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Chapter 5 The First Lottery

The sudden arrival of the apocalypse made the normally very peaceful Oasis Luxury neighborhood bustling, but William knew that behind this bustle was blood and life.

A scream came from the villa next door, but William didn't rush to look. Instead, he quickly hid in the nearby bushes. With a glance, he saw a woman covered in blood running out, chaotic and panicked. Her face still carried an irresistible fear, and she was babbling uncontrollably. Covered in dark purple blood, she seemed almost insane.

The woman's stamina was clearly lacking, and with extreme fright, she stumbled after just a few steps and fell to the ground. As she struggled to get up, two pursuing zombies grabbed her. With her screams echoing, she quickly became a meal for the two zombies.

This scene didn't faze William at all. After calmly surveying the surroundings, he suddenly darted out. In a matter of moments, he swiftly approached the two zombies feasting, and with a flash of his blade, he decapitated one of them, causing a gush of foul-smelling black blood.

The other zombie sensed something amiss, staggering to its feet and reaching out with sharp nails toward William.

By then, William had sheathed his blade. He dodged the zombie's claws with a slight movement, then thrust the tip of his knife into its temple. With a squelch, the zombie, who was pierced through the head, collapsed to the ground.

This attack lasted only a few seconds, but William felt a hint of fatigue. From sprinting behind the zombies to consecutive strikes and evasions, all were executed in a moment and with remarkable precision. If it were someone else, it would be impossible to accurately find the gap between the vertebrae to cut through with one stroke cleanly. It's more likely that the blade would get stuck in between.

It was the wealth that the ten years of the post-apocalyptic life had brought to William, the foundation of his survival.

As he extracted the zombie's forehead crystal, the dying woman gazed at William with a grateful smile. Even though she was doomed, she preferred to die under the gaze of her kind rather than in the putrid saliva of zombies.

William silently mourned for a moment before retreating back into the corner of the villa, waiting for the woman's mutation.

As long as a human brain not devoured by zombies remains, mutations could occur, even if only a head was left.

It was the terrifying aspect of the zombie virus. Even a zombie with only a head could grow a new body after some time as long as it was provided with enough fresh flesh and blood!

It confirmed the conclusion had astonished the living for a long time before the rebirth. Due to the woman's death, the mutation process was rapid, taking only about a minute. Her previously closed eyes suddenly opened, limbs began twitching irregularly, and the crystal on her forehead squeezed out from under the skin. In a dozen seconds, she would rise and transform into a brand-new zombie, just like the two monsters she had despised and loathed earlier.

William wouldn't give her that chance. He swiftly approached and ended her life, removing the gray crystal.

Within an hour of the apocalypse, he had accomplished what had taken him hundreds of days in his previous life, acquiring six First-Level crystals.

Encouraged by such achievements, William's adrenaline surged. He moved through the villa complex like a ghost, and two hours later, he had collected 21 First-Level crystals in his pocket.

He had achieved significant progress, but the process was perilous at times. The mismatch between his ordinary physique and ten years of combat experience led to occasional issues, and he almost died because of the zombies. He had not yet reached the level of a One-Star Evolver, nor had he taken any immunity elixirs. A mere scratch from a zombie could turn him into a monster, keeping William in a state of high tension and great physical exertion.

Upon returning to the villa where the First-Level Roulette was located, he was exhausted.

Inside, Sienna was sitting there absentmindedly, still clutching the fruit knife.

The sound of William entering startled her. Slowly raising her head, she stared at him for a few seconds before seeming to come to her senses. Sienna leaped in front of William, surprisingly agile.

"You must know what happened. Can you tell me? I'm not afraid anymore. I can help you, just teach me what you did, that... that fighting techniques, right?"

Sienna pointed to the three zombie corpses at the door, assuming that William could easily dispatch these monsters because of his fighting techniques.

William hesitated for a moment before saying. "I can tell you some things, and even make you stronger than a man. But it requires you to do something."

Sienna asked cautiously, "What do you want me to do?"

William paused, then understood her implication. With a hint of malice, he glanced at the woman in front of him, feigning a fascinated look, and chuckled as Sienna recoiled in fear, "Don't worry. It's not what you think."

With that, he headed straight for the kitchen.

Upon hearing his words, Sienna breathed a sigh of relief but then furrowed her brows, glanced at her own enchanting figure, and muttered while watching William's back, "Asshole!"

William placed seven First-Level Magic Crystals under the Roulette's platform slot. The lifeless gray crystal in the center of the Roulette lit up, emitting energy onto the Roulette. The seven First-Level Magic Crystals shimmered briefly before disappearing, and the red pointer on the Roulette began to spin, passing over ten different reward areas.

William anxiously awaited, hoping the pointer would land on the One-Star Evolution Elixir. This would instantly empower him, greatly increasing his efficiency in killing zombies and rapidly boosting his gains, which was crucial for achieving his goal of rapid strength.

However, reality proved to be cruel. When the pointer stopped, it landed on a pattern of a short crossbow.

A reward box appeared beneath the metal platform below the Roulette, flashing once again to reveal a shiny black short crossbow.

"Rapid-fire mini hand crossbow."

This was the name of the short crossbow. With its intricate design, it held ten metal bolts around 6 inches long beneath the bow, firing one at a time with each trigger pull for continuous attacks.

Although he didn't draw a One-Star Evolution Elixir, the short crossbow was still a decent weapon. While William felt a tinge of disappointment, he didn't dwell on it.

"So this is how it's used!"

Sienna, who had been watching from behind, eyes brightened with disbelief and interest. She looked at the short crossbow now in William's hand, then at the pattern on the Roulette, and asked, "The thing that can make me stronger than a man, is it that light green potion?"

"You're sharp."

William toyed with the crossbow, getting accustomed to its weight.

He continued. "This is the Apocalypse Roulette. We can use the crystals growing in the center of zombie foreheads to power the lottery. Whatever we draw, we get. In this post-apocalyptic world, these rewards are the basis of our survival, it's that simple."

"How did you know?"

"It's a secret."

"You!"

William didn't know what Sienna, who had become a Nine-Star Powerhouse in his previous life, was like. But at least for now, she seemed like a normal woman.

She was a bit scheming, somewhat straightforward, a bit clever, and a bit foolish.

Shaking off thoughts of Sienna, William inserted the seven First-Level Magic Crystals once again.

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