Rat-a-tat-tat.
The distinct sound of gunfire from the hallway made Lux jump, and MDR's voice came through the headset.
"Zombie detected, eliminated… ah, another one."
Two more shots rang out.
Lux quickly moved to the window and opened it.
"HK, see that BMW? Fire a frag round nearby. Try to trigger the alarm without damaging the system's security."
He issued his command swiftly.
Click.
HK416 adjusted the range on the AG416 under-barrel grenade launcher and fired without hesitation.
Boom! The explosion shattered concrete across the block, pieces striking the BMW's window. The alarm blared, and zombies from every corner swarmed toward the car.
Lux even saw a zombie leap from a fourth-floor window, only to crash into a bloody pulp under gravity.
"Go, help MDR clear the hallway zombies."
"All good. Thanks to the alarm, no zombies are rushing here. As long as I don't fire, wandering zombies shouldn't be attracted."
MDR's calm voice reported.
"Change of orders: MDR, quickly go to the first floor and close the unit doors. HK416 and I will meet you there."
A flash of inspiration hit Lux, and he issued the new plan.
Though MDR didn't understand, she quickly descended three flights of stairs and shut the wide-open doors.
At nearly the same moment, an even louder explosion than the grenade echoed outside.
"Join us in Room 301. We're searching for supplies."
Two minutes later, MDR entered the apartment and saw HK416 standing guard.
"What was that huge explosion?" she asked curiously.
"The Commander had me attack the gas tank of the vehicle after all the zombies gathered around it. The explosion eliminated a large number of them."
"Commander truly has excellent tactical talent. A plan like that would never occur to me with my modules," HK416 praised.
"Ah? It was just a spontaneous idea. You're overestimating me."
Lux handed items convertible to resource points to the system, smiling sheepishly.
"Recognizing your own talent is important. Commander, you need more confidence."
"The plan saved us from clearing three floors manually and saved significant time. The explosion alone killed at least thirty zombies, conserving ammo—more ammo means a higher chance of survival."
HK416 said seriously.
"Really? I've enjoyed directing others in cooperative games before. Maybe that's why…" Lux smiled faintly.
Receiving HK416's praise strengthened his resolve to survive with both her and MDR.
Before nightfall, Lux had cleared the entire building, handing all exchangeable resources to the system. He now had 3,400 points.
Checking the system's shopping list, he found his points could only buy basic food and water. Lux noted that while luxury items were also exchangeable, they required even more points.
Genetic enhancement serums cost 50,000 points; Tactical Dolls cost 100,000. For now, he would save his points. In the apocalypse, resources should be used wisely, not squandered.
Besides resource points, he gathered 50 kg of rice, 30 kg of flour, eight barrels of cooking oil, four barrels of purified water, and assorted condiments—all stored in the system's storage.
He also found a chicken and some dried vegetables in a second-floor fridge.
His eyes lit up. After two days of instant noodles, fresh meat was a luxury he wouldn't see again anytime soon.
Naturally, he didn't exchange these for points; the system charged 50 points per meal anyway.
Lux returned home with HK416 and MDR, unwilling to move in the dark.
"Today was hard work. Tonight we'll have spicy chicken. My cooking is only enough for myself, but anything with MSG tastes great," he said, heading to the kitchen.
"Commander, the standard rations suffice. We're trained to control our desire for food," HK416 calmly replied, loading her magazine.
"Eat what? Eat chicken? What chicken?!" MDR excitedly asked, tapping on her old phone.
"If you save that to post when there's a signal, I'll have HK416 blow your head off," Lux warned sharply.
"Eek! Scary! Deleting it now!" MDR said.
Lux lit a candle and moved to the kitchen.
Due to his earlier electrocution, the area's electricity had been absorbed by the system. Future nights would be dark, but luckily, the gas supply remained, so cooking was still possible.