The last thief collapsed in terror, kneeling on the ground.
He never imagined that the situation would reverse so swiftly.
Only a minute or two had passed since Chen Du drew the M9 pistol, yet all his companions lay dead in pools of blood.
The thief bowed his head repeatedly, pleading for mercy.
Faced with death, losing some dignity seemed inconsequential to him.
In fact, he wished he could bang his forehead until it bled to prove his sincerity.
However, Chen Du showed no mercy, calmly aiming and firing a bullet into the man's thigh.
Once certain the thief couldn't escape, Chen Du handed the M9 pistol to Xie Li.
Xie Li immediately grasped what Chen Du intended.
This was her chance to take action—to experience killing firsthand.
In this apocalyptic world, survival demanded ruthlessness.
Chen Du frowned, saying, "Lili, don't feel sorry for them. Look at their weapons—they came here to rob and kill. People like these deserve no pity. Think about what they said earlier if I weren't around. What do you think would have happened?"
Xie Li knew all too well.
Without Chen Du, tonight would have brought something far worse than death.
She took a deep breath and slowly raised the pistol.
Yet knowing and doing were two different things.
Taking another person's life wasn't easy—not unless you were a monster.
Even then, most people couldn't face such an act without hesitation.
Chen Du sighed inwardly.
It seemed he still needed to guide Xie Li over this psychological hurdle.
Only by overcoming it could she truly survive in this harsh world.
Stepping behind her, Chen Du gently held her trembling hands and guided the gun toward the surviving thief.
His steady presence brought a sense of security.
Leaning close, he whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you."
On the ground, the thief stared at the dark muzzle pointed at him, despair filling his eyes.
Driven by sheer will to live, he ignored the searing pain in his leg and dragged himself toward the villa gate, hoping to escape.
Chen Du pressed down on Xie Li's finger resting on the trigger.
Bang!
The silenced gunshot rang out, striking the thief squarely in the back of the head.
The impact shattered his skull, sending fragments of bone and tissue scattering across the floor alongside streams of blood.
Xie Li dropped the pistol and rushed to the bathroom on the first floor, vomiting uncontrollably.
To be honest, even Chen Du felt a wave of nausea.
Though not his first time taking a life, this was the first time he'd witnessed such a graphic scene.
He began to worry whether Xie Li might develop lasting trauma from the experience.
After a while, Xie Li emerged from the bathroom, her face pale as paper.
Concerned, Chen Du approached to steady her.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her gaze fell upon the headless corpse sprawled in the villa. She turned away abruptly, rushing back into the bathroom.
With a sigh, Chen Du cleaned up the villa before escorting Xie Li to her room to rest.
Whether she could overcome this mental barrier was now entirely up to her.
…
Chen Du sensed that Xie Li had changed that day.
He didn't know how she had managed to conquer her fears, but when he later took her to zombie-infested areas to scavenge for supplies, she no longer panicked. Instead, she calmly raised her crossbow and dispatched the undead with precision.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The zombies before her fell one by one, struck by her bolts.
"Not bad, Lili," Chen Du remarked with a smile after finishing off the remaining zombies nearby. "Your aim has improved significantly these past few days."
Xie Li smiled faintly.
She was relieved to no longer be a burden to Chen Du.
"It's because I've been practicing hard, you know," she replied softly.
This marked the third day of their scavenging mission together.
Through constant practice, both of their physical abilities had grown remarkably.
Even Xie Li could now carry heavy loads and run for miles without breaking a sweat, rivaling the endurance of elite soldiers.
After dealing with the group of thieves who had invaded their villa, they revised their original plan.
As survivors across the city grew stronger and better equipped, communities began reconnecting.
Other survivors started arriving in their villa district.
Some settled cautiously in neighboring villas, wary of others.
Others, like Ethan and the previous band of thieves, harbored malicious intent.
But Chen Du dealt with them swiftly, hanging their bodies in the public flowerbeds as a warning to anyone else who dared cause trouble.
From then on, newcomers understood Chen Du's strength and kept their distance.
Still, with more survivors appearing, stronger groups might arrive sooner or later.
If they failed to prepare—failed to level up and gather resources—they wouldn't stand a chance against future threats relying solely on the M9 pistol and unlimited gasoline.
They couldn't just pour gasoline around the walls and trap themselves inside, after all.
Doing so would leave them vulnerable to burning alive.
Living in the most conspicuous part of the city, their villa offered little protection. Hoarding supplies alone wouldn't ensure survival.
Thus, Chen Du and Xie Li decided to venture farther into zombie territories to gather resources and improve their levels.
During this process, Chen Du noticed that beyond level 5, the stat increases from leveling slowed considerably.
Previously, each level brought noticeable improvements.
But continuing at that rate would make reaching level 10 absurdly powerful—perhaps strong enough to fight zombies barehanded.
Unbeknownst to them, both had already gained several levels.
Chen Du was now on the cusp of reaching level 10.
According to the system, achieving level 10 granted a significant physical enhancement—a complete transformation.
Chen Du eagerly anticipated the change.
At his current level, he already possessed the physique of a special forces operative.
With another enhancement, would he reach the pinnacle of human capability?
Determined, Chen Du resolved to reach level 10 today and discover the extent of his improvement.
He hoped it wouldn't disappoint.
Far from the villa district, surrounded by hordes of zombies, there was no shortage of enemies to grind experience points.
If this had been the old Chen Du, without unlimited gasoline, he would have fled at the mere sight of such numbers.
But now, armed with a car and homemade Molotov cocktails, he welcomed the challenge.
Sitting in the car while replenishing his energy, Chen Du shared his plan with Xie Li.
"Lili, I'm at level 9 now. Today, I intend to push through to level 10 and see what changes occur."