"Mm!"
Suddenly, Chen Jiayao took a step forward, determined, and grabbed Wu Liang's wrist, then pressed it towards herself with force.
"Whoosh!"
Soft, delicate, smooth...
Wu Liang's blood pressure skyrocketed; this sudden turn was too unexpected.
He only wanted to tease Chen Jiayao a bit, then forgive her when she was helpless, which would surely increase her intimacy.
But unexpectedly, Chen Jiayao was too honest; she directly put herself between his hands!
"Yah?!" Chen Jiayao blinked her big eyes, looking at Wu Liang with concern, seemingly observing his emotions.
Seeing Wu Liang's strange smile, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed suit, silly and sweetly laughing.
"Ding! Chen Jiayao's intimacy +3.5, currently at 10 points!"
"Ding! Chen Jiayao unlocked a new skill: [Rigid Claw Strike]!"
[Rigid Claw Strike]: Instantly elongates fingernails, obtaining extreme rigidity and sharpness! Damage increases with personal level!
"Congratulations on the host and Chen Jiayao reaching 10 points of intimacy, unlocking one draw opportunity. Would you like to draw now?"
"Yes!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the skill [Food Reconstruction]!"
[Food Reconstruction]: Can break down food and store it in the form of food points in the system. Can synthesize desired food by consuming food points!
"This skill is great!"
Wu Liang's eyes lit up.
Regardless of the food type, directly breaking it down and storing it in the system meant having infinite space for food storage.
And creating any desired food—that was even more impressive!
As time passed, the city experienced a power outage. Fresh meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables were the most challenging to preserve and would become scarce resources after a few months. Instant noodles, biscuits, these items with longer shelf lives would become the primary food sources for survivors.
Wu Liang could convert instant noodles into milk, steaks, or even apples, directly increasing their value by dozens or even hundreds of times!
"Grumble..."
Wu Liang's stomach growled.
Chen Jiayao, this scumbag zombie girl, had eaten her fill, while he remained hungry!
"Do you have any food at your place?" Wu Liang asked Chen Jiayao.
"Hmm?" Chen Jiayao tilted her head, looking at Wu Liang with a puzzled expression.
"Food! When you're hungry, you eat food. Do you have any?"
Wu Liang gestured while explaining.
"Hmm!" This time, Chen Jiayao understood; she vigorously nodded her head.
"Where? Take me there quickly!"
"Yah!" Chen Jiayao pointed at Wu Liang's pants, giggling.
Wu Liang: "..."
To Chen Jiayao, food now meant Wu Liang; she couldn't understand why a mobile vending machine was asking where to find food!
Isn't it sick?
Simply open the door and take it out to eat!
She certainly didn't know that Wu Liang couldn't do that; after all, poison doesn't harm the poisoner!
"Forget it, I'll find it myself!"
Wu Liang opened the refrigerator. Inside, there were two cucumbers, two packs of potato chips, four canned fruit-flavored cocktails, and a 1.5-liter bucket of purified water in the chilling room.
In the freezer were two chocolate-coated ice cream bars.
The kitchen was empty.
That's all the food in Chen Jiayao's house!
Being a flight attendant, she often flew in the sky, spending most of her time either on airplanes or in hotels in different places. She rarely stayed at home, so there were almost no food reserves there.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have ordered takeout.
Wu Liang used his skill to collect all the food.
"Ding! You've obtained 36 food points and 3.5 points of purified water!"
Wu Liang wasn't sure how food points were calculated but speculated it was based on the calories and nutrients in the food. For instance, the chocolate-coated ice cream bars were worth 8 points, while cucumbers were only worth 0.5 points.
The 3.5 points for purified water probably meant 3.5 liters.
He went back to the entrance where Chen Jiayao's takeaway had fallen on the floor: spicy hot pot.
Normally, dropped food wouldn't be edible, but now...
"Collect!"
"Ding! You've obtained 11 food points, 0.4 points of purified water. Currently, you have 47 food points and 3.9 points of purified water!"
"Make two pieces of charcoal-grilled honey-glazed chicken thighs! And... a handful of goji berries!"
"Ding! Consuming 25 food points, producing 2 honey-glazed chicken thighs, and one handful of goji berries."
As Wu Liang envisioned the food in his mind, the system automatically generated delicious food.
Plap!
Two large pieces of honey-glazed chicken thighs appeared on the plate in Wu Liang's hand, as if they were just freshly roasted.
They emitted steam and a delightful aroma.
Wu Liang picked up a piece and took a bite.
"Tasty"
The chicken skin was golden and crispy, the meat tender and flavorful. Each bite exploded with succulent juices, tantalizing the taste buds.
This was even better than any honey-glazed chicken he'd ever had!
In no time, he finished both pieces, licked his fingers reluctantly, and popped the goji berries into his mouth.
Now, Wu Liang's body wasn't just his own; it belonged to Chen Jiayao as well.
When she got hungry, she'd have to come here for the buffet!
Being both a father and a mother to her was really not easy for Wu Liang.
He needed to gather more food; with the remaining food points, he'd barely have enough for one meal at most.
If he ended up starving, how would he manage to feed Chen Jiayao continuously?
Just thinking about it made his head ache.
"Ding dong! Your order is about to timeout, please deliver it immediately!"
At this moment, his phone rang again.
Wu Liang picked up the phone and set it to silent mode. He then noticed several messages from another order nearby.
Customer: "When the Delivery boy comes, use the back door; I've locked the front door, and it's inconvenient!"
Customer: "It's already the appointed time. Why hasn't it been delivered yet?"
Customer: "You're just over a hundred meters away from me. Does it take this long for such a short distance?!"
Customer: "It's been 5 minutes overtime. If you don't reply soon, I'll complain on the platform, give you a shity review, and deduct your pay!"
Seeing these messages urging for the delivery, Wu Liang was speechless. He guessed this person hadn't gone outside and was unaware of the drastic changes in the outside world.
Going out for deliveries at a time like this? He might as well serve himself as a quick meal for the zombies out there!
He quickly typed in the chat window:
Wu Liang: "Buddy, you probably don't know yet. The world into shit, outside is full of the walking dead. I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, take a look outside or search online!"
The customer seemed to be glued to the phone and replied instantly: "I know! It's because of the zombies that food is the scarcest most. So, you should deliver my meal even more! "
Wu Liang: "??? Buddy, it's all zombies out there. If I go out, I'm dead for sure. Your meal will not be delivered!"
Customer: "Do you have any professional ethics? Delivering food is your job, right? Since you accepted the order, you're responsible for delivering the meal. I don't care if it's hailing or there are zombies; that's your problem, not mine! I must receive my meal today!"
Seeing this, Wu Liang was speechless and furious, kind of funny too. Normally, he often encountered such unreasonable people while delivering, treating themselves like royalty over a twenty-something-dollar takeaway.
For the sake of earning money, Wu Liang endured it.
But now? It's the end of the world! Who cares about your negative review? Who's going to tolerate your nonsense?!
You don't care about my life, why should I care about yours!?
Wu Liang: "Today, I won't even give your order to the dogs. Rest assured!"
Customer: "??? Are you crazy? I'm talking nicely to you, and you're trying to pick a fight?!"
Wu Liang: "Idiot! Get lost! Don't let me see you; if I do, I'll kill you!"
Wu Liang scolded the customer, then locked his phone directly.
That felt good! Previously, for the sake of earning money and good reviews, he had to be humble and submissive, following "the customer is always right" motto.
Now, that the world ended; power and resources ruled!
From today on, he wouldn't tolerate anyone's nonsense anymore!
Wu Liang stood by the bed and glanced outside.
The once orderly and prosperous streets were now empty, devoid of any human presence.
Cars were scattered in disarray, some crashed and deformed, others on fire, billowing thick smoke.
In parked cars along the roadside, pale hands continually pounded the windows, blood smearing the glass.
Bloodstains covered the ground, evidence of a horrendous massacre.
Blood trickled like a stream, pooling at blocked sewer drains.
There lay an arm and a dog's head at the drain, the rest of its body vanished.
In the distant cityscape, smoke billowed, staining the sky red as if it were a hellish realm.
Before Wu Liang could even be shocked, his gaze swiftly scanned this unfamiliar street.
Soon, at the intersection, he spotted a moderately-sized small supermarket!
As long as he could get in there, he wouldn't have to worry about food points anymore!
"Howl!"
Suddenly, a strange cry caught Wu Liang's attention.
A man dashed out of a real estate agency, followed by two snarling zombies.
During this moment, three girls hurriedly ran out of the alley and into the real estate agency, swiftly locking the door behind them.