just bragging. My 2070 - produced Hummer King can make your car deform and roll into the ditch with just one collision."


    Although Oliver knows this is true, the big guy''s straightforward words still make him a bit embarrassed.


    The Hummer King in the apocalyptic world is different from the modern one. It uses the hardest metal, has an enlarged shape, and is equipped with super - strong power. Moreover, the big guy has welded a heavy eight - barreled rotating machine gun on the top of the Hummer King. It''s simply a mobile firepower tower.


    Oliver observes the modified vehicles around and finds that many of them are very scary. For example, a truck has five machine guns on each side of the carriage and a small dual - tube rocket launcher in the front. Its firepower is even stronger than that of the Hummer King. There''s also a sports car with titanium alloy welded around it and many sharp edges on the body and front. It uses its speed to kill zombies.


    However, what attracts Oliver''s attention the most is the huge heavy roadheader in the distance. Its front drill is welded with numerous protruding heads, and there are eight heavy machine gun mounts on the body. Its firepower is astonishing when it starts.


    This heavy roadheader is exactly the one that gave his team a really hard time yesterday.

 Chapter 31 Rent firearms

    "Fuck. This yellow-haired boy won''t try to take me down during the hunting tomorrow, will he?" Seeing a vehicle modified from a heavy roadheader, Oliver is startled.


    If his shabby minibus gets hit by that huge drill bit, it will definitely be smashed to pieces in an instant, not to mention the terrifying weapons on that vehicle. However, he quickly dismisses this thought. The other party is so powerful that they wouldn''t stoop to bother with him.


    Oliver increasingly feels that there''s something odd about tomorrow''s hunting.


    He looks around. Almost all the vehicles are equipped with heavy firepower. Hundreds of cars have machine guns mounted on them. The strength of this hunting team is truly unprecedented.


    Could it be that they''ve reached some kind of agreement to act in unison?


    Oliver quietly approaches a Hummer King and hands cigarettes to the six people who are modifying it. He smiles and starts a conversation, "Your modification is really amazing!"


    The arrogant big guy from before takes the cigarette and takes a puff. "Damn, this is a good cigarette. Boy, just because of this cigarette, I''ll give you a heads-up. It''s better for you to quit the hunting tomorrow."


    Upon hearing this, Oliver quickly asks, "What''s your name, bro?" David looks at him sideways and snorts, "I''m David. You look unfamiliar. When did you arrive?"


    Oliver explains that he just got here yesterday, and his family, including the old and the young, are starving, so he wants to go out to get some food.


    David mutters something. Oliver then asks about tomorrow''s operation. David points at the hundreds of modified vehicles and says, "Boy, take a good look. Any one of these vehicles can easily crush your shabby minibus. You don''t know yet, but our target tomorrow is the food factory in the urban area. There are dozens of trucks of flour in there."


    Oliver is shocked and frowns, saying, "The urban area? Once there''s any commotion there, millions of zombies can pour out within half an hour. Is the intelligence reliable?"


    David gives him a disdainful look. "Of course! The intelligence was provided by the former supervisor of the food factory. If it wasn''t accurate, what would everyone be working so hard for? Many of these heavy weapons are rented. If we don''t get the flour, we''ll all be in trouble."


    Oliver then asks about the distribution after success. David gives him another disdainful look. "With your shabby minibus, how much do you think you can get? This time, we''re facing millions of zombies. Your minibus has no power, no firepower, and no defense. Can it withstand the attack of the zombies?"


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    Oliver gives an embarrassed smile. He knows in his heart that David means well. If there were only a dozen or so zombies, the minibus could rush through, but facing a dense horde of zombies, it definitely won''t work.


    But he''s not worried. With so many powerful vehicles leading the way, he''ll be mostly safe following behind. David takes a big puff of his cigarette and curses, "You''re lucky to have run into me. Others wouldn''t even bother with you. If you''re afraid of death, go and rent a few machine guns quickly. There will be more zombies than you can imagine this time. Rifles and handguns won''t be of any use."


    Oliver thinks it makes sense. Although each of Tarzan''s subordinates has a gun, they''re all handguns, which won''t be helpful for this operation. After listening to David, an experienced person, he doesn''t hesitate. He stuffs half a pack of cigarettes into David''s hand and runs towards the hunting operation rental office.


    It''s almost five o''clock. The rental room of the hunting operation office is deserted. Two staff members are playing with a handheld computer out of boredom. When they see Oliver coming in, one of them stands up and asks, "What do you want to rent?"


    The attitude isn''t very enthusiastic, but it''s already considered quite good in this base, and Oliver doesn''t care. He says he wants to rent a few machine guns. The staff member hands him the handheld computer, which shows the prices of various firearms and cars.


    This is the first time Oliver has come into contact with a handheld computer from the apocalyptic world. It''s the size of a palm, but its performance far exceeds that of modern computers. It has a 100T hard drive and a battery capacity that can last for 500 working hours, which is truly astonishing.


    However, he only cares about the firearms at the moment. He looks through the introductions and finds that almost all the machine guns have been rented out, and only seven light machine guns are left. There''s an ample supply of submachine guns. The daily rent for a submachine gun is 2.5 kilograms of refined flour, and 200 rounds of ammunition with 4 magazines only costs 1 kilogram of refined flour. All in all, the daily rent for a submachine gun is 3.5 kilograms of refined flour.


    It''s not that Oliver doesn''t want a light machine gun, but starting from this level, each type of firearm requires a security deposit. For example, David''s eight-barreled rotating heavy machine gun has a security deposit as high as 100 kilograms of refined flour, and the daily rent is 30 kilograms. This kind of machine gun has an extremely fast firing rate, up to 6000 rounds per minute, and the bullet consumption is astonishing. Thumb-sized bullets cost 2 kilograms of refined flour for 100 rounds.


    Oliver thinks to himself, "Fuck. Is David crazy..." Given his current situation, he can only look on with longing. The price of the submachine gun is still acceptable, so he rents ten of them with 2000 rounds of ammunition.


    After registering, the staff member kindly reminds him, "The bullets of submachine guns spread out, and they don''t work well against zombies. The hit rate is low."


    Oliver smiles, "I''ll just rent the submachine guns then!"


    He''s just going along to try his luck anyway, and he''s not even sure if he''ll have the chance to fire the submachine guns.


    In addition to firearms, there''s also a wide variety of cars available for rent at the rental office. Luxury cars like the Hummer King are something Oliver can only look at. The rental fee and security deposit are beyond what a small team like his can afford.


    Oliver is extremely depressed. When others came here to join, they all brought good cars, but he only has a shabby minibus that''s almost on the verge of breaking down.