Zhao Yin crushed the first Star Crystal. A ball of white light bloomed in his palm.

Song Xiaodao's attention snapped to it immediately. She leaned closer, curiosity overriding her exhaustion. "Zhao Yin, what are you doing?"

He opened his other hand, displaying the remaining crystal. "This is a Star Crystal. Most high-level zombies carry one. Keep an eye out for them from now on."

The secret of Star Crystals would spread to all survivors soon enough. There was no point hiding it from her.

Song Xiaodao nodded, half-understanding, then watched as the white light in his hand dissipated-and a bottle of drink materialized from thin air.

Zhao Yin examined the item.

[Iced Black Tea: Grade F | Type: Supernatural Beverage | Effect: Replenishes 24 hours of water consumption; doubles physical attributes for 1 hour]

Finally. A second type of drink besides Nongfu Spring. The effect was solid too-could be a lifesaver in a pinch.

He stored the iced tea and crushed the second Star Crystal.

The glow faded. A piece of clothing appeared in his hand.

Zhao Yin's breath hitched. Equipment again. He quickly unfolded it in front of him.

His expression darkened.

"Another goddamn piece of women's clothing!"

In his hands was a white one-piece minidress, complete with cartoon patterns. The hem barely reached mid-thigh.

Was the universe trying to turn him into a cross-dressing icon?!

[Dress: Grade F | Defense Equipment | Sturdiness: 15 | Strength +8 | Bonus Effect: Charm +10]

His heart skipped. The sturdiness was one point lower than the military jacket, but it added a full eight points of Strength.

That was an entire adult man's worth of power stacked on top of his base stats.

Should he wear it?

Zhao Yin wrestled with the decision. Fishnet stockings. A minidress. All he was missing now was a pair of high heels.

Song Xiaodao spotted the dress in his hands, then glanced down at the oversized men's T-shirt hanging off her frame. Her eyes lit up.

"Zhao Yin-!"

"Get back to work!"

He cut her off before she could finish and shoved the dress into his Spatial Ring.

Nearby, the little monkey eyed the iced tea with naked longing.

Zhao Yin checked the bloodstains on its fur. The wounds had stopped bleeding. He reached down and rubbed its head.

"That's a combat drink. We save it for emergencies. Can't give it to you yet."

The little monkey felt the warmth of his palm and closed its eyes in bliss. For a moment, even the allure of supernatural food seemed to fade.

"Master just gave me compressed biscuits. Little Monkey is very happy." Its voice echoed in his mind.

Zhao Yin didn't care whether it was genuinely happy. Chestnuts were coming next. The spoiled ordinary food was just something for the monkey to help dispose of-otherwise he'd have to throw it away, and that would gnaw at his conscience.

In the apocalypse, countless people starved. Wasting food was shameful.

"Come on. I've got another glorious mission for you," Zhao Yin said.

The little monkey perked up instantly. "I like the missions Master gives me."

Every completed task earned it that approving look from Master.

Sometimes even a reward.

Most importantly-it refused to let Song Xiaodao steal its place in Master's heart.

Master had given it compressed biscuits. Song Xiaodao got nothing. The little monkey felt smug.

"Your job is to pick all the chestnuts from that tree." Zhao Yin pointed at the massive chestnut tree in the distance.

Dozens of chestnut burrs hung from its branches.

After mutation, each burr had swollen to the size of a human head, bristling with spikes that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen.

The little monkey's excitement doubled at the mention of climbing. Deep genetic instinct made the task feel thrilling.

The moment Zhao Yin finished speaking, it shot up the trunk in a blur and reached for a burr.

A series of shrill squeaks pierced the air: "Ow ow ow-Master, save me!"

The mutated spikes were razor-sharp. Even the monkey's tough hide couldn't withstand them. Blood welled from its fingers.

"Idiot! Use the stick to knock them down!" Zhao Yin shouted.

Realization dawned. The little monkey swung its steel rod.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chestnut burrs plummeted like meteorites. After fifteen minutes, a thick layer carpeted the ground.

Soon, the last burr crashed down. Branches and leaves-"accidentally" ravaged in the process-littered the area.

The little monkey dropped from the tree, its face alight with excitement, and scampered to Zhao Yin's feet to claim its praise.

"Good work." Zhao Yin didn't hold back.

He turned his attention to the fallen burrs and counted. Three hundred and three. Each one could yield at least ten jin of mutated chestnuts.

That meant at least three thousand jin of mutated chestnuts.

In the apocalypse, fruit from mutated plants didn't spoil like pre-apocalypse produce. The energy they contained was over ten times greater than their original counterparts.

If one jin of normal chestnuts could fill an ordinary person, one jin of mutated chestnuts could sustain them for ten meals.

Long-term consumption could even gradually enhance physical constitution.

In his previous life, Zhao Yin had a subordinate who never obtained an ability or evolution serum. But by sheer luck, the man had stumbled upon several hundred jin of mutated soybeans.

After two years of eating them, his strength rivaled an F-rank Evolver.

Zhao Yin glanced up at the ravaged chestnut tree. A twinge of regret. Who knew when it would bear fruit again?

He couldn't afford to wait.

His Spatial Ring couldn't store living things. He couldn't take the tree with him. So he stopped caring whether it survived.

He drew his Tang sword and began slicing open the burrs.

Two hours later, all three hundred burrs were peeled.

Zhao Yin considered for a moment, then stored the discarded spikes in his Spatial Ring as well. They might prove useful later.

By then, Song Xiaodao had finished collecting over a hundred non-evolution Corpse Crystals.

"Zhao Yin, I really can't keep going." The swelling on her face had faded slightly, but exhaustion clouded her eyes.

Sheer willpower had carried her this far.

She handed him a small bundle-a scrap of cloth torn from some zombie, wrapped around a pouch of crystals. "Here. All of them."

Zhao Yin took the crystals and absorbed them directly.

Minutes later, his evolution progress hit 100/10.09%. Still nine-tenths away from E-rank.

This rate of growth would have been unimaginable in his previous life.

But he wasn't satisfied. There was still so much to do.

Get to Yang City as soon as possible. Find the Flying White Tiger that had just mutated.

Head to the Dawei Mountains. Locate the legendary Life Space Pendant-an SS-rank treasure.

Track down a certain top-tier powerhouse from his past life. That man wouldn't obtain his destined Star Crystal for another six months. Zhao Yin could move early and seize it first.

But one step at a time.

None of it was urgent. Before anything else, he needed to secure his own safety and stockpile enough supplies to survive.

"Zhao Yin, didn't you say I could have compressed biscuits after finishing the work?" Song Xiaodao asked, mustering her courage.

Zhao Yin pulled himself from his thoughts. "Tonight, we eat chestnuts."

Three thousand jin of chestnuts would sustain him until he found the next mutated food source. The spoiled pre-apocalypse rations were basically worthless now.

"Are we still hunting zombies tonight?" Song Xiaodao asked.

"No. We're staying here. Getting a proper night's sleep."

He walked toward the small villa. "Go clean out a room. After dinner, I'm taking a shower."

"A shower?" Song Xiaodao froze.

She hadn't bathed in over a month. She hadn't dared to even dream of it.

All day, she'd only managed to find some rusty, filthy water at the shooting range. Her throat was on fire.

"Zhao Yin, do you have that much water? Can I have a little to drink?"

Zhao Yin stopped mid-step.

He'd forgotten to give her water today.

In the darkness, he looked at her face-still swollen like a steamed bun-and something stirred in his chest. A feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. So long he'd almost forgotten what it was called.

Guilt.

"There's a well here. Drink as much as you want. I'll make sure you eat your fill tonight. You can shower too."

He remembered this place from his previous life. An ancient well sat in the villa's backyard, fed by an underground river. The water ran clear and clean.

Besides bathing, he needed to replenish the fresh water in his Spatial Ring.

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