Zion finally arrived at Uncle Leonard's house.
Since Zion had placed his phone in his backpack—the same backpack he had just thrown away—he was once again cut off from the internet.
"Fortunately, I know the way. 150, 30th Street, here I come."
In the previous battle, Zion summoned a large amount of whiskey, which drained his mental energy, and now he could feel a dull headache starting to form.
"It seems that this ability really does consume mental energy, just like in the novels. Overuse leads to headaches. While summoning food can restore physical strength, it doesn't replenish mental energy. I hope I can get a good sleep once I reach Uncle Leonard's house."
Enduring the headache, Zion walked toward Uncle Leonard's house, following the street signs. Fortunately, the moonlight tonight was unusually bright, enough to help him see the street signs clearly.
"I'm already at 28th Street, just a little farther to Uncle Leonard's place. I've been lucky, no zombies along the way. Maybe the explosion at the base drew them away. Alright, let's speed up, Zion!"
After about 30 minutes of walking, Zion finally reached 150, 30th Street. He stood in front of a simple, one-story house and sighed. "This should be Uncle Leonard's house."
Zion took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and carefully turned it. The door opened.
"Thank you, Uncle Leonard."
He gently pushed the door open and closed it behind him. The first thing, of course, was to check if there were any "other guests" in the house.
The house was pitch black. Uncle Leonard was clearly cautious, as all the curtains were tightly drawn. Zion didn't have any light sources and dared not turn on the lights. Turning on the lights in this environment would be like asking for trouble. He had no choice but to fumble through the darkness.
"Damn it, if only I had a flashlight," Zion muttered to himself. "I really regret leaving my phone in the backpack, letting it go with Dyson into that world."
While lamenting, he suddenly had an idea—use a torch as a light source.
"Alright, next, let's find the kitchen. I hope Uncle Leonard didn't forget to pay the gas bill."
Zion cautiously pulled back a corner of the curtain to let some moonlight seep into the room. A beam of cool moonlight instantly illuminated part of the room, allowing him to finally see the surroundings.
The kitchen was not far from the door, and with the moonlight, Zion no longer had to stumble in the dark. He soon reached the kitchen. Hesitantly, he stretched out his hand and turned on the gas stove.
"Whoosh!"
A bright flame leaped from the stove, its red glow lighting up Zion's face, mirroring his excitement at the moment.
"It still works!"
He muttered to himself, "Great! Next, I need to find some wood to burn."
His gaze swept over the dining table and chairs, but he shook his head. "Taking them apart would make too much noise."
At that moment, he unexpectedly found a pleasant surprise—there were several decorative candles on the table.
"Thanks again, Uncle Leonard."
Zion picked up the candles along with their holders and lit three of them. The soft candlelight instantly dispelled the darkness, making the whole house brighter.
With the light, Zion took a quick look around Uncle Leonard's house. From the tidy surroundings, it seemed there were no other survivors here. For safety, he spent a few minutes thoroughly checking the house inside and out. Once he was sure it was safe, he finally relaxed.
Finally, he entered one of the bedrooms, placed the candle holder on the bedside table, and lay down on the bed. He put his gym bag next to him, and seeing Nana still fast asleep in the backpack, Zion couldn't help but smile. After all the danger tonight, this little guy had managed to sleep through it all. He took Nana out and placed her beside him. Zion had overused his summoning ability, draining his mental energy severely. Now, both his body and mind were exhausted. He closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.
"Hmm? Why does it itch so much?"
Zion slowly opened his eyes and saw a furry object moving in front of him.
"Oh, it's you, little one. You're finally awake."
It turned out that Nana was licking Zion's face. Zion thought to himself, "After sleeping so long, this little one must be hungry."
At that moment, Zion noticed the candles were already more than halfway burned. He quietly walked to the window and pulled back the curtains to glance outside. The sky was starting to turn light gray.
"It's almost dawn. No wonder you're hungry," Zion muttered.
He used his ability to summon some cat food. When Nana saw the food, she excitedly rushed over and began devouring it.
"Seems like she was really starving. I should find a bowl for her and give her some water."
At that moment, Zion suddenly remembered that when he was with Uncle Leonard during his last moments, he had urgently summoned some packaged whiskey and water.
"So my ability evolved during combat? Just like the novels I read online, this superpower can evolve through battles and by absorbing the crystal cores from the zombies," Zion thought.
He tried summoning a bottle of water.
"Sure enough, it works, but it consumes more mental energy than when I summoned water to drink before."
Zion focused his mind and summoned a bowl of water.
"It really works. I wonder if Uncle Leonard's house has a lighter. If it does, I could use Molotov cocktails to fight off enemies. This would definitely improve my self-defense. Another good piece of news in the post-apocalypse."
He then placed the bowl of water next to Nana. The little one meowed as if to thank him.
"Take your time eating, little one. I need to explore Uncle Leonard's house."
Indeed, Uncle Leonard's house had many useful items. After a search, Zion found three lighters, as well as a gas stove igniter. There were some canned goods, a flashlight, but no sign of the basement entrance Uncle Leonard mentioned.
"Uncle Leonard wouldn't lie to me, but I've searched the entire house, and there's no secret door covered by a rug like in the movies. Besides, there's no carpet here. Could it be in the yard?"
Zion decided to have breakfast in the dining room first, making use of this rare safe place. He took some dishes and bowls from the cupboard. After all the fighting and running, Zion felt like he could eat a whole cow.
"Let's start with a beef burger. And I want a triple patty one. Also, a bowl of bacon and potato chowder."
In an instant, the food appeared on the table.
"Great, I also want a few sausages. Lastly, a glass of cola."
At that moment, Zion felt an unparalleled happiness. Even before the apocalypse, getting such a rich breakfast would have been difficult. Thinking back to the days at the orphanage, eating canned food and bread, Zion felt a mix of emotions.
"Alright, I hope everyone can stay alive."
After a satisfying meal, Zion let out a contented burp.
"Ah, this is the most comfortable meal I've had since the apocalypse began."
Zion kissed himself again, realizing that although his ability didn't have the destructive power of Dyson's, food was one of the most valuable commodities in this world. Even if you could destroy a city, you'd still starve to death if you didn't have food. With that thought, Zion couldn't help but laugh.
At that moment, Zion noticed sunlight filtering through the curtains into the room.
"Looks like it's dawn. I should rest for a bit and then check out Uncle Leonard's backyard."
He first went to the bedroom to check on Nana. She had finished all the cat food and water.
"Your appetite is really something. Now I can relax."
Then Zion walked to the back door of Uncle Leonard's house. At the end of the dining room was a door. He pulled back the blinds and looked outside to see the entrance to the backyard. Zion noticed a storage shed at the back of the yard.
"Maybe Uncle Leonard's basement is there."
Zion cautiously opened the back door, stuck his head out, and observed the yard. Finding no suspicious creatures, he slowly walked out and headed toward the storage shed.
Zion slowly turned the lock on the shed door and found that it wasn't locked. Uncle Leonard probably didn't expect anyone to break in, since there was no food inside. In such dire times, everyone would rush to the kitchen first.
The storage shed was small, just like many others, filled with various tools. But unfortunately, Zion couldn't find the basement entrance. The floor was covered with a large rug. Zion thought to himself, "This must be it." Sure enough, when he lifted the rug, he found a door leading underground.
Zion pulled the ring on the door, which wasn't heavy. The entrance below was just wide enough for one person to pass through. Zion climbed down a ladder mounted on the wall into the basement. He began searching with the flashlight he had just found. The basement was tiny, more of a storage place than a true basement. Following the light from his flashlight, Zion discovered a small box on the floor. Looking around, Zion realized this was the only item in the basement. He slowly approached and opened the box. As the flashlight illuminated it, the crystal cores inside reflected a rainbow of colors.
"This is the first time I've seen something so beautiful," Zion thought.
He picked up the box and returned to the dining room.
He began counting the crystal cores inside. There were 20 of them, and even more surprisingly, at the bottom of the box, he found a handgun and a box of bullets.
"No wonder it felt so heavy when I picked it up."
This gun was undoubtedly another lifeline for survival in the apocalypse. "Though I don't know how to use it, owning it is more important than using it. After all, the sound of a gunshot would attract zombies from three blocks away."
"Wait, the loud noise attracting zombies plus a Molotov cocktail… I think I'm ready to throw a post-apocalyptic barbecue."
Yes, Zion had learned this method from a game.
Now, it was time to organize his items, absorb the crystal cores, and prepare to head to the downtown base.
First, Zion copied all the food he had found at Uncle Leonard's house, including tomato-bacon-bean cans, spam cans, and fish cans, as well as a bottle of non-expired milk and some fruits. This made Zion extremely happy.
"Wherever I go, I believe these cans will help me trade for better things or find someone who'll fight for me. After all, industrial production can no longer be resumed, and food will only become scarcer. Once regular food expires, canned food will become the mainstream currency."
At that moment, Zion finally realized that his ability was indispensable in this post-apocalyptic world. Maybe he would become the greatest saint in the future.