Apocalypse: Every Woman I Invest In Makes Me Stronger

Debbie’s Healing Ability had become much more proficient than when she first awakened it.

A soft white glow spread from her palm as she worked over the three deep gashes across Ethan’s back. The bleeding had already stopped, but the wounds were still ugly~raw flesh showing beneath the torn skin, the edges already beginning to pull together under the warm energy. Debbie frowned as she worked.

”Those petrified lizards have some seriously tough scales. Even bullets can’t get through them. If we run into another one, don’t try to fight it head-on.”

Ethan grunted in agreement.

Then he remembered the crystal core he’d collected. His heart skipped.

Wait.

He’d put the earthy-yellow core into his Space Ability. Had the space automatically absorbed it the way it had with the earlier Space cores?

He quickly projected his consciousness inside. The crystal core was still there, lying quietly in a corner. Ethan let out a small breath of relief.

Good. Apparently the space only automatically absorbed the white-glowing cores associated with Space Abilities. Other types stayed untouched.

His attention shifted to the System panel. The giftable targets were listed in order. Daisy sat at the top with a 100x multiplier. Rose came next at 70x. Debbie was third at 50x. But something had changed. Debbie’s cooldown still had three days remaining. Daisy’s had four.

Ethan’s eyes moved lower.

Morgana’s name was gone. Her avatar had turned gray before disappearing from the list entirely. Because her Purity had dropped below 50, the System’s automatic filtering mechanism had kicked in.

He stared at the empty space where her name had been and couldn’t help laughing under his breath.

”So the System keeps refining its rules. She’s really a bitch. Even the System is done dealing with her.”

He rubbed his chin. Once Daisy’s cooldown ended, he planned to give her the petrified lizard’s crystal core. Maybe it would trigger another Ability.

His gaze drifted toward Villa 18. The alloy wall he’d sensed beneath the underground garage kept bothering him. He had a feeling it was connected to this villa district somehow. Instead of making a dangerous trip all the way to the Logistics Park, there was a better option.

Search the villas first.

Everyone living here had money. Some of them had probably built underground storage rooms or stocked enough supplies to survive for months.

”Debbie, Daisy, I’ve got an idea.”

By the time Debbie finished healing him, the three wounds on Ethan’s back had already begun to scab over. He straightened.

”Before the Apocalypse, most of the people living here were wealthy. There’s a good chance some of these empty villas still have supplies. We’ll start with the nearby ones.”

Debbie nodded immediately. ”That makes more sense than risking the Logistics Park.”

Daisy nodded as well. ”I can scout each villa first. If there are zombies or other living people inside, I’ll know before we go in.”

---

Ten that night.

The villa district was dead quiet. Every now and then a distant zombie growled somewhere beyond the walls. Ethan and Daisy stood outside Villa 18. The massive house was completely dark. Not a single light showed through the windows.

”Anything?” Ethan whispered.

Daisy closed her eyes. Her Mental Ability spread outward. For a few seconds she stood completely still. Then her eyes opened.

”There are fourteen... maybe fifteen. They’re all extremely hungry. They’re probably zombies.”

Ethan nodded. ”Stay here for a second.”

Daisy stepped back several paces. Ethan crouched beside the front door and placed a fingertip against the lock. His Metal Manipulation slipped into the mechanism. The tiny metal pins inside the lock softened and melted.

Click.

He pushed the door open. A foul mixture of rot and alcohol immediately drifted out. Ethan drew his sword and stepped inside.

The living room made him stop for half a second.

More than a dozen zombies wandered around aimlessly. They were all young men and women. Judging by the abandoned bottles, half-eaten food, and wreckage scattered around the room, they’d been partying when the Apocalypse hit. None of them had survived.

The zombies slowly turned toward him~empty eyes, bloodstained mouths, low hungry growls.

Ethan sighed. ”Come on.”

His sword flashed.

Slash! One zombie dropped. Another rushed him. Slash! Its head hit the floor. The rest followed. Within ten minutes the living room was silent again. Ethan wiped his blade and walked back to the entrance.

”It’s clear. Come in.”

Daisy stepped inside. Her eyes immediately landed on the bodies scattered across the floor. She froze. Her cheeks turned bright red. She quickly looked away.

”Stop staring and help me find the supplies.”

Ethan almost laughed. ”Wasn’t planning on staring.”

They split up. Daisy searched the first floor while Ethan headed upstairs. The liquor cabinet in the living room was packed with imported alcohol~more than twenty cases. Ethan didn’t bother picking through them. He stored everything in his Space Ability.

In the second-floor study he found a safe. Inside were two pistols and five magazines. Those went straight into his space as well. Then he opened the master bedroom closet and stared.

There were several boxes of costumes. Nurse outfits. Police uniforms. Maid costumes. And a collection of other ridiculous outfits. Several boxes of condoms were scattered nearby.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. ”Wow.” He chuckled. ”These people really knew how to party.”

He stuffed everything into his space. Daisy walked upstairs at that exact moment.

She stopped when she saw what he was holding.

Her eyes went wide. Color rushed into her cheeks so fast it was almost visible. For a second she just stared at the nurse outfits, the maid costumes, and the boxes of condoms scattered at his feet.

”You...” Her voice came out smaller than usual. ”You’re really taking those?”

Ethan glanced at her, then at the pile in his hands.

”What if they come in handy?” He shrugged. ”It’s the Apocalypse. Being prepared beats being sorry.”

Daisy’s face turned even redder. She looked away quickly, one hand brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

”You’re unbelievable.”

She turned toward the stairs a little too fast.

”I found something downstairs.”

Ethan followed her. ”There was a door leading to the basement. It’s locked, and it looks like it’s made from alloy.”

Ethan’s expression immediately changed. ”Alloy?”

They returned to the kitchen. Sure enough, an inconspicuous metal door was built into one corner. Ethan placed his palm against it. His Metal Manipulation spread through the door. He carefully examined the structure. Three deadbolts, all made from high-strength alloy. The alloy was slightly weaker than the one he’d sensed in the underground garage.

”Interesting.” He focused. ”Watch this.”

His Ability penetrated the locks. Tiny metal components inside the deadbolts began to soften and deform. One. Two. Three.

Click. Click. Click.

The door unlocked. Ethan pulled it open a few inches. A roar suddenly exploded from the darkness beyond. He immediately stepped back. Three zombies wearing servant uniforms charged through the opening.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Three clean strikes. Three bodies hit the floor. Ethan looked down the dark staircase.

”Let’s see what’s down there.”

They descended. The basement had two levels. The moment Ethan reached the bottom, he understood why he’d sensed the alloy. The walls were made almost entirely from the same high-strength alloy. Whoever built this place had gone far beyond normal home security. The interior was even more luxurious than Villa 8. Unfortunately, parts of the basement had been contaminated by the zombies.

Ethan ignored the mess and followed Daisy toward the storage room. The moment the door opened, Daisy stopped. Her mouth fell open.

”Oh my God.”

Shelves filled the room. Vacuum-packed bags of rice and beans were stacked almost to the ceiling. Several freezers were packed with meat. Baskets held fresh vegetables and fruit. Judging by the amount of food, the owners had clearly stocked up for the party.

Ethan looked around and made a quick estimate. ”There’s enough here to feed the three of us for at least three months.” He smiled. ”And with the System’s returns, we could stretch this for a year.”

Daisy picked up a bunch of grapes. They were still fresh. The skin was firm, and the fruit inside was moist.

”Fresh fruit.” She smiled. ”I haven’t seen this in forever.”

They got to work. For the next hour the two of them emptied the villa. Food. Water. Cooking equipment. Fuel. Anything useful went into Ethan’s space. The basement even contained a diesel generator and five barrels of diesel. They didn’t leave behind the expensive cookware in the kitchen either. By the time they finished, the place looked like it had been stripped bare.

Ethan looked around. ”This place was a gold mine.”

---

Back at Villa 8, Debbie was already sorting through the supplies. She stared at the growing mountain of food and couldn’t stop smiling.

”We actually found all this in one villa?”

”Apparently.” Ethan dropped another box onto the pile. ”Tomorrow, we keep going.”

---

Four days passed.

Ethan and Daisy practically turned the entire villa district upside down. There were one hundred villas in total. Around twenty were still occupied. The other eighty became their targets.

Some had already been looted before Ethan arrived. Others had almost nothing worth taking. But Ethan’s Metal Manipulation made the difference. Locked safes? Easy. Reinforced storage rooms? No problem. Metal doors that would’ve taken hours to break through? Ethan simply manipulated the mechanisms.

By the evening of the fourth day, Villa 8 was overflowing. The second basement level was packed. More than half of the first floor had been taken over by supplies~clothes, blankets, bedding, kitchen equipment, tools, food. The first-floor hall barely looked like a living room anymore. There was enough diesel to keep the generator running for roughly six months. Food was stacked everywhere. For the first time since the Apocalypse began, they didn’t have to worry about running out of supplies anytime soon.

Ethan didn’t store everything inside his Space Ability. Only the food that needed to stay fresh and most of the other food went inside. The rest remained outside for easy access.

Debbie looked around the storage room. ”I can’t believe how much these people had. Especially Villa 18. They must’ve stocked up because of that party. It had more supplies than anywhere else.”

Ethan nodded. But his mind wasn’t on the supplies.

Over the past four days, Daisy had sensed different emotions coming from several of the occupied villas. Vigilance. Hostility. Fear. And something that felt like people being pressured or controlled.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

What’s going on inside those houses?

The thought lingered for a moment. Then he pushed it away. Whatever was happening in those villas wasn’t his problem. Not yet.

Handle my own business first.

He turned away from the window.

The rest can wait.