Chapter 32: New World

7:30AM.

Ethan’s mind drifted through a fog of confusion.

The alcohol from the previous night had not completely worn off, and his throat felt dry. He tried to lift a hand to rub his temples, only to realize that his arm was trapped beneath someone.

He looked down.

His breathing stopped.

Debbie was curled up beside him, her long hair spread across the pillow. A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks. The thin sheet had slipped down to her waist, leaving the soft curve of her shoulder and the upper swell of one breast bare in the morning light.

Ethan stared at the ceiling for a moment before covering his face with one hand.

Well. I guess I was the one who got swept away.

The system’s warning immediately came to mind.

[If the host has intimate relations with a gift target, the Bonus Drop mechanism may become invalid.]

Ethan remained calm.

There were now several high-value targets around him, and his supplies were no longer as limited as before. After everything that had happened since the Apocalypse began, he had needed a moment of release. And with Debbie, things had developed naturally.

He opened the system panel and looked at her profile.

As expected, the golden prompt indicating a high return had disappeared. In its place was a line of gray text.

[Target: Debbie Miller]

[High-multiplier Bonus Drop: Invalid.]

[Base Return: 50x.]

[Cooldown: Unchanged.]

"A fifty percent chance, and I actually hit it," Ethan muttered.

He was not disappointed.

The system notification sounded again before he could think any further.

[Ding! The host has achieved deep integration with an S-Rank Healing Ability.]

[Ding! The Healing Ability possessed by Debbie Miller contains the rare energy known as Life Energy.]

[Ding! The conditions for SSS-Rank Ability Fusion have been met.]

[SSS-Rank Space Ability + SSS-Rank Earth Manipulation + SSS-Rank Metal Manipulation are beginning to fuse.]

[Fusion materials required: 100 cubic meters of soil stored in the Survival Space, five tons of metal materials, and all stored supplies.]

Ethan’s expression changed.

All stored supplies?

Before he could react, another notification appeared.

[Ding! SSS-Rank Earth Manipulation fusion complete.]

A strange sensation spread through his body. Then his connection to the earth vanished. Ethan tried to manipulate the ground beneath him, but nothing happened. He could no longer control soil or stone.

[Ding! SSS-Rank Metal Manipulation fusion complete.]

The same thing happened with metal. The familiar sensation of nearby metal disappeared completely. He could no longer sense the steel supports inside the villa or the weapons stored nearby.

Ethan’s brows drew together.

The next notification followed immediately.

[Ding! SSS-Rank Space Ability fusion complete.]

[Updated abilities:]

[One-Way Teleportation: Two uses per day. Maximum distance: 200 meters.]

[Spatial Cut: Effective range increased to 20 meters.]

[Ding! Fusion complete.]

[New function unlocked: Survival Space.]

The moment the final notification appeared, Ethan’s entire body was pulled into darkness.

He instinctively reached for his flashlight and switched it on. A narrow beam cut through the darkness. Black soil stretched beneath his feet, its surface dark and damp. He slowly turned in place, taking in his surroundings.

The space was completely enclosed. The ceiling was five meters above him, and the area covered roughly two hundred square meters.

A new system panel appeared before his eyes.

[Survival Space Attributes:]

[Area: 200 square meters.]

[Height: 5 meters.]

[Environment: Dark.]

[Oxygen: Requires external replenishment.]

[Air Storage: One storage charge provides twenty-four hours of air, equal to one person’s breathing needs for approximately one hour.]

[Functions: Basic storage. Soil can be cultivated with sufficient oxygen, light, and water.]

[Expansion Requirements:]

[Fuse two additional SSS-Rank Abilities.]

[Achieve deep integration with a gift target with whom the host has not had intimate relations.]

Ethan’s heart began to race.

A survival space. A place where they could grow food, store supplies, and hide from the horrors outside. In the middle of the Apocalypse, this could become a genuine sanctuary.

Then he noticed something missing.

The supplies he had stored inside his space were gone. The two remaining Cores had disappeared. So had the recovery items, the assault rifle, and the remaining pistol. Everything had been consumed during the fusion.

Fortunately, Ethan had always kept his sword beside the bed. That weapon had never been stored in his space, so it was still with him. There were also supplies in the villa’s basement. They had not been reduced to nothing overnight.

Ethan focused on a bottle of water stored outside the Survival Space. The bottle appeared in his hand almost instantly. He looked at it with a faint smile. Inside this space, he was in complete control.

When he thought, Out, the darkness vanished. He returned to the bed in Villa 8, still holding the bottle.

The storage function had not changed. However, bringing living beings inside was different. Anyone he tried to bring in had to be willing. If they resisted, the space would not accept them.

"Ethan?"

Debbie stirred beside him and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her gaze moved from his face to the bottle in his hand. Then she noticed the excitement in his eyes.

"What happened?"

Ethan took her hand. "Come with me."

He focused his thoughts, and the two of them disappeared from the bedroom. A moment later, they stood inside the Survival Space.

Debbie looked around in confusion. "Where are we?"

"My world."

Ethan glanced at her. The flashlight illuminated her pale skin and the loose strands of hair framing her face. Debbie’s cheeks quickly turned red.

"Ethan..."

He smiled and reached for her hand. "Come on. Let’s see what this place can do."

Perhaps because their Abilities had undergone deep integration, Debbie’s Healing Ability reacted differently inside the Survival Space. A warm current of Life Energy flowed from her body into his. The lingering effects of the alcohol vanished instantly. The fatigue that had built up over the past several days disappeared as well, leaving Ethan feeling stronger and more alert than he had in a long time.

He laughed softly. "Debbie, you really do know how to surprise me."

Before he could say anything else, the villa suddenly shook. A picture frame crashed from the wall. From outside the room came Daisy’s frightened voice.

"Ethan! Debbie! Come out quickly!"

Her voice trembled. "Mutant vipers are pouring out of Villa 18! There are thousands of them!"

Ethan’s expression changed. He immediately pulled Debbie back into the bedroom. They quickly threw on the clothes that were scattered all over the room before rushing toward the surveillance monitors in the basement.

The scene on the screens made Ethan’s pupils contract.

Thousands of Mutant Vipers were pouring through the doors and windows of Villa 18. Their dark scales reflected the light with a metallic sheen. Each snake was nearly three meters long, with long fangs that glowed an eerie blue. They flooded into the streets like a living black tide.

Any ordinary zombie caught in their path was stripped to the bone within seconds. Even the tougher zombies were overwhelmed. A dozen vipers could bring one down and devour it until nothing remained but a skeleton.

Ethan stared at the screen. Then realization struck him.

"Max’s bone flute must have disturbed the snake nest beneath Villa 18." He remembered the tremors from several nights earlier. "That explains the movement underground."

Daisy rushed into the basement, her face drained of color. For a split second her eyes flicked to the dark marks on her sister’s neck, but she brushed the thought aside immediately. Now was not the time.

"They’re spreading everywhere! They’ve already reached the perimeter wall!" She pointed toward the monitor. "Their scales are grinding through the steel!"

On the screen, the vipers twisted around the alloy wall. Their scales scraped against the metal, sending sparks into the air. Tiny cracks had already appeared across several sections.

Ethan made his decision immediately.

"Everyone, pack your essentials. Meet in the first-floor hall. We’re leaving now."

He moved quickly. First he collected the water and supplies stored around the basement swimming pool and transferred them into the Survival Space. Then he went to the second basement level and stored the generator, fuel drums, and remaining supplies. After that, he returned to the first-floor hall.

The four women had already gathered their belongings. Ethan swept everything into the Survival Space.

"Everyone, hold hands. Don’t let go."

Debbie, Daisy, Rose, and Sofia quickly linked hands. Nina clung tightly to Debbie. Ethan focused his mind.

The five of them disappeared.

A powerful wave of dizziness struck him. Bringing so many people into the Survival Space at once had clearly placed a heavy burden on him.

Inside the space, darkness swallowed the women. Debbie reacted quickly and switched on the flashlight. The beam revealed their frightened faces and the damp soil beneath their feet.

Rose slowly crouched and touched the ground. "What is this place?" She looked toward a small puddle nearby, her expression filled with disbelief.

Outside, Ethan used his two One-Way Teleportation charges one after another. Each jump carried him closer to the main gate of the villa district. By the time he arrived, the entire area had been overwhelmed by the Viper Swarm.

The streets, villas, and walls were covered in writhing bodies. Even the Winged Zombie on the roof of Villa 9 had been caught. Several vipers were wrapped around her wings and body as she struggled violently to break free.

Ethan stared at the scene. "That’s insane..."

The repeated teleportations had worsened his dizziness. His vision blurred, and he stumbled into the guardhouse. He immediately entered the Survival Space.

Debbie hurried toward him. "Ethan!"

"I’m fine," he said, though his face was pale. He found her in the darkness and pulled her aside. "The air in here won’t last long. Maybe ten minutes with all of us breathing at once. We need to find a new base as soon as possible."

He turned off the flashlight to conserve its battery. Then he swallowed several mouthfuls of Healing Essence. The dizziness gradually eased.

In the darkness, everyone’s breathing sounded unusually loud.

Rose finally broke the silence. "Ethan... this space..."

"My Space Ability evolved last night," Ethan explained while recovering. "From now on, this will be our mobile fortress."

Rose ran her fingers through the soil. "If we have soil and water, then all we need is a light source. We could grow food here."

Ethan nodded. "Exactly." He took a slow breath. "I’ll recover for a little while. Then we’ll leave and find somewhere secure to settle down."

As he felt Debbie’s warm body beside him, Ethan’s thoughts settled. This unexpected Survival Space could become a sanctuary in the middle of the Apocalypse. But to complete it, he needed more high-value gift targets, more Cores, and more SSS-Rank Abilities. He also needed to be careful with his relationships with Daisy and the mother-daughter pair, Rose and Sofia.

Outside, the ground around Villa 18 continued to tremble. The hissing of the Vipers rolled through the villa district like a death sentence.

They had to leave this place before it became their grave.