Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Supply Run
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After a sound sleep, I opened my eyes in the darkness.
I was nestled in Blackie's embrace.
As I figured, I probably wouldn't have any major problems even if I skipped sleep.
But I still slept.
For me now, sleep was practically a luxury.
Making time for it might seem like a waste, but even so, I had no desire to change my routine.
Humans can't just live productively all the time.
You could survive without coffee, booze, good food, or sex, no big deal.
But people still chase bars, cafes, restaurants, and motels.
Sleeping was the same for me.
If anything, I felt grateful that I could still enjoy it. A life of constant wakefulness didn't sound all that great.
I wriggled out of Blackie's arms, and Alaska's pristine white landscape greeted me—unchanged from yesterday.
A few days without a shower, and my body felt musty.
I'm cleaner than you might think.
I shower at least once a day.
Usually with my girls, of course...
But since leaving the Sejong residence, I hadn't washed properly.
No clean water around here...
And rolling in the snow wasn't an option.
As I pondered how to clean up, a good idea struck.
I opened the door to the Hero's Sanctuary and stepped inside.
The colors were similar to outside, but an entirely different pristine white world welcomed me.
I decided to check out products I'd previously ignored.
There was an environmental setup category.
Not what I needed right now.
Flipping through the Dimensional Shop, I found what I wanted.
The features were perfect.
Sizes: small, medium, large.
The White Star was about the size of a small island.
Small would suffice.
1.2 million coins.
A jaw-dropping price.
But hopping between the original world and the zombie world had racked up so much income that it didn't faze me anymore.
Not many usable heroes anyway—just me and Ignis. Still, you never know when I might pull another good one.
Guess when you earn big, you spend big.
A bird's-eye view of the White Star and a simulation of the lake appeared in my vision.
It was just a blank round white star right now.
Location didn't matter.
I confirmed the lake's placement on the White Star, and a massive lake materialized on the empty white plain.
Even the smallest size was way bigger than needed for my bath.
The water was crystal clear, bottom visible. But the plain white bottom felt a bit bland.
I stripped naked and soaked, scrubbing freely with soap and shampoo.
I could see the soap suds purifying instantly in the lake.
Performance was insane.
Burning 1.2 million coins for one wash... but no regrets.
Finally clean, I felt refreshed.
Times like this...
'Purified by bath, huh. Gacha time?'
Purification my ass... I went for a 100-pull hero summon full of ambition and bombed spectacularly.
Not a single dog came out.
"Tch..."
Have I developed a tycoon mindset now?
Used to shake with rage at a 100-pull flop, but now? No big emotional hit.
Money breeds peace of mind. Still, the lost coins stung a bit.
For an Ignis-level pull, I'd drop billions, not millions—but empty results make you hesitate.
Better to hold out until I snag a guaranteed hero summon ticket.
Grace Anderson.
She woke to someone knocking at her front door.
The worn wooden interior of her home came into view.
She dragged herself out of bed, scratching her tousled bob, and shuffled to the door.
Freshly woken, Grace looked a bit disheveled, but her golden blonde hair and clear blue eyes kept her stunning beauty intact.
Opening the door revealed a man in his mid-20s, sheriff's uniform, dark brown hair.
A familiar face.
Philip.
"Still sleeping?"
"Uh... It's my turn today, right?"
"Yeah."
Philip glanced at the cleavage peeking from her loose t-shirt as he answered.
"You'll burn a hole through it."
"Too thick for that, no?"
Philip's deadpan reply.
It used to stress her out as a sensitive kid, but now she just let it slide.
"Sorry. Give me a sec to get ready."
"OK."
Grace shut the door and stripped off her t-shirt and pajama pants, tossing them on the sofa.
Her figure, clad only in underwear, was perfectly toned.
She grabbed her sheriff's uniform from a hook and suited up with practiced ease. Her ample chest made the shiny gold star badge stand out.
She was the sheriff of Roman, a small town just outside Seattle.
Pointless now, but...
She spun the revolver cylinder to check ammo and holstered it.
Finally, she donned her sheriff's hat from the wall and stepped out—Philip was still waiting.
"What, you haven't left?"
He shrugged.
Grace realized he was tagging along for today's supply run.
"You sure? It's not your shift."
"Just getting some air."
"..."
She could guess his motives but knew arguing was pointless, so they headed to the dock together.
The peaceful scenery of the small island surrounded by the lake unfolded.
Two men waited by the boat at the dock.
Matthew and Humphrey.
Today's supply duty crew.
"Sorry, spaced on it being today."
"Finally, our village star graces us."
Humphrey, with his bushy beard, joked with a grin.
"Star, my ass."
"You are one. Has anyone from our town ever gotten as famous?"
She'd once gone viral from an unauthorized video as the "beauty sheriff." People even visited the backwater town to see her.
That was Humphrey's point.
It annoyed her then, but now it was fond nostalgia.
They bantered idly as they boarded the small yacht and crossed the lake.
The world had changed.
Turned into the zombie apocalypse from movies.
There were omens.
News about bizarre creatures and environmental crises...
But people stayed indifferent, as always.
Then the zombies hit.
No one knew the infection paths.
Not just bites—healthy fellow sheriffs... neighbors... turned randomly.
The chaos of unpredictable infections lasted over a week.
It took ages to realize no one was safe and that the random outbreaks had stopped.
Thankfully, Grace had no family.
Only child.
Dad died on duty as sheriff.
Her cheating mom divorced early and left for good.
Somehow, Grace took up her dad's job, but instead of criminals, she fought zombies.
Not just zombies, either.
The world now crawled with even worse mutated monsters.
Sheriff Grace and Philip led the few surviving townsfolk to a remote outskirts spot.
An old summer camp for students.
The campground on Sapphire Lake's small island.
They figured zombies and monsters wouldn't cross the lake easily.
Never tested it, but no zombies had shown up on the island since, so it seemed like a decent safe zone.
Now, a handful of survivors huddled on the lake island, living day by day.
And today was Grace's supply run.
Disembarking the yacht, a pickup truck marked "POLICE" sat by the dock.
They loaded bags in the bed with routine efficiency and climbed in.
"Where to this time?"
Philip answered Grace's question.
"Bacon."
"Hm... Getting farther out."
"No choice."
They'd once tried Seattle.
Hordes of zombies everywhere.
Narrowly escaped death and never looked back.
Better to hit distant, deserted backwaters.