5 Ambition, Neighbors Hoard Food, I Hoard Guns

Of course, before moving in, it was essential to stock up on basic supplies. Noah asked Xue Qingyu to stay in the villa to organize any usable items, and then he took Liu Xiaoyu to other residences to gather supplies. At the same time, he planned to clear out the zombies in the neighborhood and, incidentally, train Liu Xiaoyu's abilities.

Liu Xiaoyu had a D-grade strength amplification ability, which didn't have high growth potential for the future. However, it was very practical for early use, serving well as a labor tool. At least, Liu Xiaoyu's ability was simple and direct to use, unlike Xue Qingyu's lightning ability, which required some time to master.

Liu Xiaoyu was naturally happy with Noah's arrangement. She wasn't afraid of being treated as a workhorse by Noah; her real fear was being kicked aside by him in this vast apocalypse without anyone to rely on. Besides, as an awakened being with a strength-type ability, she was incredibly strong, making her perfectly suited for physical tasks.

Choosing a baseball bat as her weapon, Liu Xiaoyu found it very effective. With each swing, she would burst zombie heads open, creating a scene of bloody violence. Noah followed leisurely behind, offering occasional guidance while helping Liu Xiaoyu with her ability usage questions.

Learning that she was an awakened being made Liu Xiaoyu ecstatic, laughing uproariously. "I'm an awakened being, no wonder I've gotten so strong, haha..."

Noah shook his head helplessly, not wanting to crush her confidence. Her ability and certain physical attributes were both D-grade, with not much room for growth. Things were manageable now, but in a few days, once the zombies evolved, her strength amplification, useful only for close combat, might not even match up to an elite monster.

"Is Qingyu also an awakened being?" Liu Xiaoyu asked curiously.

"Yes, lightning ability."

Hearing this, Liu Xiaoyu's eyes sparkled. "Wow, that sounds so impressive."

Noah agreed with this sentiment. Lightning abilities are indeed impressive. Being able to generate and control electricity, targeting precisely, with both speed and destructive power among the top in the realm of abilities.

Moreover, lightning abilities receive a buff during stormy weather, allowing the wielder to harness certain aspects of the lightning for their use. Utilizing the power of the heavens, it would be surprising if it wasn't strong. Fortunately, he now possessed this ability as well, which was highly desirable.

Noah thought for a moment and then tried to harness the power of lightning within his body, aiming at a nearby zombie. A spark of electricity danced at his fingertips, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced through the zombie's chest, leaving a charred hole.

"My aim was off."

He had intended to hit the zombie's head but missed, hitting the chest instead. It seemed he would need some practice. Noah also noticed that using the lightning ability seemed to increase its proficiency slightly.

In the first apocalypse, individuals themselves couldn't level up; only abilities could, and leveling up abilities was straightforward. Using an ability would increase its proficiency, and once it reached a certain threshold, it would automatically level up until it reached its maximum level. Thus, the grade of an ability was crucial in the first apocalypse.

After checking his skill panel, he indeed noticed some changes:

[Strength Amplification D: 1/5 Proficiency: 80%]

[Lightning Control S: 1/25 Proficiency: 1%]

[Plunder Infinite Unique: 1/??? Proficiency: 20%]

The proficiency of all three abilities had improved to varying degrees. The strength amplification was closest to leveling up, indicating that its maximum level was 5, while lightning control could reach up to level 25.

Using an ability would enhance its proficiency. As for the Plunder ability, it was still a mystery, but he surmised it could also level up, though its maximum level was unknown.

The gap between ability grades was also evident. Leaving Plunder aside and comparing lightning control with strength amplification, the initial power of strength amplification was far inferior to that of lightning control. In terms of growth potential, there was no comparison; one capped at level 5, and the other at level 25, showcasing a stark difference in potential just from the numbers alone.

Noah couldn't help but cast a sympathetic glance at Liu Xiaoyu. It's true what they say, comparisons can really kill morale, and even among the awakened, disparities exist. Fortunately, he was a special case.

Liu Xiaoyu, oblivious to the pity in Noah's gaze, looked at him with her mouth agape. "Noah, you... you can produce electricity, are you also a lightning ability user?"

"Sort of," Noah replied nonchalantly.

"But... I saw you're also very strong. I thought you had a strength amplification ability like me."

"Yes, I do have that ability as well."

Liu Xiaoyu: "..."

"Typical Noah," she said with a sweet smile, not probing any further. The stronger Noah was, the happier she felt. This is the basic self-awareness of someone clinging to a strong ally; the stronger the ally, the safer she felt.

After spending half the day busy in the community, they managed to clear out the zombies and gather a substantial amount of supplies. When they returned to their base, Noah walked ahead with his hands in his pockets, while Liu Xiaoyu followed, carrying hundreds of pounds of items. The supplies almost engulfed her petite frame, leaving only her big, watery eyes visible.

Xue Qingyu had also organized the supplies inside the base and cleaned every room, giving their temporary base a touch of home.

After a preliminary tally of the supplies, they found they had nine and a half barrels of vegetable oil, over three hundred pounds of rice and flour, thirteen cases of drinks and juice, 629 bottles of white and red wine, over sixty pounds of vegetables and fresh produce, more than forty pounds of fresh meat, over twenty cases of canned goods (though these were all pet food for cats and dogs), about six boxes of seasonings like soy sauce, MSG, oyster sauce, and iodized salt, two bags of assorted snacks and small eats, two bags of dried abalone, bird's nest, and sea cucumber, and four large bags of various medicines and herbs.

These supplies were more than enough for the three of them to comfortably survive for two months. But it's worth noting, this was the collective haul from over twenty luxury homes covering more than half the neighborhood.

This is the disadvantage of living in an affluent area; the stockpile of consumable supplies is pitifully low. The total amount of consumable goods in the entire affluent area might not even compare to what's found in a single building in a regular neighborhood.

The affluent, living close to commercial streets, often dine out, and even when cooking at home, they prioritize quality over quantity, thus not storing much food, except for pet food...

However, the area is well-stocked with drinks, boasting a total of 629 bottles of expensive wines and spirits, including some rare and collectible vintages worth thousands of dollars per bottle. In a few months, the value of these hundreds of bottles of alcohol will skyrocket.

There are also many precious medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, deer antler, and various other types of animal penises... These are the favorites of successful middle-aged businessmen and would be highly prized by the leaders of major forces after the apocalypse, also commanding high prices.

After organizing the supplies, everything was categorized and preserved as necessary. After a day of hard work, the two girls were exhausted and hungry, with their stomachs growling. They then started to busily prepare food in the kitchen.

Noah went up to the spacious balcony on the third floor, lazily reclining on a lounge chair, occasionally sipping juice as the setting sun cast a dim light. For a moment, Noah couldn't help but reflect. In his previous life at this time, he and Su Xiaoyan would have been shivering in a drainage pipe, far from being able to relax and enjoy the sun like this.

For now, he didn't want to venture outside in search of supplies. Although the early stages of the apocalypse are the best time to hoard food, the problems are apparent. Where to store so much food? It wasn't feasible to bring it all back to this temporary base.

Transportation alone would be a significant issue, not to mention storage and management, and it would be even more troublesome if they had to move bases later.

The next primary goal was to find other awakened beings and replicate their abilities. As for food, others would hoard it too. Let the neighbors hoard food while I hoard weapons; my neighbors will be my granary.