Nicole Seeking Help
Xiao Yi had no way of knowing what the couple downstairs was plotting. Right now, he was focused on scheming how to kill ten zombies as quickly as possible to recharge the system.
In the second-floor tool room, he'd found a large wrench and a hollow steel pipe. On top of that, he'd discovered a military dagger inside the desk drawer.
This thrilled him.
The only disappointment was that there were no guns in the house. Guns were legal in America—if you had a permit, you could own one legally—but clearly, the original owner of this place had no interest in firearms. Or perhaps, for some reason, he hadn't qualified for a permit.
Now, Xiao Yi planned to use these tools to craft a spear.
He'd thought it through long ago: against zombies like these, a spear was the ideal weapon. Its length gave it reach—one inch longer meant one inch stronger. Thrusting was more efficient than slashing, and bladed weapons often got stuck in bone, hard to pull free. With so many zombies around, even a good knife would dull quickly from chopping, but a dagger wouldn't have that issue.
From the way the car crash earlier had drawn a horde, these zombies were highly sensitive to noise. So, guns might not even be the best choice for killing them.
As he secured the dagger to one end of the pipe with rope and rivets, Xiao Yi mulled over his next steps, drawing from what he'd just seen and his knowledge from zombie shows.
Thud thud thud...
A knock echoed at the door.
Gripping his freshly made spear, Xiao Yi cautiously opened the bedroom door.
"Hello, sir!" a melodious female voice called from outside.
Nicole Kidman leaned seductively against the doorframe, her tall, slender figure curving into an alluring S-shape. From the side, her snow-white, perky breasts peeked teasingly— not overly full, but perfectly round and firm.
"Hello, Mrs. Cruise. What can I do for you?"
Seeing this stunning beauty visit alone made the thirty-year-old bachelor Xiao Yi's mouth go dry with tension, his mind wandering to impure thoughts. Without Tom Cruise around, maybe he could spark a steamy apocalypse "romance" with Nicole Kidman.
But the education and morals from his past life kept it to mere fantasy. He couldn't bring himself to do anything truly unethical.
For now, he just wanted to coexist peacefully with them—having company in the apocalypse wouldn't hurt.
Nicole Kidman glanced at the homemade spear in Xiao Yi's hand, her brow furrowing slightly before she masked it with a pitiful, charming smile. "Sir, could you help us out? Some of our supplies are still in the car. They're really important to us. I was hoping you'd assist my husband in retrieving them."
As she spoke, she gently placed her hand on Xiao Yi's shoulder, her expression one of desperate pleading. "I know you're a brave, strong man with a kind heart. A good person like you would surely help me, right? You wouldn't want a fragile woman like me facing those zombies alone..."
Xiao Yi felt the warmth of her body pressing close, her delicate palm brushing tinglingly across his chest, stirring his desires. But the image of the dense zombie swarm flooding the front yard flashed in his mind, and he rejected her without hesitation. "With so many zombies out there, going outside now isn't smart. Sorry, Mrs. Cruise, I can't help. If there's nothing else, I need to rest."
Any ordinary man would have puffed out his chest for superstar Nicole Kidman's pitiful, seductive plea, just to save face.
But for Xiao Yi, was face worth more than his life?
Risking it all for some supplies? Not worth it.
"It's noon now—the zombies have mostly scattered. I just checked: only five are left in the yard. The rest are gone. With the two of us, taking them out should be easy. Plus, we need to fix that damaged iron gate."
Tom Cruise approached then, nodding at Xiao Yi.
"The zombies dispersed that quickly?"
Surprised, Xiao Yi stepped out of the bedroom and followed them to the living room window. Peering out, he saw the front yard—once packed with zombies—now held only eight, shambling listlessly under the eaves. Even those looked lethargic and weak, barely active.
"These walking corpses hate sunlight. The sun's strong today at midday, so they've hunkered down in the shade. I only noticed this a few days ago. If not for last night's rain, we'd probably be at the shelter by now!"
Tom Cruise murmured his analysis.
This was great news for Xiao Yi.
Zombies were already clumsy; add sunlight aversion and daytime sluggishness, and picking off stragglers after they dispersed would be a breeze.
Heading out now to kill zombies and recharge the system was the perfect opportunity!
"Alright! I'll help. Once we're out, I'll handle the zombies—you just grab the stuff from the car!" Xiao Yi gripped his spear tighter and took a deep breath.
Helping the Cruises was secondary. The real priority was killing zombies to fuel the system—and this was his chance.
Hearing Xiao Yi agree, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise exchanged a delighted glance, a flicker of complex emotion crossing their faces.