Cold Moon

After hanging up the phone, Howard finally devoted all his attention to the task of nurturing Miranda. Having just consumed a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork porridge, Miranda's hunger level had dropped to zero, indicating she was no longer hungry.

Yet, her small mouth remained tightly sealed around it, unwilling to let go, causing her smooth little face to bulge out. Although greedy, this little one kept her word. Her small hands were kept behind her back obediently, and even as Howard moved backward, she did not reach out to grab him. Instead, she moved her kneeling knees forward, taking two steps to ensure the food never left her mouth.

Observing Miranda, whose intimacy level had risen to 14, Howard suddenly had a bold idea. Now that she had eaten, it was the perfect time to test whether a few billion energy could once again increase their intimacy level under the condition of satiety.

He had already discovered that touching different parts would increase intimacy points differently. Although one could repeatedly touch those parts, like how Howard's hands were now clumsily kneading inside Miranda's underwear, molding those tender parts into various shapes, their intimacy level did not increase in the slightest.

"Then let me try changing it up a bit, this counts as a different part, right?" Driven by a sense of curiosity, Howard's fingers threaded through Miranda's soft, waterfall-like black hair, holding her head tightly. Then, he abruptly stood up, pressing his lower abdomen tightly against Miranda's face.

Gurgle!

A sound emanated from Miranda's throat, and her neck visibly thickened a bit.

"How about trying this?" Howard slowly withdrew, then thrust forward again, his lower abdomen continuously leaving and then pressing tightly against Miranda's pretty face. After countless repetitions, suddenly, he trembled slightly, holding Miranda's head in his hands, as if wishing to bury her into his body.

Gulp! Gulp! Miranda's throat moved a few times. It took a while before Howard finally pulled away, withdrawing from Miranda's small mouth. Being in a state between a zombie and a demi-human, Miranda didn't require much oxygen. Even if her throat was occupied for a long time, she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

However, having her head held by Howard and being force-fed made her feel both satisfied and slightly embarrassed. Even though she was full, she still glared at Howard with resentful eyes, her hair disheveled and her lips pouted, as if she had just been severely mistreated.

"Ding! Miranda's intimacy level +8, current 22! Reaching 30 points allows for a lottery draw!" Indeed, Howard's theory was correct. Eating when hungry indeed could increase intimacy, but the increase was limited. However, actively providing and adopting different methods could yield a large amount of intimacy!

"What? Not convinced?" Howard pinched Miranda's pointed chin, lifting her pretty face. She pouted and glared at him with a face full of pretend anger. It must be said, after leveling up, Howard's physical strength had improved significantly. Previously, he needed a long rest after two times, but now, just after doing it twice, the sight of her pretty face was enough to rejuvenate his strength.

The feeding tool straightened, pressing against Miranda's smooth, cool face... "Hmph!" Miranda pouted and huffed in protest. But as the delicious food swayed in front of her, her gaze was inevitably drawn to it. Thinking of the wonderful taste, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva. In the end, she compromised with the food.

Miranda extended her tongue, gently licked the feeding tool, and even nuzzled it affectionately with her face, finally giving Howard a perfunctory smile. It was as if she was saying: I forgive you only because of it!

"You forgive me? But I'm not done with you yet, still 8 points of intimacy to go, so you'll have to bear with me!"

Howard lifted Miranda up and laid her flat on the dining table. The table, just over a meter long, could only support Miranda from her shoulders to her waist, with her head tilted back, mouth open, and her black hair cascading down to the floor like a waterfall.

Her two long, white legs dangled relaxed from the other side of the table, her toes barely touching the floor. This posture accentuated her full chest and slender waist even more.

Although Miranda was a bit sulky with Howard, it was more of a playful pout. In reality, no matter how Howard treated her, she would always be obedient and never bear any resentment. "For the sake of the lottery, I'll have to inconvenience you once more!" Howard aimed for Miranda's mouth, slowly advancing, his hands slipping into her white shirt to grasp something soft...

After several minutes.

"Ding! Miranda's intimacy level +8, current 30! You may now enter the lottery!"

"Draw immediately!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the weapon: 'Cold Moon'!"

Then, a large sword with red and black patterns appeared before Howard. The entire sword radiated a chilling aura, its blade resembling a silver crescent moon, emitting bursts of cold air.

Whoosh!

Howard, wielding Cold Moon, gently chopped down on the armrest of the sofa. Swish! The sofa, covered in leather and structured with solid wood inside, was neatly cut through, its cross-section smooth and even!

"Indeed, it's a fine weapon!" Howard weighed it in his hand. The weapon was quite heavy, even for his current strength, swinging it was somewhat difficult. However, with its sharpness, plus his upgraded physique, dealing with ordinary zombies would surely be more than manageable.

"Let's go, we're setting out!" Howard, with Cold Moon slung over his shoulder, said to Miranda. "Hmm!"

Miranda, savoring the delicious taste in her mouth, obediently followed behind Howard, her face glowing with the contentment of having eaten her fill. It was already afternoon, and they had to take over the supermarket at the crossroads before nightfall.

Securing the supplies there would mean Howard no longer had to worry about food. Whether they chose to continue exploring the city to gather more food, or to stay in their room, working hard to increase their intimacy level with Miranda every day, would be entirely problem-free.

Now, on the first day of the apocalypse's outbreak, many people were busy hiding and looking for safe houses. Those daring to actively challenge the zombies were still in the minority. In a few days, once everyone had secured stable living quarters and faced with the pressure of food shortages, they would inevitably come out to fight desperately against the zombies. By then, the secret of gaining strength by killing zombies would surely be discovered.

At that point, venturing out to collect food would mean Howard's enemies might not only be zombies but also humans, who are more cunning and harder to guard against than zombies. He had to take the initiative!

Relying solely on Miranda to kill zombies was far from enough. To survive in the apocalypse, Howard also needed to possess the basic survival ability to kill zombies; otherwise, everything would be in vain.

Creak! Howard pushed the door and went out. In the dim corridor, the floor was covered in bloodstains, and a zombie's corpse lay at the entrance. The air was filled with a stench of blood, making Howard retch.

"Hmm?" Miranda gently touched Howard's back with concern.

"I'm fine, let's continue!"

Howard, suppressing his nausea, stepped over the zombie's body and headed towards the elevator.