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Chapter 2

"Time's back on? So I gotta wind this watch again?" Richardson grumbled, winding up the old pocket watch once more.

In a flash, time froze again, and Richardson smirked, "Nailed it."

He tucked his handgun behind his back and stepped into another room filled with the manager's collection. The walls were decked out with all sorts of melee weapons, from long swords to shields. Probably for maintenance, this room had no windows. He held up his phone, strolling past each weapon rack. Finally, his eyes lit up when he spotted what he was looking for!

A pair of kukris! These babies had rustic wrapped handles and gleaming, cold-edged steel. "Perfect for chopping zombies!" he muttered, eagerly opening the display case and grabbing the knives. The friction between the blades made a crisp sound. He narrowed his eyes, savoring the sweet melodic ringing of metals, feeling a surge of power coursing through his body. He couldn't wait to get out there and start slicing up zombies!

Back on the street, Richardson ditched the axe and swapped it for the two kukris, his expression cold and determined.

After a quick meal at the gun shop to recharge, he had one thing on his mind—killing zombies!

With his time-stopping ability, as long as he had enough stamina, he could take down a hundred zombies today and soak up all that mysterious energy.

But first, he needed to check out the building next to the supermarket.

After all...

"Yup, she's really just in her underwear," Richardson coughed, a bit embarrassed, and shyly pursed his lips. With the kukris in hand, he beheaded the nearest zombie!

The mysterious energy flowed into Richardson's body as soon as the zombie dropped.

No sticky mess like when he used the utility axe.

The kukris were insanely sharp and clean!

"Awesome!" he growled, charging forward with big strides.

The mysterious energy flowed into Richardson's body as soon as the zombie dropped.

He needed to save the woman and collect that mysterious energy! Richardson could feel that every time this energy entered his body, his genes got a little stronger!

Killing zombies had perks, and he could do it without getting hurt. How cool was that?

From downstairs to the woman's door, Richardson panted heavily, ready to stop the pocket watch.

But when he saw the busted security door, he ditched that plan. No wonder she was waving for help so desperately. She'd been chased into the house by zombies!

"Let's keep going."

Taking a deep breath, Richardson raised the still-sharp kukris and kept slashing through zombies.

He'd already taken down at least fifty zombies, and the mysterious energy had boosted his strength to more than double. That was why he was just panting heavily, but his arms weren't tired. The more he killed, the stronger he got!

At least, there were some benefits during the apocalypse.

He closed the pocket watch, and time kicked back in. With the sound of zombies hitting the ground, he stepped towards the woman's door and said, "Hey, I saw your distress signal. It's safe outside now..." While explaining, Richardson pulled out a bottle of water and a piece of bread. "I left some food and water at the door. That's all I can do for you."

With that, he took a few steps back, making sure his footsteps were loud enough for the woman inside to hear. He stopped near the security door. Inside, Anna heard the sudden silence after the zombie roars and then Richardson's voice. She couldn't believe she was safe! So many zombies had rushed in, and they were dealt with in an instant? Without even firing a gun? This guy was something else!

"Okay... please wait a moment!" Anna hesitated, then asked Richardson not to leave. She quickly wrapped herself in a thin blanket and cautiously approached the door. Before Richardson showed up, she had been trying to get help. Even if the zombies hadn't broken in, she was running out of food.

The guy who used to live in the building across from her had responded to her distress signal with a few red words on a white sheet: [Sex for Food!]

The apocalypse had really brought out the worst in people, and she saw it clearly then.

So even though Richardson saved her and left food and water at the door, her instinctive caution made Anna hesitant to trust him.

"I'm Richardson Smith. If you're scared, maybe we can get to know each other before we meet." As the room fell silent, Richardson, who had walked to the security door, spoke up. "I've pretty much cleared out the zombies outside. If you don't know where to go next, maybe we can team up."

"But first, I need to know more about you. You know, like an interview. Just tell me what you're good at or your profession."

Richardson leaned against the edge of the busted door, trying to get his voice to sound as casual and trustworthy as he could so that Anna could lower her guard.

Honestly, if he had bad intentions, he could easily overpower her with the pocket watch, but he knew he needed a partner who could communicate and fight for survival, not a slave or a toy. Maybe it was his peaceful era mindset, but Richardson still had a bit of a gentlemanly demeanor.

Anna's voice came through. "I'm Anna Johnson, 25 years old, an intern doctor. I'm not good at much, except studying and working. I rarely interact with people. I... I haven't eaten anything for over two days. Can I have something to eat first?"

Hearing Anna's timid voice, Richardson smiled slowly. Since she was willing to talk, it was a good start.

An intern doctor? She might be a great partner.

But he still needed to see more. As Richardson was thinking, Anna had already walked out of the room, wrapped in a blanket.

The moment she opened the door and Richardson saw her, he froze, thinking, 'Well, damn. I need a doctor.' He snapped back to reality and handed a few pieces of chocolate from his backpack to Anna, saying gently, "Take your time to eat. Here, have some chocolate."

It wasn't that Richardson was easily tempted, but Anna's charm was off the charts! The female model who had died in his house before, aside from her long legs, couldn't hold a candle to Anna in any other way. Anna's high nose bridge, round face, seductive eyes, and petite chin made her a top-tier beauty! And her figure? Absolutely stunning!

If succubi existed, Richardson would bet Anna was their best spokesperson. She was just that beautiful! At that moment, Anna timidly spoke up, "Richardson, can I leave here with you? You said you need a partner, and I know, I'm not a whiz but I can learn. And by the way, did you kill all these zombies by yourself? Can you teach me? I want to be as strong as you!"

After eating two pieces of bread and a few chocolates, Anna finally regained some of her youthful energy. Though she wasn't a young girl anymore, she was undeniably beautiful. Surprisingly, the revitalized Anna turned out to be quite talkative.

Richardson was eager to talk, especially with someone like Anna, but her sudden barrage of questions made him pause. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before responding, "Well, if you're willing, I can take you with me and help you live better in this zombie-infested world. But the condition is, we have to be partners and never betray each other."

Human nature was complicated. Richardson wanted Anna to understand his definition of a partner and his expectations. As for whether she would betray him in the future... well, she wasn't his partner yet. She hadn't been tested.

Richardson continued, "As for killing zombies, it's very dangerous. But if you want to learn, I can teach you."

Upon hearing the first part of his sentence, Anna lowered her eyes to the ground, looking a bit dejected, but after Richardson finished speaking, she instinctively threw her hands up and cheered quietly. The thin blanket she was wrapped in unconsciously slipped off her body.

What kind of feeling was it to have a flawless woman cheer in front of you, wearing only underwear? At that moment, as Richardson got a close look at Anna's perfect figure, his mind went almost blank with only one word—Perfect! He shook his head and tried hard to keep his voice calm. "It's not safe here anymore. Do you have any upscale hotels near your home? Maybe we can go somewhere else to chat."

Since he wasn't familiar with this area, he decided to seek her opinion and find a base first after Anna threw on some clothes. Compared to the farther upscale villa area, he preferred the upscale hotels in the city! The five-star suites there were no worse than villas, and the key was that such hotels usually stocked a lot of supplies!

"Let me think. The Golden Karen Hotel over there seems quite large. A colleague recommended it to me, saying it’s a great place to stay if I ever have a boyfriend," Anna said, her face turning red.

Meeting Richardson's strange glance, Anna quickly tried to explain, "I... I didn't mean it that way." Clearly, this somewhat awkward intern doctor wasn't great at communicating.

"I've never had a boyfriend, no, I mean, I really didn't mean it that way." Anna still wanted to explain, but eventually, she gave up and buried her head in her chest, leaving Richardson puzzled. Richardson murmured, "I get it. But you're twenty-five and never had a boyfriend?"

The room fell silent, and Richardson swallowed hard. He couldn't believe that the stunning beauty in front of him was actually saying she was still a virgin. Was this really happening?

Anna wanted to explain more, but knowing her poor communication skills, she decided against it.

After a long pause, Richardson finally snapped out of it, coughed to cover his embarrassment, and said, "The Golden Karen Hotel, right? How far is it from here? Let's head there for a while."

He picked up his backpack, took out his phone, and showed the map to Anna, gesturing for her to help him locate it.

Taking the phone, Anna thought Richardson wanted to add her on social media and asked, confused, "But hasn't the internet been down for a long time?" Richardson couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. "I want you to locate it for me, Anna!" He used to not understand what being slow-witted meant, but now, after meeting Anna, he finally got it. The fact that Anna had survived for two months in the apocalypse was purely because of the ample food stored in her house!

The moment she was rescued, she didn't easily trust Richardson, which was probably one of the few moments of wisdom in her life, right?

Anna realized and pointed at the map on the phone. "I see. It's right here. After we go downstairs, it's a five-minute walk."

Looking at the Golden Karen Hotel on the map, Richardson estimated the distance and thought about the zombies wandering around on the street downstairs. If he were alone, he could easily reach the hotel by stopping time. But now, with Anna, he couldn't reveal the secret of the old pocket watch.

Things were a bit tricky.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "So, I'll go out first to find some food and scout the area. You wait here, don't open the door no matter who comes. I'll be back in twenty minutes, okay?"

Richardson decided to first kill a hundred zombies to fully replenish the mysterious energy in his body, see if it could cause a genetic mutation, and then head to the hotel to enjoy the presidential suite. Also, it would be a loss if he got ambushed on the way to the hotel with Anna. So, some precautions to clear the surrounding zombies first didn't hurt.

"You're leaving? Take care and make sure to come back," Anna said, staring at Richardson with her beautiful eyes, her face full of reluctance.

This wasn't love, but attachment.

"Okay, wait for me to come back." Suppressing the urge to turn back, Richardson turned and left. It wasn't until he walked out of Anna's house and saw the zombies that had been missed in the hallway that he realized he was still in the apocalypse!

He didn't stop time but directly rushed towards the zombies, making precise strikes while shouting, "Killing zombies is important, but Anna is important too!"

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