Inside a convenience store, four zombies dressed in employee uniforms lay sprawled on the floor, their heads severed cleanly from their bodies.
Rover sat casually in a chair behind the cashier's counter, holding a biscuit in one hand. His demeanor was careless, almost playful, his face showing no trace of fear or worry.
On the contrary, his expression was brimming with excitement and curiosity.
Chewing leisurely, he issued a command: "System, what functions do you have?"
[Ding! Arcadia System possesses the following functions:
Establish and upgrade bases. Level up anything using Exp. Collect Exp points based on the women you have in your harem. Additional functions will unlock after you successfully establish a base.]
"Harem? Exp?" Rover muttered. "Interesting… any woman will do?"
[Ding! For more details, please choose a location to install your base.]
"Base…"
Crack!
Rover murmured, biting down hard on another piece of biscuit.
"To go to the safe zone… or to find another place…" He hesitated between the two choices.
Rubbing his chin, his thoughts turned dark:
'Catrina doesn't matter. It's just… I can't swallow this anger.'
'With my abilities, catching up to the government's evacuation convoy is easy. But… entering a government-controlled zone would be far too risky.'
Yes—now that Rover possessed both an S-rank and an SSS-rank talent, overtaking a convoy that had left two days ago was nothing to him.
But he wasn't foolish enough to think he could use this System freely inside a government-protected area without anyone noticing.
BAM!
Suddenly, the convenience store door was shoved open with brute force, the loud slam shattering the silence.
From his position near the entrance, Rover clearly saw the person who burst inside—a woman dressed in tattered clothes, her face wrapped tightly in white bandages.
"Argh!" The woman collapsed onto the floor as soon as she stumbled in, gasping for breath as though she'd nearly drowned.
"Ga… ga…"
"Ah… ha…"
Hearing the guttural growls behind her, she flinched and whipped her head around.
Outside, a group of zombies was slowly advancing toward the convenience store. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself up, trying desperately to shut the door.
"Oy!"
"AGH!!!" The woman shrieked when a voice suddenly rang out.
At the cashier's counter, a tall man—around 180 cm—with sharp, masculine features and jet-black hair sat with his legs propped up on the high table before him.
There was no fear in his expression. Instead, his face carried indifference, curiosity, and even a faint sense of anticipation as he looked at her.
"Y-you…" The woman pulled a small knife from her pocket, gripping it tightly with trembling hands. She pointed the blade at him, her voice unsteady. "Who are you?"
Rover glanced at her briefly, then shifted his gaze back outside, speaking with cold detachment. "If you don't want those zombies out there to 'eat' you, then you'd better keep your mouth shut."
"Besides… you're the one who barged in here. You have no right to ask my name."
"You…" She wanted to retort, but when her eyes fell on the bloodstains and the four headless zombie corpses on the ground, realization struck her.
Her breathing calmed quickly, her eyes—visible beneath the filthy bandages—glimmering with awareness. The sharpness in them caught Rover slightly off guard.
"These zombies… you… you killed them?" she stammered.
"That's right." Rover leaned back against his chair, replying with utter nonchalance.
"H-how… how could you possibly do that?"
Rover didn't answer. He only shrugged, his gaze sharpening, like a wolf eyeing prey.
"Remove the bandages."
"Huh?!" She blinked, startled by his sudden command. Her voice trembled. "I… my face is injured, so…"
"I won't repeat myself." Rover's voice remained calm, detached, though tinged with curiosity.
Although she didn't want to comply, the corpses strewn across the floor and the man's indifferent demeanor made her realize he was no ordinary survivor.
Shaking, she slowly began to unwrap the filthy bandages covering her face—revealing a visage so disfigured it was horrifying.
The right side of her face was utterly ruined, the flesh appearing as if melted. Blood oozed over rotting tissue, green pus dripping from necrotic patches.
Her scalp on that side bore severe burn marks, with clumps of hair fused grotesquely with skin and blood into a sickening mess.
Suddenly, at that very moment, a panel appeared beside the woman.
...
Name: Isabella Devereaux
Age: 33
Beauty Score: 20 (87)
Talent: None
Description: Possesses exceptional financial and personnel management skills.
Evaluation: Does not meet the standard.
...
"Isabella Devereaux…" Rover murmured.
"You… you know me?" Isabella gasped, shocked that he could speak her name.
'My face… she thought inwardly, It's been ruined beyond recognition, and yet… he still recognized me?'
Rover glanced at Isabella and smirked. "Who doesn't know Isabella, the owner of the most famous jewelry chain in this city?"
"Not only wealthy but also stunningly beautiful, even serving as the model for your own products. Am I wrong?"
Isabella gave a faint nod. "That's right… but that was in the past."
"I'm not blind." Rover shrugged dismissively. "You can take some food and then get out."
A trace of disappointment flickered in Rover's eyes.
As long as the System's evaluation was 'Does not meet the standard', she held no value to him.
Still, even in the apocalypse, he wasn't completely devoid of humanity. He could at least show some pity for this pitiful woman.
Once, she had stood at the very peak of glory—not just blessed with beauty but also possessing wealth that many successful men could only envy.
But now, she was reduced to nothing more than a sewer rat, struggling to survive amidst endless dangers.
Yet… she was just an ordinary woman, gravely injured at that. She would die soon enough.
If the zombies didn't devour her, infection would.
Isabella looked at Rover, and within her heart surfaced a desperate, reckless thought.
"I… can I come with you?" she stammered.
Rover bit into another biscuit, glanced at her indifferently, and replied, "I only need beauties. I don't need the ugly."
"I… I can help you with many things," Isabella quickly pressed. "Whatever you want to do, I'll do my best to make it happen."
Rover's cold stare bore into her, making her chest tighten with unease and fear.
Once upon a time, just a glance from her could make men around her feel both proud and ashamed in her presence.
But now, she was the one begging.
How ironic.
Rover frowned, but instead of rejecting her outright, he asked, "If I needed a place to establish a base, where would you suggest? And why?"
"Ah!" Isabella blinked, startled by his sudden question, but immediately forced herself to think seriously.
The searing pain from her infected wounds nearly drove her to tears, but her instincts screamed that this was the one chance she could not afford to lose.
Clenching her teeth, she asked, "Do you… do you have any requirements? For example, population size, land area, transportation, and so on…?"
Rover glanced at the System's interface. It showed no information about what kind of base he would gain after installation, which meant he had no clear idea what the System would actually provide him.
He thought for a few seconds before speaking. "The more people, the better. Transportation doesn't need to be convenient—what matters is making it difficult for zombies and monsters to reach."
"Mon… monsters?!" Isabella flinched at the word.
Rover didn't bother to explain further. He had heard that voice. Which meant zombies were only the beginning.
Soon enough, other calamities would appear—monsters above all.
Isabella quickly pieced together his words and then said, "I… I know a place that fits your requirements perfectly. It's… the Eldora Resort."
"Hm?!" Rover frowned. He had heard of it before, but he still pressed, "Why?"
Isabella gathered her thoughts before replying. "It's about twenty kilometers from here—not too far, so we could reach it on foot.
Also, it's built high in a valley about a thousand meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains. There are four roads leading in, but all of them can be fully observed from within.
Inside, it's vast. I don't know the exact size, but housing ten thousand people wouldn't be a problem."
Rover's eyes locked on Isabella, scrutinizing her.
Suddenly remembering something, she quickly added, "Most importantly—ten kilometers east of there is the White Rose Academy, an all-girls' school. On the way, we'd also pass through the Phoenix High-Class Residential District.
Those places will have beautiful women of high quality. That's why… I think Eldora Resort is the perfect choice for you."
Rover burst into laughter. "Hahaha… hahahaha…"
He rose from the counter and walked right up to Isabella.
Even though he was merely standing there, she felt an overwhelming pressure, as if a colossal beast loomed before her.
"You're very clever," Rover said with a grin, his hand gently brushing the unscarred side of her face.
"That's why… I'll give you two choices."
"One—you can take some food, and then get out."
"Two—become my slave."
"Isabella, once a woman standing at the peak of glory… which will you choose?"