"System: Congratulations! Total number of level one crystal cores: 25" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The system’s voice rang inside her head right after the last zombie dropped, but this time Bai Li didn’t feel much about the number. Instead, she let out a small sigh, her attention completely shifting to something else entirely. The kukri in her hand was now covered in thick, dark blood, sticky and unpleasant, and even worse, some of it had splattered onto her hands, sleeves, and even a little on her cheek. She had tried to be careful during the fight, she really did, but the nature of these things made it almost impossible to stay completely clean when using a weapon like this.

"...Tch."

She clicked her tongue lightly, clearly annoyed.

Without wasting time, she took out tissues from her pocket and started wiping the blade first, her movements quick but precise. She didn’t like leaving weapons dirty, especially not with something like this. The smell alone was enough to make her frown slightly, even though she was already used to much worse things in her previous life. After wiping the kukri clean enough, she moved on to herself, dabbing at her hands, then her face, then using sanitizer to rub it all off. Even then, she still felt uncomfortable, like something unpleasant was sticking to her skin no matter how much she cleaned.

"...Still feels disgusting."

She muttered under her breath, her brows slightly furrowed.

Meanwhile, the small commotion she caused downstairs didn’t go unnoticed.

On the upper floors, a few people who had cautiously stepped out onto their balconies to check what was happening outside had already seen everything. At first, they were just trying to look at the situation in the streets, but their attention was quickly drawn to the scene below.

A young woman.

Alone.

Killing zombies one after another like it was nothing.

One man in his forties leaned forward slightly over his balcony railing, his eyes wide.

"Did... did you guys see that? She just killed them all like that?"

A younger guy standing two balconies away swallowed nervously.

"That... that didn’t look normal at all... how is she moving like that?"

Another woman, probably in her thirties, held onto her balcony door tightly, her voice shaking but filled with disbelief.

"She didn’t even look scared... not even a little..."

But not everyone reacted the same way.

One middle aged man, his face pale but his tone carrying a strange kind of confidence, suddenly spoke louder.

"Hey! You down there! If you can kill those things, come help us too! There are sounds outside our door, we don’t know what’s there!"

Another person quickly joined in.

"Yeah! If you can fight them, you should help everyone! We’re all in the same building!"

A different voice followed, slightly sharper, almost complaining.

"What’s the point of just killing outside? If you’re capable, you should clear the whole building and protect everyone!"

But at the same time, there were also people who didn’t agree.

One older man immediately snapped back from another balcony.

"Are you stupid? Why should she risk herself for you? Can you even do what she’s doing?"

Someone else added, their voice filled with a bit of admiration.

"She’s already doing more than anyone else here... just look at her... she’s not even panicking..."

Another younger woman leaned forward slightly, her eyes shining a little.

"...She’s amazing..."

The voices overlapped, some filled with awe, some with shock, some with selfish demands, and some with silent admiration. But none of it reached Bai Li in any meaningful way.

Because she didn’t care.

At this moment, Bai Li, the person they were all talking about, was still standing there with a slightly annoyed expression, completely focused on cleaning herself. No matter how much she wiped, she still felt like there was something sticking to her skin, and that alone was enough to put her in a slightly bad mood.

She glanced at her sleeve again.

"...Annoying."

Just then, from the distance ahead, a few more zombies started stumbling toward her, drawn by the noise and smell from earlier. Their movements were slow but persistent, their low growls echoing faintly in the open space.

Bai Li didn’t even look up properly.

Her grip tightened slightly on the kukri.

And the next moment, she moved.

No buildup.

No pause.

Just a few simple steps forward, followed by a clean slash.

Then another.

Then another.

The zombies didn’t even get a chance to come close.

They dropped one after another, their bodies hitting the ground with dull thuds before they could even properly react.

To her, it wasn’t even a fight.

It was just... clearing the way.

Bai Li stood there for a moment after dealing with the last few zombies outside, her grip still firm on the kukri while her expression remained calm, but her thoughts slowly shifted away from fighting. She glanced down at her hands again, still stained with dark, sticky blood that refused to fully come off no matter how many times she wiped it. The smell alone was enough to make anyone feel sick, thick and rotten, like something that had been left to decay for far too long. Even she, with all her mental strength and control, couldn’t completely ignore it. It wasn’t fear, not even close, just pure annoyance. That constant uncomfortable feeling of being dirty was starting to get on her nerves.

"...I need to clean this properly..."

She muttered under her breath, her brows slightly furrowed as she looked around the area.

Then she thought of something.

The convenience store downstairs.

It should have water, maybe even some basic cleaning supplies, and more importantly, food. Now that she paid attention to it, she could feel it clearly. Hunger. All the movement, all the fighting, even if it wasn’t difficult for her, it still consumed energy. Her body was adapting fast, but it also demanded more in return.

"Yeah... that works."

She made the decision quickly.

She could clean up there, eat something, and maybe even use it as a temporary resting spot. A small base, at least for now. From there, she could move around the neighborhood more efficiently and clear zombies without having to wander aimlessly.

With that thought, she didn’t waste any more time and started moving through the neighborhood, her pace steady but not rushed. Any zombie that came into her sight was dealt with immediately, sometimes with the kukri, sometimes just with quick precise movements that didn’t even need much effort. But no matter how careful she tried to be, fighting at this range meant one thing was unavoidable.

Blood.

It splashed.

Again and again.

Some hit her hands, some lightly touched her face, a few drops landing on her neck. She tried to avoid it, adjusting angles, stepping back at the right moments, but with multiple fights happening one after another, it was impossible to stay completely clean.

And that just made her more annoyed.

By the time she finally reached the small supermarket, her body was still in perfect condition, her breathing steady, but her hands were a mess. Dark blood coated her fingers, dried in some places, still wet in others, and the smell... it was far worse now. It clung to her skin like it didn’t want to leave.

But despite all that, her results were clear.

More than fifty zombies.

Fifty six crystal cores.

She paused for a second outside the entrance, glancing at her hands again before letting out a small sigh.

"...disgusting."

She pulled out tissues again, wiping her face first, then her neck, trying to at least get rid of the surface stains before stepping inside. It helped a little, but not enough. The smell was still there.

With that, she pushed the door open and walked into the supermarket.

Inside, the lighting was dim, shelves lined up in rows, creating narrow pathways like a maze. The place was quiet, too quiet, but that didn’t last long. The moment she stepped in, her eyes quickly locked onto movement.

Five zombies.

All scattered in different parts of the store.

At a glance, she could tell they were all different, one short, one slightly hunched, another with torn clothes hanging loosely, but all of them shared the same thing. Rotting flesh. That same disgusting smell, even worse than outside because it was trapped inside the closed space.

But strangely, they didn’t immediately rush her.

Maybe they hadn’t fully locked onto her yet.

Or maybe they were distracted.

Bai Li didn’t care.

She let out a small breath, her expression going blank again as she took out her kukri.

"Let’s finish this quickly..."

She muttered, already moving.

She walked toward the nearest shelf casually, not rushing, not making unnecessary noise. A short male zombie was wandering there, its back turned toward her, its movements slow and awkward. The moment it heard her footsteps, it reacted.

Its head jerked slightly.

Then slowly turned.

Its eyes, dull and lifeless, locked onto her as its mouth opened, letting out a low, excited growl. Its body leaned forward as it started crawling toward her, arms stretched out in front like it thought it could grab her any second.

It looked almost... stupid.

Bai Li didn’t react to it at all.

She simply raised her kukri with both hands, her grip firm, and brought it down hard toward its neck. The blade struck with force, cutting deep but not completely through, and at the same time, she lifted her leg and kicked it straight in the chest.

The impact sent it stumbling backward.

Before it could recover, she stepped forward again, pulling the blade free and swinging it once more. This time, the cut was enough.

The zombie dropped.

Without even pausing, Bai Li shifted her position.

The noise had already attracted the others.

The remaining four zombies started moving toward her, their growls overlapping, their footsteps dragging against the floor. But the supermarket layout worked in her favor. Shelves stood between them, blocking direct paths, forcing them to move around instead of rushing straight at her.

Bai Li used that.

Instead of retreating, she moved sideways, slipping through the gaps between shelves, her movements light and controlled. She circled around, using the maze like layout to break their line of sight, then reappeared behind the last zombie in the group.

It didn’t even realize she was there.

Not until it was too late.

Her blade came down from above, slashing into its neck cleanly, followed immediately by a second strike that finished it before it could even react.

The body collapsed quietly.

At that moment, the remaining three zombies finally caught on.

They turned around at the same time, their heads snapping toward her direction as they let out low growls, their bodies starting to move faster now as they rushed toward her.

Bai Li stood there, kukri in hand, expression calm.

Bai Li didn’t bother listening to the growls or the movements of the three zombies any longer. The moment they turned and started rushing toward her, she moved first. There was no pause, no waiting, just a sudden burst of speed as her figure blurred forward. The kukri in her hand swung in a clean arc, her wrist steady and precise despite the heavy blade. The first zombie didn’t even get the chance to lift its arms properly before her blade cut across its neck, the force behind it enough to almost sever it in one go. Before its body even started falling, Bai Li had already shifted her position, stepping slightly to the side as her blade came back up and then down again toward the second zombie. The strike landed just as clean, the curved edge biting deep into its neck, and she followed it up instantly with a second motion that finished the cut completely. The third zombie, which had just opened its mouth to lunge at her, didn’t even manage to take a full step before Bai Li closed the distance herself and slashed across its throat in one swift motion. All three fell almost at the same time, their bodies collapsing onto the supermarket floor with dull thuds, as if everything had happened in just a blink.

.

.

.

To be continued.