NOVEL WEB Chapter 11: The Unexpected Commodity
Lucas swung his axe in a brutal arc, decapitating the first zombie before reversing momentum to smash the second's skull upward through its jaw. Two kills in one second.
The remaining twelve fell just as quickly—lured, isolated, and executed with clinical precision.
LOOT ALERT:
[Energy Core x8][Car Keys x2][Colt Revolver + 15 Rounds][Bio-Comp x40][Police Baton x2][Handcuffs w/ Keys][Radio x2][Clean Officer Uniform][Sterile Fabric x20]
His storage ring groaned at capacity.
Priorities.
He holstered the revolver (freeing one slot) and clicked the first car key. A red sedan nearby chirped in response.
[System Alert]:
"Storage Ring Tier 1 insufficient for vehicle collection. Upgrade requires:"
0/10 Storage Fragments5 Energy Cores
Lucas's fingers brushed his pistol grip. So survivors could loot each other's rings...
The sedan's interior yielded only toilet paper—three bulk packs. Useless?
Not entirely.
[Trading Post - Lucas's Listings]
2x Toilet Paper → Keys/Food/Water/Cores/Fragments
Instant success.
[System]: Trade completed! 2x Toilet Paper → 1x Key
[System]: Trade completed! 2x Toilet Paper → 1x Bloodied Keycard
Sixty more segments listed. The ultimate supply-and-demand play.
The second key activated a police cruiser—but movement flickered beside it. A child-sized zombie in bloodied ballet shoes lurked nearby.
Lucas froze.
One silent approach. One perfect axe strike.
[System]: +1 Energy Core, +1 Bio-Comp
The revolver's weight at his hip was comforting. But the real lesson?
Even toilet paper had value when civilization collapsed.