Chapter 53: City Center Ahead

Inside the Survival Space, Ethan Carter lay across the sofa with his legs crossed, a stupid grin plastered across his face.

Ten uses of Spatial Cut.

Six uses of One-Way Teleportation, with a maximum distance of three hundred meters each time.

And his Survival Space had expanded to a massive fifteen hundred cubic meters.

His little gift-target strategy had turned out to be a goldmine.

Unfortunately, the excitement on his face gradually faded as he thought about the problem he couldn’t ignore.

He couldn’t stay in the suburbs forever.

The Snake King was making the entire area more dangerous by the day, while the number of surviving humans continued to shrink. Finding suitable gift targets was becoming nearly impossible. Even encountering Mutant Beasts had become increasingly rare.

Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

The city center would be far more dangerous, but it would also have something the suburbs were running out of.

People.

Supplies.

And, most importantly, potential gift targets.

The problem was that he had no idea what was waiting for him there.

He couldn’t drag Debbie, Daisy, Rose, Sofia, and Dr. Vance into an unknown area and hope everything went smoothly.

He needed to scout ahead alone.

If he could find a secure location, he would return and bring everyone over.

Until then, he decided to stay in the Survival Space for seven days and stockpile as many basic supplies as possible.

Seven days passed.

The difference was obvious.

The Survival Space had gone from a place filled with scattered supplies to something that was beginning to resemble a genuine underground shelter.

Under Ethan’s persistent persuasion, Daisy had returned two hundred bags of rice.

Debbie had contributed fifty cans of infant formula, completely solving Nina’s food shortage for the foreseeable future.

Sofia had returned three hundred bags of flour, while Rose had provided one hundred and forty buckets of instant noodles.

Dr. Elena Vance had also contributed one hundred and sixty boxes of frozen meat.

Since Rose’s Plant Growth Ability had improved considerably, Ethan had deliberately left her several packets of vegetable seeds.

If everything went according to plan, perhaps he would come back from the city center to find fresh vegetables growing inside the Survival Space.

That would be a welcome change from canned food and instant noodles.

Those seven days were also the most relaxed Ethan had been since the apocalypse began.

He had spent most of his time resting, training, experimenting with his abilities, and occasionally finding creative ways to entertain himself.

On the first day, he had convinced Daisy to put on a nurse’s outfit.

He had taken the role of director and lead actor himself.

Unfortunately, just when things were getting a little too close to crossing a line, Ethan abruptly shouted, "Cut!"

He immediately teleported Daisy out of the Survival Space.

"That was close."

Ethan wiped the sweat from his forehead.

If he had gone any further, he was pretty sure the system would have punished him by reducing her Bonus Drop.

Outside the Survival Space, Daisy stomped her foot in frustration.

"Ethan! You bastard!"

Once Daisy had been sent away, Ethan called Debbie in to calm the situation down.

Debbie took one look at Ethan lounging on the sofa with that shameless grin and sighed.

"Bullying Daisy again?"

"This is called romance."

Ethan pulled her closer and rested his chin against her hair.

"Besides, I’m already worked up. You’re the doctor, aren’t you? You should probably take care of your patient."

Debbie tapped his forehead with one finger.

"You really have no shame."

Then she narrowed her eyes.

"And don’t push things too far. If you mess up Daisy’s Bonus Drop, I’ll make you regret it."

Scenes like that became almost routine.

Daisy’s collection of costumes continued to grow, and Ethan somehow kept finding increasingly ridiculous ways to tease her.

Whenever things threatened to go too far, Ethan would immediately stop and send her out of the Survival Space.

Daisy would then spend the next several minutes threatening him over the walkie-talkie.

Ethan would solemnly promise that he wouldn’t do it again.

Then, the moment she left, he’d start searching through the supplies for another costume.

Debbie eventually became the designated person responsible for cleaning up Ethan’s messes.

Sometimes she used her Healing Ability to treat the scratches he received during his reckless experiments. Other times, she simply had to deal with his endless antics and remind him that the apocalypse was not an excuse to lose his common sense.

By the morning of the eighth day, Ethan had once again gone through his gift targets and collected another wave of supplies.

He stood in the middle of the Survival Space, looking around at the stacked food and supplies.

"All set."

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Even if I come back from the city center empty-handed, we have enough here to survive for at least six months."

He had also asked Debbie to prepare a large quantity of Healing Essence before leaving.

After testing it, Ethan discovered something interesting.

Debbie’s Healing Essence worked particularly well on him.

Five hundred milliliters could restore his energy after it had been completely depleted.

But when he consumed it himself, only one hundred milliliters was enough to completely refill his energy.

Fifty bottles, each containing five hundred milliliters, were neatly arranged in one corner of the Survival Space.

Looking at them, Ethan felt much more confident about his trip.

That evening, Ethan gathered everyone inside the Underground Casino and explained his plan.

"I’m going to the city center alone."

The women immediately looked at him.

"I’ll scout the area first. If I find a safe place to stay, I’ll come back and bring everyone over."

"No."

Daisy immediately stepped forward.

"It’s too dangerous. I’m coming with you."

Ethan walked over and gently pinched her cheek.

"Don’t worry. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s getting away from trouble."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"And when I come back, I’ll let you pick which costume you want to wear next."

Daisy’s face instantly turned red.

She opened her mouth to argue, then hesitated.

"That’s cheating."

Ethan smiled.

"It worked, didn’t it?"

Dr. Elena Vance adjusted her glasses.

"Ethan, I want to go with you too."

Her expression became more serious.

"I need to find my brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece. They could still be alive somewhere in the city."

Ethan studied her face.

The worry in her eyes was obvious, but so was her determination.

He thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I understand, but you shouldn’t travel with me."

Elena frowned.

"Why?"

"The Snake King has marked me. Wherever I go, there’s a good chance trouble will follow."

Ethan looked at the icy glow around her fingers.

"You have a powerful offensive Ability. If you move alone, you’ll be much harder to track and you’ll have a better chance of finding your family."

Elena remained silent.

"Once I establish a foothold in the city center, I’ll help you look for information about them."

She finally nodded.

"Fine."

Ethan then went around the room, saying goodbye to everyone.

He reminded Debbie to look after the others.

He stopped beside Rose and smiled.

"Take care of those vegetables."

Rose smiled back.

"When you return, they’ll be waiting for you."

"I’ll hold you to that."

Finally, Ethan stopped in front of Daisy.

He leaned toward her ear.

"Wait for me."

Daisy looked up at him.

"When I come back, we’ll try something new."

Her face immediately heated up.

"And this time, I promise I won’t run away halfway through."

Daisy’s eyes widened.

"You..."

She reached around and pinched him hard on the back.

Ethan grinned.

At eleven that night, he took one final look at the women who had come to see him off.

Then he walked out of the Underground Casino.

Thirty minutes later, he reached the road at the foot of the mountain.

He checked his surroundings, confirmed his direction, and started walking.

He had no idea that something was watching him.

At the edge of the urban area, a Mutant Viper as thick as a bowl watched Ethan’s retreating figure.

Its scarlet eyes followed him for several seconds.

Then something resembling human fear flashed across its face.

The viper suddenly turned around and slithered away at incredible speed, heading toward Century Skyline, where the Snake King had established its territory.

Ethan noticed none of it.

He continued forward.

Three kilometers later, a foul, fishy smell drifted through the air.

Ethan slowed down.

He recognized this area.

It was the same place where he had encountered the Mutant Siberian Tiger.

The Quasi-King-level beast Tom Hurst had mentioned.

Ethan assumed it was the same tiger.

He immediately increased his pace.

I’d rather not run into that thing again.

He was almost past the area when a faint rustling sound came from behind him.

Ethan’s expression changed.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

He immediately gathered spatial energy around his fingertips and spun around.

Nothing was there.

Then he looked up.

Five meters above the ground, a figure hovered silently beneath the moonlight.

Huge golden wings stretched from her back, shimmering faintly in the darkness.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

The Winged Zombie.

He hadn’t seen her for several days.

She had changed dramatically.

Her blue-black skin had become almost snow-white and strangely smooth. Her lips had turned a deep red, while her once-dark green pupils had lightened considerably.

With those enormous golden wings spread behind her, she looked less like a zombie and more like some bizarre model wearing a pair of golden wings.

Ethan stared.

"Holy crap."

He couldn’t help muttering, "Her evolution speed is starting to look like a full-body makeover."

The Winged Zombie’s eyes remained fixed on him.

But she didn’t attack.

She didn’t roar.

She simply hovered there, watching him.

Ethan frowned.

What the hell is she doing?

He cautiously raised one hand and waved.

To his surprise, the Winged Zombie slightly moved her wings in response.

Ethan’s mouth twitched.

"No way."

He stared at her for another few seconds.

"System, what level is she now?"

He paused.

"And is there any chance she can become a gift target?"

The system responded immediately.

[Ding! Detected S-Rank Evolved Zombie.]

[Target still possesses significant zombie characteristics and does not qualify as a gift target.]

"Thank God."

Ethan released a quiet breath.

At least he didn’t have to worry about the system suddenly turning this nightmare into one of his investment opportunities.

He was about to leave when the Winged Zombie suddenly turned.

She flew toward the industrial ruins ahead.

Ethan watched her disappear between the abandoned buildings.

Then she stopped.

After flying more than ten meters, she turned her head and looked back at him.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

Is she... asking me to follow her?

The Winged Zombie flew forward again.

Ethan hesitated.

Everything about the situation screamed trap.

But curiosity eventually won.

He suppressed his presence and followed her from a distance.

Neither of them noticed what Ethan had just avoided.

Ten minutes later, at the intersection he had passed earlier, something enormous emerged from the shadows of a half-collapsed building.

A Mutant Siberian Tiger.

It stood nearly two meters at the shoulder and stretched more than six meters from head to tail.

Its black-and-yellow fur had a strange metallic sheen beneath the moonlight. Its limbs were thick as tree trunks, and every step pressed deep marks into the cracked pavement.

Its claws were capable of tearing through alloy.

The massive tiger lowered its head.

Amber eyes scanned the empty road.

A dark red pattern resembling the character for "king" marked its forehead, pulsing faintly with energy.

It was the Quasi-King-level Mutant Beast.

The tiger stopped exactly where Ethan had been standing.

It lowered its head and sniffed the air.

Then its pupils suddenly contracted.

It had caught Ethan’s scent.

But there was something else mixed with it.

The scent of the Snake King’s mark.

The tiger’s expression instantly became vicious.

It remembered him.

The human who had escaped from beneath its claws.

A low growl rumbled from its throat.

The tiger raised one massive paw and slammed it into an abandoned car.

Bang!

The entire vehicle collapsed beneath the impact.

Still furious, the tiger swung its tail.

Crack!

The tail smashed through a load-bearing column of the nearby building.

The already damaged structure groaned.

Half of the small building collapsed with a thunderous roar, sending dust and debris across the street.

The tiger stood amid the dust for several seconds.

But Ethan was gone.

Unable to find its target, it eventually turned away and disappeared into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Ethan was already deep inside the industrial ruins, following the golden-winged figure through the abandoned buildings.

He had no idea that he had just narrowly avoided a fight with a creature capable of tearing him apart.

The Winged Zombie’s strange behavior had accidentally saved him from the trap.

But ahead of him was the city center.

And whatever waited there was likely far more dangerous than anything he had encountered in the suburbs.