The road was silent. The rain eroded a lot of things on her way, including some plants and animals. But the black rain hadn't evolved yet to a terrifying level like the one she witnessed after a month of living in the apocalypse in her last life.
In her last life, the rain could even penetrate steel and glass. Luckily, she found ways to protect her new home from corrosion in this life. Acceber sighed as she drove for miles, like a dead city, without seeing any living being.
She retrieved a sword and a gun from her space when she was closer to the mall's location. If she uses her superpowers right now, she will only attract trouble and responsibility to herself. People with different minds would also lay their sights on her and even try to possess her.
'I should never use or open doors from the first floor. There will be zombies and a crowd of helpless people waiting for someone to appear. If trouble knocks on my door, I will be blocked, and my trip here will be lengthened till tomorrow, so I need to hurry.'
Acceber scurried to a secret fire exit and climbed the stairs. She opened the third floor first and covered her face with a dark mask. She was wearing combat attire, engulfed with soft armor.
Scratches, little wounds, and getting bitten would turn a human into a zombie immediately. But with the zombies still dormant for a day, she could never guess how many people she would meet on the road got infected without symptoms. Keeping her sexuality hidden, like hiding her hair, was also a good protection while walking in darkness.
No breath of human life was detected on the third floor. She hurriedly swept every store, from clothes, shoes, slippers, cosmetics, jewelry, and even things used in exercise or sports. When the third floor was empty, she moved upwards. Home appliances and all kinds of home materials for the bedroom, dining room, bathroom, living room, and other necessities were put into her space.
'At this rate, I feel like I'm not only saving for my family but for the construction of a future base! Yet I hate the idea of leading a base.'
Acceber did not even spare the rolls of cloth varying in length, color, and thickness nor the home decor not far from where she stood. She would not think twice and keep them as long as they could be used. When the floor was empty, Acceber moved up again. The same process was repeated until she reached the top floor, where most gold, jade, food, and silver were stored.
'Since I emptied the remaining floors, I should go down secretly before anyone finds out. People might have only occupied the first two floors of the mall. Some must have fallen into a coma during this time, and others might have gotten sick. Taking care of each other is a basic human trait. But when they evolve into zombies, whether you die or become disabled, you will be blamed and sacrificed! It's human nature, after all.'
Acceber did not encounter any zombies on the way. 'Luck has been on my side lately. I got out safely and ahead of time.'
She walked to an average store beside the mall. This store sells books. There was a backdoor that she could use, so she entered through the second floor of the building. This time, she saw two unconscious people on the floor. Their faces looked tired, but there were no signs of mutation yet.
Acceber rushed to clear the books and the school supplies from the first to the third floor. Books and learning materials were hard to see, even on a large survival base in her last life. Children aged three to ten were illiterate and cautiously made chaos to escape out of curiosity.
When she was done, she wore some gloves and dragged people to a safer area. She covered them with blankets and left some food. This time, she used the connecting staircase to reach the building beside the bookstore. The place was a well-known restaurant.
She heard many good things about this restaurant, like using only the freshest ingredients in the kitchen. Acceber did not waste time and skipped the area where people were heavily crowded. No one noticed her arrival.
There were four floors in the area. On the second floor, she gathered vegetables and left a portion for the remaining people below. On the third floor, she collected all kinds of meat. She couldn't believe that the restaurant would also stock frozen things. But on the last floor, she saw a stone in the middle of the room.
'Why would this room be empty for a stone? What's so special about this thing? Is it a space-evolving stone or a spiritual stone?'
Acceber also took it away and left the building. When the surroundings became dark, she emptied fifty stores behind and entered a villa in a high-end community nearest to the Capital's economic center. The villa was exceptionally clean, but there was oddly no one inside.
On the second floor, she saw a family portrait.
'That must be the eldest son of the couple! Wow! He looked handsome! But why do they all look different from ordinary people? And the couple had six male children, which is oddly impressive!'
There was a surname engraved at the bottom.
'Bloodstone'
Acceber touched the engraved name unconsciously.
'Was there such a weird surname in the Imperial Capital? Though, if I remember correctly, it looks like my brother's wife bears the same family name. It feels as if they were named after a gemstone! But look at that side of the portrait. It looks like a tail?'
Acceber chuckled.
'This family must have been a big fan of fantasy-related things!'
Based on her intuition, Acceber randomly chose a room and rested for a while before cooking dinner. When she opened the door, the smell of mint and vanilla greeted her, making her feel familiar. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and changed her clothes.
'I need to sleep for a while.'
She jumped on the bed and covered herself with a blanket. The warmth of the sheets made her relax as the room's scent engulfed her.
When Acceber woke up at night, she finally recognized where the familiarity came from.
'The smell of this room and that perverted man was similar!'