"Eyes?"
Richard and the gang eyed him with a 'genius' look, feeling that eyes was a bit off...
"Long time no see, for real."
Olivia hopped down from the rooftop, a rare sigh in her eyes, shocked to bump into Zane in this brutal Apocalypse. Talk about a wild coincidence.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just passing through."
Zane casually said.
Landon was pumped, all smiles.
"This place is a five-star zombie nest, just had a bunch of zombies pop up, super dangerous, man! You surviving is no small feat!"
Zane looked at Landon, peeping those unique eyes, realizing the dude hadn't changed a bit over the years.
"What brings you guys here?"
"Some dudes hijacked our supplies, hiding out in this area. We're here to hunt them down!"
Landon explained.
"Oh?"
Zane raised an eyebrow, he'd heard about the shelter supplies being jacked, didn't expect the robbers to sneak into his turf...
When did this go down?
He had no clue...
"I know this area well, maybe I can help you guys look."
"Really? That'd be awesome!"
Landon didn't think twice, just felt stoked to have his old buddy join the squad, a good move.
But Richard and the others gasped.
In their minds, Zane was probably that freaky Zombie Overlord, the source of all danger, and here was Landon inviting him to join their crew!
This world's gone nuts... like a mouse volunteering to be the cat's maid of honor!
Cheng Luo nodded in agreement, continuing.
"Yeah, once we find the supplies, we can take you to the shelter, it's safe there."
"Pfft!"
Richard and the others nearly choked.
Landon was crazy enough, but Olivia was off the charts, even thinking about taking him to the shelter!
The crew felt... whether the shelter was safe might well be up to him.
Zane thought for a moment, didn't outright refuse.
"We'll see when the time comes."
"Sure."
Olivia agreed, then turned to the four behind her.
"Come on down, what are you doing hiding on the rooftop?"
"Uh... okay."
Richard and the others hesitated, worried, but still jumped down to the street, cautiously approaching.
As they got closer to Zane, whether it was psychological or not, they felt an unsettling vibe!
And they noticed Zane's gaze was indifferent, emotionless, like he was looking at 'cattle'.
Only when talking to Olivia and Landon did his eyes briefly sparkle with life.
"Let me introduce you, these four are awakeners from the shelter, Richard, Xu Tianhao..."
Olivia introduced them one by one.
"Uh-huh."
Zane just grunted, barely glancing at the four, his attitude as if he completely ignored them.
Richard, steeling himself, forced a smile.
"Ah ha... ha... nice to meet you!"
The four were nervous, but it seemed like he didn't intend to kill them, otherwise, those zombies earlier would've been enough.
So.
The four didn't burst that bubble, continued playing dumb, treating Zane like a regular human.
But Landon was genuinely clueless, and very generous.
"Zane, after we find the supplies, let's have a big feast, eat the best, drink the fiercest, celebrate our reunion!"
"Sure."
Zane agreed.
Just when Landon's stomach started rumbling like a busted engine, the hunger hit him like a ton of bricks, making his head spin and legs wobble, nearly knocking him out cold.
Zane caught the look in his eye, thinking, "Dude's starving and still thinking about feeding me?"
"How about I treat you first?"
"Wait, you got food on you right now?"
Landon's eyes popped with surprise.
"Just a bit, not much..."
With a wave of his hand, Zane pulled out some human essentials from his storage space—bread, sausages, and even some spicy strips.
These goodies were from a recent raid on a warehouse, billions in goods, plenty in his storage but of no real use to him.
Landon stared at the food, totally gobsmacked.
It seemed like magic, Zane conjuring up grub out of thin air.
Tears of joy couldn't help but escape as he spotted the spicy strips—his all-time favorite snack!
"Thanks, man, I'm diving in!"
Landon grabbed the food, tearing into the packaging and shoving it into his mouth.
The grease from the spicy strips exploded with flavor on his taste buds, tingling and spicy.
"Man, this is legit tasty!"
Hunger is the best spice, and in Landon's state, those spicy strips were heavenly!
Watching him, Zane couldn't help but remember their childhood in the orphanage, where Landon hoarded spicy strips under his pillow to keep others from swiping them. Of course, they'd always end up squished, leaving a greasy mess and earning him a scolding from the headmaster.
"Gulp!"
Seeing Landon enjoying his food, Olivia's mouth watered uncontrollably, and she swallowed hard, feeling her own stomach growl.
Zane glanced over, wordless, and pulled out more bread, sausages, and spicy strips, adding a bottle of nutritional drink for Olivia.
"I'm not hungry."
Olivia shook her head in refusal.
Zane eyed her, still as stubborn as when she was a kid, all soft except for her tough talk!
"No worries, eat up."
"Oh..."
Olivia slowly took the food but hesitated, knowing how precious food was in the Apocalypse.
Just before, Zane mentioned he didn't have much, making her think he should keep it for himself.
"What's up with you?"
Seeing her fidgeting and looking uncertain, Zane casually asked.
Olivia just stared at him, picking up the bread.
"It's expired."
"..." Zane was speechless, "Eat it or leave it!"
Even though the bread's expiration date had passed, it was still good to eat since it was stored in Zane's magical storage space.
Olivia stopped struggling with her conscience, figuring she'd just pay him back later.
So, she ripped open the package and started eating.
The four dudes, Richard and his crew, were eyeballing them hard, their stomachs doing somersaults and growling like crazy, totally jealous.
But they didn't dare ask Zane for some.
Seeing him whip out food from thin air, they knew his skills were no joke!
Mess with him, and they might end up as the snack...
So, they just turned their heads away.
Out of sight, out of mind!
Soon enough, Olivia was full and feeling a lot more chipper.
"I'll pay you back for the grub, maybe with a Brain Nexus or a Core crystal."
In the shelter, a Brain Nexus could get you a pack of instant noodles, and a Core crystal could score you a whole box.
They were used to this barter system, so it felt weird just mooching off Zane.
"Totally, totally!"
Landon, with his face all greasy, nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Let's make it a trade, I'm not just freeloading here!"