The Bloodstained Diary

Henry was completely oblivious to the fact that the chat channel had exploded because of his casual actions. After hooking up the generator, he leisurely slipped into his slippers and strolled back to his bedroom. Unaware, he and his room had become the focus of attention across the entire channel. He walked to his wardrobe and opened it. Inside were several sets of sports outfits he had made, all the same style, along with a few sets of silk pajamas.

Henry changed into a set of pajamas and then casually appeared again at the window. 

"Holy shit, I see him, but he's too far to make out clearly!" 

"Am I seeing things, or did the boss just change from a sports outfit into satin pajamas?" 

"Is he that capricious, having special pajamas just for sleeping?" 

"I've been wearing the same clothes for three days now, they stink so bad I can't stand myself!" 

"I've worn that kind of satin clothing before, it's incredibly light and clings to the body, feels like wearing nothing at all, so comfortable! Ah, I really want to wear it again!"

"What are we even doing discussing this now? We should be thinking about what to eat tomorrow!"

While everyone was discussing, Henry in his pajamas disappeared from the window again. He had just handled the diesel generator and ended up smelling of diesel. Henry headed to the bathroom to shower again. Building 8, being the most luxurious in the high-end neighborhood, had its own water pump. Plus, the water utility's pumps had a backup power system, ensuring water delivery to various complexes. However, reaching the higher floors still required the pump's assistance. Luckily, Henry had both, allowing him access to water.

Drying his wet hair, Henry walked back to the window. Seeing this, the chat channel erupted once more.

"Holy shit, there's still water during a power outage? But what's even more outrageous, isn't all the water contaminated? Can you actually use it to wash?"

"Yeah, I once used tap water to wash my face and ended up with folliculitis, my face swelled up like a pig's head!"

"Man, you're brave. Can't you see that water is reddish-brown? And you still dare to wash with it?"

"I saw someone drinking urine before, what's this in comparison? When you're desperate, what wouldn't you do?"

"But this guy looks fine after bathing, otherwise his skin would have turned red already!"

"Could it be that he's bathing in purified water?"

"I can't stand this, I can't even drink clean water, and he's using it to bathe?"

"This is insane, completely insane!"

"If it weren't so dark and hard to see where he is, this guy would probably be robbed by a crowd tomorrow!"

"Rob him? With so many zombies out there, you'd have to get out the door first!"

"And with all that food and water, are you sure you could even rob him?"

"His profile, it looks a lot like that truck driver I saw during the day, could it be the same person?"

"It's very likely... A person of such strength, probably already at the human limit!"

"Jeez... Scary to think, he's rich and powerful... how's anyone supposed to compete with that... I'm jealous!"

"Envious indeed!"

...

Henry wiped his hair by the window. Only then did he realize he hadn't drawn the curtains! He pressed a switch gently, closing the curtains, cutting off his live audience. Afterwards, he started to check the items in his storage ring. Some non-urgent, miscellaneous little items he just stored away in the room.

Those resources like wood, gasoline, diesel, and Energy Cores, which are more important and take up more space, will continue to be stored in the storage ring. During the cleanup process, Henry noticed two items.

One was a [Bloodstained Diary], which Clarissa had traded with him during their first exchange of goods. This diary could help him better understand the world and the monsters within it. Henry took the diary out and placed it on the table. It was just past 7 PM, still some time before bed. He could read it before sleeping.

Another item was the [Basic Constitution Potion]. This was the potion he had found in a Level 1 supply box when he first entered this world. At that time, he was of ordinary constitution, and thanks to this potion, his combat abilities had significantly improved.

Now, many days into the apocalypse, most survivors capable of venturing out had upgraded to a much stronger status. Those who couldn't even kill zombies lacked the resources to trade for this potion, leading to its depreciation over time. Initially a rare item, its value had steadily decreased.

Now, it was practically useless. High-level survivors didn't need it, and low-level survivors couldn't afford it. This item... it wouldn't sell for much now... maybe...

Henry clicked on Clarissa's chat message: "Are you there?"

Less than a second after sending the message, he received a reply: "Yes, I'm here! Did you just get home?!"

Clarissa almost instantly replied. It seemed she had been waiting beside the chat channel, hoping for a message from Henry.

"I was so worried, with the power outage and all the darkness everywhere!"

"I was scared just now, thinking if you got delayed on the road, it would be dangerous!"

"But thank God, you finally made it home!"

"Yeah... I've been home for a while..."

"Sorry for only messaging you now..."

Seeing Clarissa's eager response, Henry felt a bit sheepish.

"It's nothing, I'm glad you made it home safely!"

"The world is becoming increasingly hostile, I'm better off not venturing out."

"You go out often, you must be careful!"

"Otherwise... I would worry!"

Clarissa looked at her last sentence and felt it was too straightforward. She quickly deleted it and sent a new message: "Otherwise... if something happened to you, other people would ask me for bows and arrows, what would I give them?!"

Henry smiled slightly, suddenly finding Clarissa a bit silly and quite adorable.

"By the way, these are for you!" Henry initiated a trade with Clarissa. He then placed [Basic Constitution Potion]*1, [Beef Cans]*1, [Purified Water]*1, [Sanitary Pads]*10, [Women's Sportswear]*1 in the trade window and clicked lock.