LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 10: This task was like opening a box
Elijah really wanted to say, "I'll take care of your wife for you, so don't worry!"
But considering they didn't have any children, he let it go.
After all, there wasn't any major conflict between him and Alexander; they just found each other a bit irritating at times.
Elijah heard from friends that Alexander's family was quite well-off; he had several properties and shops in his hometown, which was probably why he married Bella.
After all, Bella was considered a local beauty, and even in a metropolis like Neoville, she could make people say "wow"!
However, both of them had lofty ambitions and didn't want to stay in a small town, so they came to Neoville City to try their luck.
Later, they moved into Elijah's place through a friend's introduction.
As they spent time together, Elijah found Alexander to be rather arrogant and self-righteous, always giving orders and thinking highly of himself.
Moreover, he looked down on Elijah's small company's sales and had an attitude tinged with arrogance.
Naturally, Elijah wasn't going to kiss up to him, so their relationship gradually became strained. If there was anything, Elijah would only communicate with Bella.
Now that Alexander was dead and the debts settled, there wasn't much lingering conflict in Elijah's mind. Moreover, Alexander had given him so many gifts in death, so he could only take better care of Bella.
Elijah emptied a nearby flowerpot and buried the dug-up zombie grass in it before returning to the hallway and locking the unit door.
Finally, Elijah could breathe a sigh of relief. He glanced at the six corpses strewn haphazardly in the hallway, set the zombie grass aside, and took out the hammer and knife to begin opening their skulls.
This task was like opening a box; even the survivors a year after the apocalypse hadn't figured out which zombies had corpse cores.
However, they had roughly deduced a rule: zombies that turned after awakening superpowers definitely had corpse cores, and they were of high quality.
By comparing, it was highly likely that zombies with corpse cores, if they hadn't died initially, would have awakened superpowers.
Therefore, some daring individuals tried eating corpse cores to awaken abilities, but without exception, they turned into zombies.
Therefore, although people had discovered corpse cores early on, they hadn't paid much attention until the research on miraculous plants progressed...
Elijah went through the skulls of all six corpses, and sure enough, he found a corpse core.
Then, he took out the one he had extracted from Alexander's brain earlier and buried them together in the flowerpot with the zombie grass.
The zombie grass, which had been a bit withered due to transplantation, quickly perked up.
The veins on its leaves became brighter, as if emitting light, and the density of the veins visibly increased.
Yes, these miraculous plants, called "spirit plants" in the apocalypse, could grow rapidly by absorbing corpse cores.
This discovery had been made by accident after various modern fertilization methods failed. Before Elijah's rebirth, it had just started to become popular.
Originally, the unpopular corpse cores had suddenly become valuable.
This time, only Elijah knew about these things, and it would be his trump card for self-improvement.
Elijah threw the bodies of the six zombies out of the unit building, joining Alexander.
When he was just reborn and didn't know he had already awakened, he had planned to clean up this building while piling up the corpses of the killed zombies in a shady spot of the building to see if there was a chance to nurture zombie grass and awaken his abilities through it.
Now, not only was he spared the trouble of these operations, but he might also harvest a mature zombie grass.
Elijah took one last look at Alexander before completely locking the unit door.
"I'll take good care of your wife for you!"
Thinking of Bella, Elijah felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
She had changed back into hot pants today, perhaps... Elijah hurried back with the zombie grass, feeling a bit impatient!
Elijah paused when he reached the third floor, looking at the bloodstains on the floor.
"It's unclear if there are people in the other units of this building. It's not a good idea to directly break in and gather supplies. But this unit is definitely empty..."
"Why not collect some supplies first? Otherwise, going out empty-handed and coming back would be a waste..."
Elijah hesitated for a moment but soon sprang into action. He set the zombie grass aside and took out a piece of wire from his pocket.
Then proceed to the house with the door closed, and shove the iron wire into the keyhole.
Elijah's lockpicking skills were learned from a cheap "master" in his previous life who specialized in lockpicking.
In the apocalypse, lockpicking was a valuable skill as brute force could easily attract zombies.
Unfortunately, he wasn't very proficient, especially since he wasn't using professional tools.
Nevertheless, after fiddling for a while, he managed to open the lock.
Instead of immediately entering, Elijah observed the surroundings. The living room was empty, devoid of any signs of life.
He deliberately tapped the door frame with the umbrella's tip, creating a sound.
"Bang! Bang!"
Faint zombie noises could be heard, not from this floor but more likely from upstairs. Elijah waited for a moment, but no zombies emerged, so he entered the house.
Rather than rushing to collect supplies, Elijah first checked every room inside and out to confirm the absence of zombies.
Many exploration teams in his previous life had met their demise because they didn't notice concealed zombies in room corners.
Elijah had learned from his mistakes. Once he confirmed the safety of the house, he closed the door and began searching for useful items.
The layout of this unit was identical to Elijah's house.
He searched the two bedrooms first, not expecting much but stumbled upon some outdoor equipment on the master bedroom balcony.
"A backpack? Hiking poles? And a portable camping stove..."
Elijah opened the backpack and found a bundle of nylon rope inside.
There were also some emergency medication for inflammation and diarrhea, a solar power bank, a flashlight, binoculars, and more.
Next, he picked up the hiking poles and tested them. They felt better than the umbrella, with sturdy shafts and metal bottoms.
With a bit of polishing, they would make good self-defense weapons.
Lastly, he took the portable camping stove, which looked like a mini gas stove with an additional compartment for installing gas canisters.
He had seen others use it before but had never tried it himself.
However, the operation seemed simple, not much different from a household gas stove.
"Now, this will solve my urgent needs! I'll take it!"
Elijah happily packed these items into the backpack, then headed to the kitchen.
He was pleasantly surprised to find that this unit not only had rice and noodles but also a string of preserved meat, two packets of instant noodles, and some dried fungus, mushrooms, and ear mushrooms.
As for the contents of the refrigerator, most of the fruits and vegetables were starting to rot, except for a bag of potatoes and some eggs.
Elijah salvaged the items in good condition, along with other condiments, filling up another large bag.
In the dining room, there were also some beverages, beer, white wine, dried fruits, and snacks, which Elijah didn't hesitate to collect.
After filling his own bag and the hiking backpack, Elijah returned with bags of rice, noodles, oil, and half a bucket of water.
Of course, he didn't forget the zombie grass.
Carrying everything, totaling around seventy to eighty pounds, Elijah didn't find it difficult at all. With a few brisk steps, he ran back to the front door of the fifth-floor apartment.
...
Meanwhile, Bella had been feeling increasingly anxious since Elijah left. Especially after hearing the commotion downstairs and the sounds of zombies.
She stood on the balcony, trying to observe, but due to the angle, she couldn't see what was happening downstairs or know how Elijah was doing.
Soon, it quieted down outside, making Bella even more restless. She kept her eyes on the door, listening intently for any possible movement.
But Elijah still hadn't returned.
"He'll be fine, surely he'll be fine!" She said silently. If something really happened to Elijah, she couldn't imagine how she would cope alone.
Bella paced nervously in the living room. It was hard to tell how much time had passed when suddenly she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The heavy, powerful sound echoed until it reached the fifth floor, where it stopped.