Two zombies dropped dead, leaving behind two consumable items.
The difference is unreal!
Astrea couldn't help but reflect on his past life. Back then, the beginning was hell—starving for three days straight before barely making it out alive. After fighting tooth and nail through the rookie phase, he finally caught a break. And what did he get? His wristband inventory was cleaner than his face.
If it weren't for that single rotten apple he looted from a zombie, he probably would've died right then and there. Halfway through eating it, he noticed it was crawling with worms. Classic.
This time, Astrea wasn't so unlucky. He bent down and picked up the items. Not bad at all!
[Silver Bird Claw]: Common-grade consumable. Uses a small amount of stamina. Increases observation skills slightly for 5 minutes after use.
[Lure Pot]: Common-grade consumable. Uses a small amount of stamina. When thrown, it attracts the attention of humanoid zombies within a 10-meter radius for 1 minute. Vanishes upon taking damage.
Sure, they were just common-grade items, but in the apocalypse, using them strategically could make a world of difference.
"Nice! These will come in handy soon," Astrea smirked as he stored both items in his wristband.
He strode over to the emergency fire cabinet on the 9th floor and smashed it open with a single swing, pulling out a fire axe. The clanging noise echoed through the hallway, stirring up movement from other rooms on the floor.
Suddenly, the door to Room 903 flew open. A woman with her face covered in a sheet mask and dressed in pajamas stepped out. She squinted at Astrea through thick, blurry eyes—she was practically blind with her 800-degree nearsightedness. Planting one hand on her hip, she started yelling like a volcano about to erupt.
"Are you out of your damn mind? Making all this noise in the middle of the day?" she roared. "You got guts, kid! Don't even think about leaving. I'm calling the cops right now!"
She huffed and puffed, grabbing her phone as she continued to rant. Clearly, she had a short fuse.
But Astrea? He was no stranger to this kind of scene. Ten years of surviving the apocalypse had stripped away any inclination to argue with people. Trying to reason with anyone in the end times was a joke. The only real reason he didn't kill her on the spot was simple: it wouldn't benefit him in any way.
Calmly and without a word, Astrea activated his perception to scan her attributes.
Level 1 Unawakened—seems she hasn't realized the situation yet.
Astrea shook his head, gripping his bone-cleaver knife as he moved past the woman toward the room behind her. From inside, a sluggish zombie stumbled into view.
The woman's poor vision made her misinterpret his actions. She thought Astrea was provoking her, and her temper flared even more.
"Think you're tough, huh?" she sneered, grabbing a broom. Still cursing under her breath, she prepared to swing.
But as Astrea got closer, her instincts screamed at her. She finally noticed the man's appearance—drenched in fresh blood. His presence pressed down on her like a suffocating weight.
Fear overtook her, and she fell backward, trembling as she scrambled to pull her glasses from her pocket. Once she put them on, the gory scene in the corridor came into sharp focus.
She pissed herself on the spot.
Just then, the zombie shuffled to her side. This one looked ancient, barely holding itself together. Astrea had doubts it would even survive another minute.
The zombie reached for the woman's hand and stuffed it straight into its mouth. Problem was—it didn't have any teeth. After gnawing pathetically for a while, all it managed to do was drench her hand in saliva.
The absurdity of the scene made Astrea chuckle.
The woman winced, her expression twisting in pain. The zombie's relentless effort finally tore her skin open. Blood welled up, and the infection spread immediately.
As if rejuvenated, the zombie leveled up to Level 2, its broken gait gaining a touch more stability. It slowly turned its gaze toward Astrea and began advancing with small, shaky steps.
"More work, huh?"
Astrea welcomed it with a grin. He wasn't about to turn down free experience points. A few swift strikes later, the zombies were down, and 30 XP was in the bank.
From the odd "grandparent-grandchild zombie duo," he looted a supply capsule, which popped open to reveal [A Juicy Grilled Steak].
"Not bad." In a world gone to hell, having a meal of steak and soda on the first night was practically living in luxury.
After confirming that the 9th floor was cleared, Astrea set his sights on the top floor—the 10th floor.
That floor had been leased to a streaming agency. From what Astrea remembered, there were probably over twenty people living there, a mix of male and female streamers and their management.
During the day, the streamers worked on mainstream platforms, gaining followers by offering "fan perks" and paid exclusive photo sets.
At night, though, they switched to adult streaming platforms, putting on wild shows to rake in cash.
For top supporters—those who reached Rank 1 on the leaderboard—the agency provided even more... personalized interactions.
The moment Astrea stepped onto the 10th floor, he was immediately surrounded by a sea of standees featuring gorgeous women.
"Beauty streamer, 38 years old, divorced with two kids! Join my livestream now!" "Just turned 18 this year! Do you love me or not?" "Come claim your first love girlfriend! Guaranteed to look exactly like the profile picture!"
Each of them appeared young and vibrant on the advertisements. But Astrea? He had seen the reality behind those heavily filtered faces.
Let's just say... most of them didn't hold up under close inspection.
In his past life, this place had been significant. An S-tier talent survivor had awakened here, quickly taking control of the entire building. However, power went to his head. He abused his authority, bullying both men and women. His reign was short-lived—he didn't even survive the rookie phase.
Astrea still remembered him vividly. This time, he was here to claim that man's awakened talent for himself.
Standing silently outside one of the doors, Astrea assessed the situation. Breaking in without a plan wasn't an option.
He pulled out the [Silver Bird Claw] he had obtained earlier.
[Ding! Consumable item "Silver Bird Claw" used. Your observation skill has increased slightly. Duration: 5 minutes.]
A system notification chimed. Astrea instantly felt his senses sharpen, his perception of his surroundings heightened. He could now detect details behind the closed doors just by listening.
The layout became clear:
Room 1001: The door was slightly ajar, and blood was steadily pooling from inside. Room 1002: Door tightly shut. Two zombies were lurking inside. Room 1003: Wide open and completely empty. Room 1004: Door half-open, the overwhelming stench of fresh blood seeping out. Judging by the scent, there were at least ten corpses inside. It was obvious a brutal fight had taken place.
In the depths of Room 1004, he could hear the gnawing sounds of a zombie, along with the faint but panicked breathing of two humans.
"This is it."
Wasting no time, Astrea moved. He kicked the door open with a bang and shouted:
"Open up! Everyone stay where you are!"
What greeted Astrea was a grotesque scene of severed limbs and mangled bodies—both human and zombie.
But one detail stood out: without exception, whether they were human men or male zombies, their lower bodies had been savagely mutilated, reduced to a gory mess.
Blood soaked everything—covering the floor, splattered across the walls, and dripping from the ceiling. The entire room reeked of death and violence.
At the center of the carnage, a massive, naked male zombie crouched with its back to Astrea. Its muscular frame was imposing, and its body was covered in tattoos. In its hand, it clutched a dismembered appendage—one that left little to the imagination. The zombie slowly raised it to its mouth, ready to take a bite.
Astrea's gaze hardened. So, this slaughter was all its doing...
Infected survivors typically stopped attacking humans once they were turned, recognizing others as part of their undead kind. However, zombies like this one—those that actively fed on humans—were a rare breed.
These were no ordinary undead. Zombies like this usually came from individuals who, in their past lives, harbored extreme antisocial or psychopathic tendencies. Upon turning, fragments of their twisted personalities lingered, transforming them into mutant zombies.
Astrea studied the creature carefully. Its naked, muscular body flexed with inhuman strength, every inch scarred and tattooed. This was a dangerous opponent—a predator that thrived on brutality.