Following a small path, the two of them walked towards Lin Hao's house.
Lin Hao led the way, and although he was carrying many things, he was still constantly observing the situation to protect Ning Yu.
They avoided as many zombies as they could along the way.
It was clear that this wasn't Lin Hao's first time taking this route.
Ning Yu followed closely behind him, carrying a backpack full of meat and vegetables.
She casually opened her system panel and went to the "Weekly Special Deals" section.
She had wanted to exchange for the Crimson War Blade earlier in the store but was interrupted by Lin Hao.
Ning Yu immediately clicked to exchange.
Her points dropped from 3120 to just 120.
A new item appeared in her inventory: [Crimson War Blade (Enchanted)].
Ning Yu lightly summoned it and felt a weight in her hand.
The Crimson War Blade had appeared in her grasp.
This Tang sword looked even better in her hand than it did in the system preview.
Its entire body was crimson red as if dyed with fresh blood, making one wonder how many had died beneath this blade.
Its size seemed to have been scaled to some degree, apparently automatically adapting to her body type.
Ning Yu found it just right for wielding comfortably.
More importantly, Ning Yu could feel the effects of the enchantment: Battle Spirit (Stamina +1, Mental Power +1).
Not only did she feel her stamina had improved, but the Mental Power +1 effect was also quite noticeable:
A cool sensation transmitted through the sword hilt into Ning Yu's body.
She felt her mind become clear, with an indescribable sense of lucidity.
It was like having a very satisfying sleep and then waking up to drink a glass of iced mint water - extremely refreshing.
She hadn't expected the mental power increase to feel so good.
Her five senses seemed sharper than before; she could see farther and hear more clearly.
Moreover, every inch of length adds strength.
The longer blade compared to a dagger meant she could gain a distance advantage in close-quarter combat.
It would make killing zombies much easier.
It truly was an excellent weapon, worth its original price of 15,000 points.
"It's just ahead, my home is on the fifth floor," Lin Hao said, pointing to a residential building ahead and seeming about to turn back to explain the direction to her.
With a thought from Ning Yu, the Crimson War Blade in her hand vanished, stored away in her system space.
Following the direction of Lin Hao's finger, Ning Yu saw a six-story residential building.
That must be Lin Hao's home.
Ning Yu nodded and kept close to him.
After entering the residential complex, they could see many slain zombie corpses piled together.
It seemed the people inside had some level of organization.
However, why hadn't they gone out together to explore and find supplies?
Ning Yu was puzzled by Lin Hao's solitary meat-hunting behavior.
Arriving on the fifth floor, Lin Hao opened his door and invited Ning Yu in.
The entire apartment wasn't large, probably less than 100 square meters.
The decor was quite new, looking a bit like a freshly delivered new house, with cream-colored wallpaper giving a very cozy feeling.
Telling Ning Yu to make herself at home, Lin Hao started rummaging around the house for food.
He first put all the fresh ingredients he had found on the dining table.
Ning Yu found a stool and sat down next to the dining table.
Before long, several bags of snacks were brought out, and Lin Hao said:
"You must be starving. Help yourself to these; I still have some stock left."
However, Ning Yu actually saw that Lin Hao's so-called stock might just be one cardboard box.
He probably didn't even dare to eat much himself, yet he brought out so much for her at once.
Ning Yu sweetly said thank you, but didn't eat the snacks Lin Hao passed to her.
He didn't show any unusual reaction, probably just being a nice guy.
But this didn't mean she would let down her guard.
Ning Yu looked around the surroundings.
In the center of the living room hung a wedding photo with an ornate metal frame.
The groom was Lin Hao, and the bride was a beautiful girl who looked very well-matched with Lin Hao, probably his wife.
Both were smiling very happily, cuddling close together.
The photo also looked very new, likely taken not long after their wedding.
Seeing that Lin Hao was about to ask why she wasn't eating, Ning Yu directly changed the subject:
"Big brother, where's the pretty big sister from that photo?"
Suddenly asked this, Lin Hao was stunned for a moment, then showed an awkward and bitter smile:
"She's dead. She was bitten by a monster the day the apocalypse broke out."
Lin Hao didn't use any childish lies like 'sister went to a faraway place' to brush off Ning Yu.
After all, Ning Yu looked to be at least a middle school student.
Ning Yu immediately put on an expression full of apology:
"Ah... I'm sorry..."
Lin Hao just shook his head dismissively and said:
"It's alright, it's in the past."
"In a world like this, perhaps being alive is actually a kind of torment."
Then he suddenly realized he shouldn't be saying such things to a young girl and hurriedly added:
"Ah... brother said some strange things, don't mind me."
Of course, Ning Yu understood what it meant for 'being alive to be torment'.
But on the surface, she only showed a half-understanding expression without speaking.
After a while, she continued to ask:
"Were the monsters in this residential area cleared out by everyone working together?"
Ning Yu felt something was off.
Hearing this question, Lin Hao's expression became a bit strange, and he slowly said:
"Mm, there's a group of very capable people, with weapons and quite a few members."
"They cleared out all the monsters in the entire residential area."
"But, if you happen to run into them by accident, you must avoid them at all costs. They're not good people."
He didn't continue, but Ning Yu vaguely guessed.
Living in a residential area controlled by someone probably required paying some kind of price.
"Have some snacks, don't be polite. Brother still has a lot."
Lin Hao showed another friendly smile and stopped paying attention to Ning Yu.
He got up to sort out the bags of ingredients he had just brought back.
Ning Yu pretended to eat the snacks but actually secretly moved them to a hidden place.
Just then, there was a violent knocking sound from outside.
"Open up! Open the damn door!"
It was the voice of a rough man.
Lin Hao's brows furrowed tightly, and he urgently said to Ning Yu with a serious expression:
"Little sister, go hide in the study first. No matter what happens or what sounds you hear, don't come out."
Ning Yu nodded seriously and walked towards the study.
The visitors were probably some unwelcome guests.
She quickly entered the study and glanced at the books on the shelves.
There were many specialized books on biology and medicine, as well as some abstruse books on humanities and philosophy.
It seemed Lin Hao had a high level of education, matching his bespectacled, refined appearance.
Meanwhile, Lin Hao had already walked to the entrance.
He slowly opened his front door.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
