Nick really wanted to say, "I'll take care of your girlfriend for you, so don't worry!"
But considering they didn't have married, he let it go.
After all, there wasn't any major conflict between him and Amol; they just found each other a bit irritating at times.
Nick heard from friends that Amol's family was quite well-off; he had several properties and shops in his hometown, which was probably why he wanted to marry Riya.
After all, Riya was considered a local beauty, and even in a metropolis like Neoville, she could make people say "wow"!
However, both of them had lofty ambitions and didn't want to stay in a small town, so they came to Neoville City to try their luck.
Later, they moved into Nick's place through a friend's introduction.
As they spent time together, Nick found Amol to be rather arrogant and self-righteous, always giving orders and thinking highly of himself.
Moreover, he looked down on Nick's small company's sales accountant and had an attitude tinged with arrogance.
Naturally, Nick wasn't going to kiss him, so their relationship gradually became strained. If there was anything, Nick would only communicate with Miya.
Now that Amol was dead and the debts settled, there wasn't much lingering conflict in Nick's mind. Moreover, Amol had given him so many gifts in death, so he could only take better care of Riya and Miya.
Nick emptied a nearby flowerpot and buried the dug-up zombie tree in it before returning to the hallway and locking the unit door.
Finally, Nick could breathe a sigh of relief. He glanced at the six corpses strung haphazardly in the hallway, set the zombie tree aside, and took out the hammer and knife to begin opening their skulls.
This task was like opening a box; even the survivors a year after the apocalypse hadn't figured out which zombies had corpse cores.
However, they had roughly deduced a rule: zombies that turned after awakening superpowers definitely had corpse cores, and they were of high quality.
By comparing, it was highly likely that zombies with corpse cores, if they hadn't died initially, would have awakened superpowers.
Therefore, some daring individuals tried eating corpse cores to awaken abilities, but without exception, they turned into zombies.
Therefore, although people had discovered corpse cores early on, they hadn't paid much attention until the research on miraculous trees progressed...
Nick went through the skulls of all six corpses, and sure enough, he found a corpse core.
Then he took out the one he had extracted from Amol's brain earlier and buried them together in the flowerpot with the zombie tree.
The zombie tree, which had been a bit withered due to transplantation, quickly perked up.
The veins on its leaves became brighter, as if emitting light, and the density of the veins visibly increased.
Yes, these miraculous plants, called "spirit plants" in the apocalypse, could grow rapidly by absorbing corpse cores.
This discovery had been made by accident after various modern fertilization methods failed. Before Nick's rebirth, it had just started to become popular.
Originally, the unpopular corpse cores had suddenly become valuable.
This time, only Nick knew about these things, and it would be his Trump card for self-improvement.
Nick threw the bodies of the six zombies out of the unit building, joining Amol.
When he was just reborn and didn't know he had already awakened, he had planned to clean up this building while piling up the corpses of the killed zombies in a shady spot of the building to see if there was a chance to nurture the zombie tree and awaken his abilities through it.
Now, not only was he spared the trouble of these operations, but he might also harvest a mature zombie tree.
Nick took one last look at Amol before completely locking the unit door.
"I'll take good care of your girlfriend for you!"
Thinking of beautiful Miya and Riya, Nick felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
She had changed back into hot pants today, perhaps... Nick hurried back with the zombie tree, feeling a bit impatient!
Nick paused when he reached the third floor, looking at the bloodstains on the floor.
"It's unclear if there are people in the other units of this building. It's not a good idea to directly break in and gather supplies. But this unit is definitely empty."
"Why not collect some supplies first? Otherwise, going out empty-handed and coming back would be a waste."
Nick hesitated for a moment but soon sprang into action. He set the zombie tree aside and took out a piece of wire from his pocket.
Then proceed to the house with the door closed, and shove the iron wire into the keyhole.
Nick's used is ability to create duplicate keys for doors from iron wire in his previous life, who specialized in lockpicking.
In the apocalypse, lockpicking was a valuable skill, as brute force could easily attract zombies.
Unfortunately, he wasn't very proficient in creating keys, especially since he wasn't using professional tools.
Nevertheless, after fiddling for a while, he managed to open the lock.
Instead of immediately entering, Nick observed the surroundings. The living room was empty, devoid of any signs of life.
He deliberately tapped the door frame with the metal stick's tip, creating a sound.
"Bang! Bang!"
Faint zombie noises could be heard, not from this floor but more likely from upstairs. Nick waited for a moment, but no zombies emerged, so he entered the house.
Rather than rushing to collect supplies, Nick first checked every room inside and out to confirm the absence of zombies.
Many exploration teams in his previous life had met their demise because they didn't notice concealed zombies in room corners.
Nick had learned from his mistakes. Once he confirmed the safety of the house, he closed the door and began searching for useful items.
The layout of this unit was identical to Nick's house.
He searched the two bedrooms first, not expecting much but stumbled upon some outdoor equipment on the master bedroom balcony.
"A backpack? Hiking poles? And a portable camping stove."
Nick opened the backpack and found a bundle of nylon rope inside.
There was also some emergency medication for inflammation and diarrhea, a solar power bank, a flashlight, binoculars, and more.
Next, he picked up the hiking poles and tested them. They felt better than the umbrella, with sturdy shafts and metal bottoms.
With a bit of polishing, they would make good self-defense weapons.
Lastly, he took the portable camping stove, which looked like a mini gas stove with an additional compartment for installing gas canisters.
He had seen others use it before but had never tried it himself.
However, the operation seemed simple, not much different from a household gas stove.
"Now, this will solve my urgent needs! I'll take it!"
Nick happily packed these items into the storage ring and the backpack, then headed to the kitchen.
He was pleasantly surprised to find that this unit not only had rice and noodles but also a string of preserved meat, two packets of instant noodles, and some dried fungus, mushrooms, and ear mushrooms.
As for the contents of the refrigerator, most of the fruits and vegetables were starting to rot, except for a bag of potatoes and some eggs.
Nick salvaged the items in good condition, along with other condiments, filling up another large bag.
In the dining room, there were also some beverages—beer, white wine, dried fruits, and snacks—which Nick didn't hesitate to collect.
After filling his own bag and the hiking backpack, Nick returned with bags of rice, noodles, oil, and half a bucket of water.
Of course, he didn't forget the zombie tree.
Carrying everything, totaling around seventy to eighty pounds, Nick didn't find it difficult at all. With a few brisk steps, he ran back to the front door of the fifth-floor apartment.
...
Meanwhile, Miya and Riya had been feeling increasingly anxious since Nick left. Especially after hearing the commotion downstairs and the sounds of zombies.
She stood on the balcony, trying to observe, but due to the angle, she couldn't see what was happening downstairs or know how Nick was doing.
Soon, it quieted down outside, making Miya and Riya even more restless. She kept her eyes on the door, listening intently for any possible movement.
But Nick still hadn't returned.
"He'll be fine; surely he'll be fine!" She said it silently. If something really happened to Nick, she couldn't imagine how she would cope alone.
Miya and Riya paced nervously in the living room. It was hard to tell how much time had passed when suddenly she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The heavy, powerful sound echoed until it reached the fifth floor, where it stopped.