After the three entered the villa, Neal Wallace and Ethan Monroe collapsed onto the living room sofa, utterly spent.
The chaotic scenes from the street replayed in their minds—people chasing people, zombies chasing people, the ground covered in blood and corpses. They still hadn't recovered from the shock of the apocalypse, each secretly hoping, 'If only this were a dream.'
Flora Bloom habitually did a sweep of the villa, eliminating any potential security risks. She blocked all the entrances and exits before finally returning to the living room to sit and rest.
When Ethan Monroe saw Flora Bloom approach, he immediately stood up. Grinning, he said, "Uh, I'm Ethan Monroe. I was the warehouse manager at Novartis Supermarket. So, uh... Wonder Woman, what's your name?"
"Flora Bloom."
After her curt reply, Flora Bloom stood up, found a room, and locked the door from the inside.
There was no other reason. She was simply hungry.
In her dimensional space, there was still plenty of takeout she had ordered earlier. It was still steaming hot and looked incredibly appetizing.
Flora Bloom ate to her heart's content, finishing it all off with a large glass of milk.
She lay down to rest on the bed inside the thatched-roof cottage. But with her eyes closed, she just tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. So, Flora Bloom got up and walked over to the black soil by the river.
'I've got nothing better to do, anyway. I might as well plant the seeds I bought and see if this soil can actually grow anything.'
In the apocalypse of her past life, eighty percent of the soil had been contaminated by the virus, making it impossible to grow anything. Forget fruits and vegetables—not even weeds could survive. Anything that lived ultimately mutated, either becoming a zombified creature or an evolved one.
Flora Bloom used her will to till the soil while sowing seeds for her favorite fruits and vegetables. Finally, she drew water from the river to irrigate the plot.
After finishing all that, she saw there was still empty land along the riverbank. She planted the few expensive apple, orange, and other fruit trees she had bought before finally calling it a day.
After exerting her will like that, for some reason, Flora Bloom suddenly felt unusually tired. It wasn't physical exhaustion, but mental. She tried drinking some of the river water, but it didn't help much.
'Is it because I was using my will to control things? Maybe I get tired if I do it for too long.'
But looking at the black soil she had cultivated on both sides of the river, Flora Bloom was filled with hope that the land in her space was fertile. Exhausted as she was, her heart swelled with anticipation as she returned to the cottage and lay down.
This time, she fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
In her dream, it was the same bleak, sunless apocalypse. Shelton Underwood stared down at her, his expression savage. Polly Bloom struggled painfully in his grasp, crying and screaming.
"Mommy, save me! Mommy, it hurts so much!"
Flora Bloom jolted awake, realizing she was drenched in sweat. Clearly, the scene from her dream had terrified her.
But as she looked around the dimensional space, she let out a slow sigh. 'That was my past life. It's over.' In this life, she would never, ever let something like that happen again.
She observed the room outside from within her space for a moment. After confirming that everything was normal, Flora Bloom exited her space and reappeared in the room.
Just then, a knock came at her door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Flora Bloom. I'm calling you for dinner."
Flora Bloom opened the door and was greeted by the welcome aroma of a hot meal. Even though she had just eaten her fill a short while ago, she still wanted to have a taste.
She followed him to the living room table, just as Ethan Monroe was setting down the last dish, a steaming soup.
"Heh heh, Flora Bloom, kiddo. Come and try some of Old Monroe's cooking."
"Where did all these ingredients come from?"
"We have the couple who lived here to thank for that. Their kitchen was stocked with ingredients. I figured the vegetables and other things would spoil if we let them sit, so it would be a shame to let them go to waste."
Flora Bloom nodded and tried a bite. The flavor instantly reawakened her appetite. And so, with six dishes for the three of them, Flora Bloom ended up eating another large bowl of rice. The braised pork, in particular, was almost entirely finished by her alone.
After eating his fill, Ethan Monroe collected and washed the dishes.
"I'd say we chose the right place this time. The couple who lived here stored enough food to last us three days. We won't have to worry about those monsters outside for these three days."
Neal Wallace smiled. Lying on the sofa, he still seemed a bit out of it, but his expression was one of immense relief.
Seeing that Neal said nothing, Ethan Monroe got to his feet. The portly man stretched a little before continuing.
"Besides, in three days, the police or the army should be here to rescue us."
Flora Bloom, lounging in a nearby rocking chair, let a scornful smile touch her lips.
"I'm going to Sinia City to find my parents. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
The smile on Ethan Monroe's face froze. He stared at Flora Bloom in disbelief.
"Kiddo, it takes four or five hours to get to Sinia City by high-speed rail. If you drive, it'd take at least a day or two, wouldn't it? Besides, with the way things are out there, with so many zombies, it's too dangerous for you to go."
Flora Bloom just shook her head. "I have to go."
Her tone was firm, indicating she wasn't negotiating with them.
Neal Wallace's expression grew complicated upon hearing her words. He had been scratched by a zombie earlier. Although he'd been unconscious for a bit, he was aware of what Flora Bloom had done to save him.
'A young girl who dares to fight zombies so fiercely all by herself with just an axe... She's not just brave; she must have some kind of secret.'
Besides, she had saved his life. Neal Wallace felt an inexplicable sense of trust toward her.
On some strange impulse, without overthinking it, he suddenly stood up and said, "I want to go with you."
"What?"
The portly Ethan Monroe was stunned for a moment after hearing him. "The kid's being naive, wanting to go back and find her parents. Instead of talking some sense into her, you're going to join her in this madness?"
Neal Wallace smiled. "Mr. Monroe, Flora Bloom may be young, but she's incredibly strong. Instead of just sitting here waiting to die, we might have a better chance of survival if we go with her."
He paused, leaning back against the sofa and staring at the flickering ceiling light. "Besides, the army? Mr. Monroe, don't be so naive. If the apocalypse is really here, the police and the military probably have their own hands full. Why would they come back to take care of us regular folks?"
Flora Bloom's estimation of Neal Wallace rose even higher. The man not only had impressive willpower and perseverance, but his insights were also remarkably sharp.
It was true. This viral outbreak was global, and it primarily mutated the elderly and children, those with weaker constitutions. Comparatively, healthy adults were the least susceptible to infection.
However, there was a group within the police and military who, despite being in peak physical condition, inevitably carried various wounds, big and small. These injuries would become entry points for the virus.
And it was infected police officers and soldiers who had the highest rate of awakening superpowers in the apocalypse. Because of their strong willpower and specially trained bodies, as long as they could endure the infection for 24 hours, they were guaranteed to awaken a superpower.
Furthermore, the superpowers they awakened were mostly offensive types, which would become extremely formidable later on.
Ethan Monroe thought it over and over, and finally had to admit that Neal Wallace had a point. He turned to Flora Bloom with a dejected look on his face.
"Kiddo, how did you kill a zombie with a single swing of your axe?"
Flora Bloom gave him a cool glance, not planning to reveal her real situation. "I've practiced martial arts since I was a kid. I was just born strong."
Ethan Monroe pressed on, not ready to give up. "Then what were you digging for in the zombie's brain outside? Is it really like in the novels? Are there Crystal Cores inside their heads? Can we awaken superpowers and use the Crystal Cores to get stronger?"
Flora Bloom suddenly smiled. She looked at Ethan Monroe and nodded. "That's right. There's a certain chance for a Crystal Core to form in a zombie's brain. The higher the zombie's level, the greater the probability of finding one. And the higher the zombie's level, the higher the grade and energy of its Crystal Core."
"And humans really can awaken superpowers. Like me, for instance. I awakened a Water Ability."
As she spoke, a sphere of deep blue water coalesced in her palm without a single drop spilling. Ethan Monroe's eyes went wide with envy. He hurriedly asked, "Quick, tell me! How do I awaken a superpower? Once I've got one, I'll take you with me and we'll be unstoppable!"
Seeing Ethan Monroe brimming with ambition, as if he could awaken a powerful superpower at any moment, the smile on Flora Bloom's lips grew even more cryptic.
"Awakening a superpower... it's not hard, but it's not exactly easy either. Then again, it's actually quite simple."
Ethan Monroe leaned in, listening intently.