Unlike Li Ming, Peng Zhi and Zhang Yuan spent every day at home with no physical activity. They ate when they were hungry and slept when they were full. Their daily routine had shifted to the point they woke up around eleven in the afternoon.
Zhang Yuan, who was slightly more diligent, woke up half an hour earlier than Peng Zhi, despite her restless sleep filled with fear and anxiety. By the time Peng Zhi woke up, Li Ming was already leaving the house, which prompted him to hurriedly call out to his wife in the bathroom.
"Got it."
Just having washed her face, Zhang Yuan wiped off the water droplets with a wet towel. She shot her husband an annoyed glance, and eventually, succumbing to hunger, left the room under Peng Zhi's urging, who waited expectantly in their room.
After some thought, Peng Zhi concluded that Li Ming would surely lend them some food, and thus, he waited leisurely for the outcome.
…
"Whoosh~"
Flames surged in the kitchen as Li Ming cooked. Suddenly, he picked up a fragrant scent. Glancing behind, he saw Zhang Yuan, looking fresh after her morning routine, walked in.
He smiled at her but didn't say much, remembering the almost-broken sword that he had hanging midway in the pot.
Zhang Yuan, who originally intended to ask for food, hesitated upon seeing Li Ming busy cooking. She decided to wait until Li Ming was finished.
When Li Ming finished cooking and noticed Zhang Yuan still standing at the doorway, he asked, surprised, "Is there something you need?"
"I feel a bit embarrassed asking at this hour, but I really have no other option. The zombies are everywhere outside, and we've run out of food at home. So, I wanted to ask if we could borrow some food."
With the Li Ming initiating the conversation, Zhang Yuan regained her composure. Unconstrained by formality at this point, she confidently voiced her need, her eyes expectantly gazing at Li Ming.
Borrow food?
Li Ming frowned, glancing at Zhang Yuan, who was dressed in short shorts. Suppressing any irritation, after a moment of consideration, he answered, "I don't have much food either. Here's what I'll do- I'll fetch you something to tide over."
"Really? Thank you so much. Once we have our supplies, we will definitely repay you!"
Upon hearing Li Ming's words, Zhang Yuan took a deep breath of relief. She patted her chest, assuring Li Ming with a bright smile.
"I'll be waiting then."
Li Ming shook his head. Under such circumstances, denying them wasn't a choice. Relieved that he had planned ahead, he picked up his cooked food from the kitchen and moved towards his room, with Zhang Yuan closely trailing.
Li Ming didn't mind. On reaching his room, he set the food on the table, and picked up five packets of instant noodles. Turning around, he handed them to Zhang Yuan, "I'm sorry, that's all I can offer."
"Ah, no worries, no worries. Having instant noodles is good enough. Thank you, thank you."
Zhang Yuan, who thought that Li Ming's fetched 'items' would be vegetables, was taken aback when she saw the noodle packets. However, she immediately remembered how tough these times were and that getting instant noodles was no easy feat. Gratefully, she received the packs and thanked Li Ming profusely.
With a nod and a smile, Li Ming watched her leave, his expression gradually sobering.
What a joke. His vegetables would only last him another two or three days. There was no way he could share them.
As for the instant noodles… Li Ming had a boxful stashed away. Parting with five nearing-expiry packs wasn't an issue.
"Phew, I need to hurry."
Thinking about this, Li Ming felt a sense of urgency. Having only rice to eat wasn't an option, so going to the supermarket was necessary.
Besides…
"The supermarket is just the first stop. The selection of fresh vegetables there is limited anyway. I need to find a place with ample resources."
With that in thought, Li Ming began eating his meal.
Now was not the time to consider relocating.
Increase strength first.
After finishing his meal, Li Ming washed his dishes and headed back to his room for some rest.
Meanwhile, in Peng Zhi's room, Peng Zhi gritted his teeth in rage.
"What a heartless man, no sense of generosity at all. You asked him for help and all he gave was this."
Peng Zhi angrily uttered these words, looking at the five packets of instant noodles his wife brought back.
"Should I return these to him?"
Zhang Yuan watched Peng Zhi's angry outburst, bit her lip, and asked.
"Return for what? This was borrowed fair and square. Keep it. Let's have one packet each for now, leave the potatoes for a couple of meals later."
Peng Zhi glared at her, then he gave a light snort and went off to boil water to make instant noodles after speaking.
Zhang Yuan pursed her lips and followed him to eat her bowl of noodles.
.........
Half an hour of nap passed by swiftly. Li Ming woke up, washed his face with cold water to clear his mind, then felt highly invigorated and let out a breath of relief. He lifted his long sword and began to practice his sword thrusts!
"Whoosh..."
With slightly separated legs, a thrust of his sword emanated imposing prowess. The increase in skill proficiency on his panel confirmed this.
Long Stance Thrust (Expert, 96% proficiency)
A glint flashed in his eyes. Li Ming thrust his sword again and again until a sudden twist and change occurred in his waist, legs, and right arm muscles with the last thrust.
In an instant, his just recently filled stomach now felt incredibly empty. A strong feeling of hunger emerged from deep within him, and the information in front of Li Ming's eyes changed again.
[Thrusting Sword (Semi-skilled 0%)] (Transforming…)
The Long Stance Thrust had transformed into the Thrusting Sword and was undergoing...transformation!
Li Ming felt his strength continuously increasing, especially in the muscles and bones involved in the thrusting sword. He quickly filled his empty stomach with more than half a can of milk powder, subduing the hunger pangs.
Li Ming inspected his body strength again, his eyes shimmering brightly.
"The panel even has this kind of function!"
Feeling the force coursing through his body, Li Ming was immensely overjoyed. He couldn't help but draw his sword from its sheath and take another hearty swipe at the air.
"Whoosh..."
The sound of his sword cutting through the air echoed. Li Ming was certain that it was the sound of his long sword, not his body.
And the speed was much faster than before!
Moreover, his body's strength seemed to be concentrated in one place, making it tremendously powerful!
"I can't believe how much stronger I've become. I just don't know by how much."
After advancing to this level, not only did his power increase, but his skill also saw a surge in growth. Even a casual flick of his sword resulted in a powerful thrust. Li Ming was delighted with the palpable changes.
"With this effect, I can rest assured. If I can keep leveling up, won't my physical condition continue to break through limits along with this power?"
The thought lingered in Li Ming's mind as he continued to test his newfound thrusting technique. He found that he could naturally thrust out a sword without the strength behind the attack diminishing at all.
"Whoosh..."
Li Ming casually stood still and thrust his sword to the right, the sound of it cutting through the air resounding, and its power as imposing as before.
Especially when...
Looking at a mosquito he had skewered on the tip of his sword, a gleam of light flashed in Li Ming's eyes; he had intentionally tried to hit the insect to test his accuracy, and he succeeded!
"Fast, accurate, and powerful; my sword thrusting is now sufficient!"
Li Ming confirmed in his heart, and the nagging sense of crisis he'd felt for many days finally started to fade. A sense of relief filled his heart.
He was especially elated at the fact that the proficiency panel could directly improve his physical condition.
He eagerly started to train his thrusting sword on the spot. The more he trained his new skill, the more adept he became. However, he began to frown when he noticed that after dozens of thrusts, there was no progress on his skill proficiency panel.
"I don't know how to improve my sword thrusting at this level anymore, and besides, it's already making full use of my power. Could this be the reason?"
Li Ming conjectured, a sense of relief filling his heart. He then playfully twirled his sword, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth as he looked at his weapon.
He fetched the maintenance oil he had received with his sword, and for the first time, he wiped his long sword with it and a gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Once I'm adept with the long spear, I can venture out to find resources."
With this thought in Li Ming's heart, he grew more confident with the strength of his now formidable body. An exhilarating feeling bubbled up within him. He sheathed his lightweight long sword and strapped it to his back, turned his gaze to the long spear lying on the side, took a deep breath, picked up the long spear with one hand, and moved to the living room.
"Long spear, blocking, catching, and stabbing."
Li Ming's eyes sparkled with excited anticipation as he began to practice his moves over and over again in the living room with his left hand in front and right hand in the back.
[Spear Thrusting Skill Proficiency +1]