The villa area

Waldo didn't realize the ambiguity in his words and continued, "I'll be honest with you, this time I plan to head to the suburbs. The population density there is lower compared to the city. I know there's a villa area where the population density is even lower, especially in those wealthy neighborhoods. Naturally, there won't be as many zombies. So, finding a villa there as a long-term safe refuge would improve our living conditions significantly. At least it would be much better than the small supermarket."

Alanna pouted and muttered, "The living conditions now aren't much better anyway."

Waldo sighed with a wry smile. "We're striving for a better life. Alright, no more complaining. Let's have breakfast and then set off."

They proceeded cautiously, finding a safe place to rest at night. The next morning, Waldo checked his emails as usual. But his expression suddenly turned unpleasant.

"Damn it, is the system playing with me?" Waldo looked at the extra cotton in his backpack, his face filled with frustration. "What use is cotton? It's even more useless than useless. Do they expect me to wrap it around a corpse when I die?" Waldo wondered.

"What's wrong?" Alanna, who had just woken up, asked curiously, seeing the change in Waldo's expression.

Waldo shook his head. "The system gave me cotton. It may be an unlimited resource, but honestly, it's more disappointing than disappointing. I suspect the system has a twisted sense of humor and deliberately gives me these useless things. It's disgusting and even placed it on top of my backpack."

Alanna shrugged. "It's nothing."

Waldo shook his head and didn't dwell on the matter. However, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had hoped for some medical supplies, especially with a doctor like Alanna by his side.

Having some medical alcohol or similarly precious supplies would provide great security for survival in the apocalypse.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the distant sound of thunder accompanied the occasional gust of wind, hinting at the arrival of severe weather. The oppressive feeling brought by the dark clouds made Waldo more vigilant than ever.

After all, he and Alanna were heading to the villa area, and no one knew how many zombies or malicious individuals they might encounter.

Alanna followed behind Waldo, looking at the dark clouds in the sky and expressing her concern. "Waldo, it looks like it's going to rain. Do we have an umbrella? In this environment, if we catch a cold, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Waldo held a handgun in his hand, leading the way. Upon hearing Alanna's words, he stopped and turned to her. "We don't have an umbrella, but if you're worried about catching a cold, that's perfect. I have an ample supply of cold medicine. Enough for everyone."

Alanna let out a soft sound of understanding and explained, "Hmph, I'm healthy and not afraid of catching a cold! I'm just worried that if the whole team falls sick, I'll be the only one left worrying while the zombies wipe us out."

Waldo felt a warm feeling in his heart upon hearing Alanna's concerned words, but he couldn't help but find her contradictory. He jokingly said, "Don't worry. Dr. Alanna, since you're the nurse, just let me suck on your breast, and I'll recover."

Waldo finished speaking and continued walking ahead. Alanna blushed upon hearing Waldo's teasing words. As she saw Waldo getting farther away, she didn't dare linger and stomped her foot in frustration before hurrying to catch up.

Finally, nearing the villa area,

Waldo and Alanna took shelter in an observation tower not far away. Waldo held binoculars and observed the situation in the villa area.

After a long time, Waldo slowly put down the binoculars and fell silent. Alanna, seeing the furrowed brow on Waldo's face, hesitated to interrupt but eventually couldn't hold back and spoke up, "Waldo, is the situation in the villa area really bad?"

Waldo snapped out of his thoughts and realized Alanna was sitting beside him, her eyes filled with concern. He patted her hand reassuringly and said, "It's okay, it's just different from the previous intel. There are actually quite a few zombies here, even a bit more than expected. But they're not too difficult to handle, just need some planning. I'm thinking about how to set things up."

Alanna spoke earnestly, "Waldo, if the villa area is really too dangerous, we don't have to go there right away. We can find another safe shelter first and come back later when we are better equipped."

Waldo chuckled, "When have you ever seen me recklessly charge into zombies? When I said I'll take you to live in a villa, I meant it. I won't deceive you."

But you, don't let me down again. Adapt to survival in the apocalypse as quickly as possible. Even if there comes a day when I'm not around, I hope you can take care of yourself.

Alanna heard Waldo's words and quickly interjected, "Phew, don't say unlucky things!"

But then she muttered, pouting, "I know I let you down, but I'm really scared when I see zombies."

Waldo looked at Alanna, feeling a bit soft-hearted. "I understand. It's natural for a girl to be scared when encountering zombies and such. But Alanna, this is not a game. If you die, you're really dead. As your teammate, I want you to live well and be someone I can rely on. This is the last time I'll say these things. From now on, it's up to you."

Waldo gently touched Alanna's head and said nothing more.

Alanna didn't like others touching her head, but Waldo's words stirred up complex emotions within her, so she allowed him to stroke her hair, feeling like a docile cat.

Waldo spotted the most luxurious villa in the area, attracted by its north-south facing position and its location by the lake. It was a beautiful sight, even in a world of post-apocalyptic survival. If conditions allowed, no one wanted to live in a poor environment.

Waldo made a trade on the trading platform, obtaining some Molotov cocktails and two hand grenades for dealing with zombies. Additionally, he purchased a crossbow and arrows for Alanna's self-defense.

"Dr. Alanna, when we enter the villa area later, you must stay close to me and follow my commands. I'm giving you this crossbow for self-defense, but don't shoot zombies randomly and attract attention. Now, go and practice with it," Waldo instructed.

Alanna took the crossbow with a determined look and said, "Waldo, you can rest assured, I won't slow you down!"

"Good, I believe in you. Let me teach you how to use the crossbow," Waldo replied.

They spent some time together as Waldo taught Alanna how to use the crossbow. Once he was sure that Alanna had some self-defense ability, he finally felt relieved.