Lin Long composed himself after his initial surprise.

"Sit!" Lin Long pointed to his bed.

It was a bit of a pickle for him. As a single man's rental, his room was not particularly prepared for a female guest. Lin Long was generally tidy, the place wasn't in total disorder, but as for places to sit, only the bed was available.

Su Mei didn't seem to mind; she promptly sat on Lin Long's bed, crossing her legs dressed in black leggings. It was undoubtedly a tantalizing sight.

As Su Mei was entirely subject to Lin Long's control, with complete loyalty to him, there were certain thoughts that entered his mind.

If he pushed her onto the bed... she would probably not resist. She might even, comply?

Lin Long sneaked a few glances but quickly averted his gaze, regaining his composure.

Such a beautiful, mature, and intelligent woman was lethally attractive to any man.

Lin Long recalled Su Mei's appearance in the apocalypse to calm his stirring thoughts. The sight of Su Mei's decaying form in the apocalypse quickly dissipated any impure thoughts from Lin Long’s mind.

Who would be interested in a walking corpse? Definitely not Lin Long.

“Thank you, boss!” Su Mei responded with a light laugh. Lin Long was no longer agitated; her melodic voice failed to distract him.

“Are your memories intact?” Lin Long asked. It was crucial for him to understand more about Su Mei.

“Boss, all my memories have been restored," Su Mei began, "After the real human effects are loaded, I'm essentially between a zombie and a human. I have acute senses, but my pain nerves are weakened. My healing ability is considerably superior to a human's. I have an extraordinary vitality, though I can die. Due to my altered genetic structure, I am less likely to fall ill and will have a longer lifespan. Additionally, my strength matches that of a mature man."

Su Mei succinctly explained her condition, but this information was enough to shock Lin Long.

Su Mei, who had been brought from the apocalypse, was revolutionary in human eyes. Her current body was exactly what human genetics and medicine aspired to achieve.

Oh boy! If the outside world found out, wouldn't it trigger madness? They might even resort to dissection experiments on Su Mei. Thankfully this would all remain a secret, as long as Lin Long did not disclose it.

Nevertheless, Lin Long felt a mild headache.

Since she had now become human, she would need to eat and have a place to live.

“Regarding your identity?”

That's what Lin Long was truly concerned about. After all, Su Mei couldn't just be with him without any valid identification?

Su Mei reassured, “Don't worry, boss. The system has resolved the matter of my identity. My existence can be traced back throughout my life."

With everything that had previously happened, somehow, this seemed natural to Lin Long. Given the miracle of her transformation, the implementation of a valid identity profile did not appear entirely far-fetched.

Lin Long nodded.

"You sit here for a while." He decided to allow her to stay here temporarily. However, he knew he needed to secure a new residence. The current rental was no longer suitable.

Now there was Su Mei, and perhaps in the future, there would be others.

Su Mei nodded in acknowledgment. She possessed complete memories, making her an absolute standard human in terms of memory. She had her own character and thoughts, but everything about her was under the control of Lin Long, an incredible power that made her incredibly loyal. Even if she had to die for Lin Long, she wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

Lin Long didn't pay much attention to Su Mei. He extracted the gold jewelry from his storage space and embarked on his task of melting the gold.

This time, there was a lot of gold. Starting from noon until evening, he worked for six and a half hours before finally completing his task. The daytime window had already darkened.

Lin Long felt somewhat hungry.

This time, there were 62000 grams of gold. Dozens of pieces of shiny gold in front of him provided quite a visual impact. Over two hundred small gold chunks, each one measuring between 300 to 400 grams.

Melting them into small chunks made it easier for selling. Lin Long felt somewhat excited. So much gold, going by the market price, was worth over twenty-five million yuan. Even if he sold it at a lower price, he would still get over eighteen million yuan.

This income was almost ten-fold compared to the two million he had earned the first time.

Lin Long poured himself a glass of water and gulped down two glasses to calm himself.

Roll back to just ten days ago, Lin Long was but an ordinary person but now he possessed such wealth. After calming down, he threw all the gold chunks into the storage space.

By now, Lin Long realized the convenience of the storage space. He could simply put items into it when not in use and take them out whenever needed. This storage system appended to the zombie manufacturing system seemed to have no restrictions. Its capacity was unlimited, which was incredibly impressive. It could contain almost anything - the possibilities were limitless.

The more Lin Long explored the zombie manufacturing system, the more amazed he was because its capabilities were absolutely extraordinary. With such a storage system, the possibilities were endless.

After tidying up the room a bit, he spoke to Su Mei, “Let's go, I'll introduce you to the delicacies of Earth.”

Lin Long laughed. He now treated Su Mei without any inhibitions, not considering her as an ordinary woman.

So, after taking a shower and changing his clothes, he went out with Su Mei. It was the peak of the work dismissal time. There were people coming and going near the rental. Many were rushing back home to make dinner.

When Lin Long emerged onto the staircase with Su Mei, passersby couldn't help but stare in disbelief.

"Isn't she extraordinarily beautiful?"

"Wow, she has such a strong aura."

"Is she the girlfriend of that guy from the fifth floor?"

"Did she come here to flirt?"

Various speculations surfaced from the people they encountered along. For these modest workers, a woman as beautiful and with such a powerful aura like Su Mei was far out of their league. Su Mei appeared like a character plucked out from the movies or a TV show, too surreal to believe.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Anyhow, Lin Long was unfazed. With a courteous smile, he passed by each person nearby. Everyone living in this region was only an acquaintance known by face, not much more.

Having left the worn-out neighborhood, he asked Su Mei, "Do you mind dining here?" pointing towards a nearby outdoor diner. She gave her approval with a shake of her head as they took a seat at it.

Having placed an order for two servings of fried noodles, Lin Long began indulging himself once the food arrived.

"Can’t believe, a guy that has such an extraordinarily beautiful and noble girlfriend chose to bring her here for fried noodles. Isn't he afraid of the heavens striking him down?"

"Is this guy a die-hard?”

"My heart aches seeing this, why does such a regular guy have such an attractive girlfriend?"

Each person renowned for their culinary skills felt emotionally struck. A woman, so beautiful and with a strong presence that clearly belonged to the elite class, was here having a meal of fried noodles with an ordinary man.

What charm did this man possess that made this woman lower her standards?

Each person's glance inevitably fell on Lin Long.

Feeling the malicious glances from everyone all around, Lin Long realized he had miscalculated by bringing Su Mei to such a public place.

Gulping down his food, Lin Long paid the bill via a scan and then left with Su Mei.

"You go back and wait for me at the rental. I have to handle the gold situation," Lin Long handed the keys to Su Mei.

Su Mei looked at him, blinking her eyes and said, "Okay," without asking any further questions.

Watching Su Mei walk away, Lin Long breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Su Mei was under his command, the aura she emitted was too powerful, potentially overwhelming not just ordinary people but also those from the elite class.

After seeing her off, he rented a shared bicycle and followed the same procedure as before to sell the gold.

The volume of gold seemed large, but Lin Long considered that the Haidong City he resided in was a first-tier metropolis. Not to mention tens of millions of gold, even billions wouldn't cause a ripple.

With the zombie manufacturing system boosting his confidence, he was emboldened to sell off the gold.

He would sell multiple pieces of gold to larger gold recovery shops with greater handling capacity, and only one or two pieces to smaller ones.

Between the numerous streets and alleys of Haidong City lay countless gold recovery stores. As sellers, no one was keen to ask too many questions since their work essentially dealt with under-the-table transactions.

The price fetched after selling all the gold was 17.36 million yuan.

Finished with divesting the gold, Lin Long sat in a late-night food stall, his hand slightly trembling at the windfall he had earned.

Upon his return to the rental, Lin Long was greeted by the scent of freshly showered Su Mei. Although she was still wearing the same clothes, it was evident that she had taken a bath.

At the moment, she was comfortably slouched on the bed, engrossed in a magazine. As soon as she noticed Lin Long's entry, she sprang up from her place.

"I'm going to take a shower, after that, I'll find you a separate place to stay," Lin Long told Su Mei. It wouldn’t be practical for the two of them to cramp up on a single bed.

Su Mei nodded, her stoic expression betrayed by her gleaming, impish eyes.

There were plenty of hotels surrounding the neighborhood, and with Su Mei having identification, getting a room was not a concern.

However, the desk clerk at the hotel was left curious. The man was ordinary, but the aura the woman gave off was anything but. They had booked a room together?

The clerks couldn't help but wonder how a woman of such distinctive traits and beauty would be with such an ordinary man.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll come to pick you up,” Lin Long communicated to Su Mei, dismissing the puzzled look the hotel staff had given him and quickly withdrew.

Sporting a crescent-shaped smile, Su Mei, in her high heels, headed towards the hotel elevator.

Back in the rental, traces of Su Mei’s scent still dawdled, leading Lin Long to shake his head, "This predicament!" Her lingering scent teased his dormant desires.

Checking his WeChat, he scrolled through the private colleague group. Since his resignation, he had left the formal company group. In this intimate group, there were numerous unread messages, accounting for more than 999+.

As he skimmed through, he noticed his name appearing frequently. The colleagues in the group were all individuals he was somewhat familiar with.

"Lin Long, this guy resigned for some unknown reasons."

"He took a trip home and then quit his job."

"Lu Yao, you are close with Lin Long, do you know anything?"

"Right, Lu Yao, Lin Long was always at your call. Any news on him?”

"Stop the gossip, guys. Lin Long and I are straightforward colleagues. How would I know why he quit? You should ask Li Ying. Also, please don't ask me about Lin Long in the future. If my boyfriend sees this, he'll be upset."

These words of Lu Yao left Lin Long's narrowed eyes deep in thought. She seemed to have clarified everything, suggesting that he might have misinterpreted their connection. Thinking back, ever since he had resigned, Lu Yao hadn't reached out to him.

This was entirely different from how things had been previously. Surely she had a boyfriend now? Fancy that!

An ironic smile made its way onto Lin Long's face. Once, his colleagues would often link him with Lu Yao, owing to their close proximities at work. However, since his resignation, she hadn't reached out to him even once. The news of her having a boyfriend now was a bit surprising but didn't bother him in the least.

A smile played on Lin Long's lips. It seemed that to Lu Yao, he had merely been a backup option all along. No wonder she would always call on him for favors at the office and never accepted his invitations to go out. Now that he had left the company and was of no use to her, she immediately claimed to have a boyfriend? Whether true or false, Lin Long couldn’t help but feel a begrudging sting of resentment in his heart.

Continuing his scrolling, the group's chatter eventually shifted to their company affairs.

"Have you heard? The software we've been developing at Tianfang Company has encountered an issue. We're seeking help from other corporations and offering a reward of 10 million yuan to whoever can solve the problem."

"Our company has also registered to try and resolve it. We're hoping to take down this reward."

"That won’t happen. Our little third-rate company can only join for the spectacle."

"Tianfang is a top-tier software company in Haidong City. If they can’t solve the bug, what hopes do other companies have?"

"Well, there might be chances still. Many other corporations also have capable individuals."

"Ten million, just to fix a bug."

"If we only had the capability to fix it. That 10 million could guarantee a comfortable life."

Debate ran rampant among them. Ten million for a bug was no trifling matter. Some bugs can even go up to hundreds of millions, as long as you're able to fix them. Factors like the complexity of the bug, the software system's value, and market position, play a pivotal role in determining how much a bug could be worth.

Lin Long rubbed his chin, pondering. With that kind of money, many lives could be revolutionized. He had risked life and limb, battling danger and fatigue for several days only to earn a little over ten million. However, for some individuals, this bug signified easy money.

Knowledge equates to money - the equation held true.

"Su Mei is a top-level AI expert," Lin Long mused, "Given her expertise, she might stand a chance to resolve this issue." With Tianfang being one of the top-tier companies in Haidong City, news of their issue would have already created a stir in the industry.

Following a sudden inspiration, he logged onto a forum called "Coders' Home" on his phone. Regarded as a paradise for coders, this was the melting pot of numerous prodigies. Strictly speaking, it was a haven for intellectual pursuit. Any problem could be posted here with a reward, awaiting solutions.

The issue posed by Tianfang should've been offered as a bounty here. Lin Long, although just an ordinary employee, was a registered and active participant of this site. As expected, upon logging in, he found Tianfang's bounty posted on the rewards section. The post had already gained quite a lot of attention and was pinned to the top.

Lin Long scanned the post. Tianfang Company had taken a major order to create a program. Everything was going smooth until five days before the due delivery date, a major bug was detected.

This bug could trigger a program crash. For any program operating larger automated machinery, such a crash could lead to catastrophic losses, compromising safety. Having failed to rectify the bug after two days, and with the delivery deadline fast approaching, Tianfang Company had resorted to posting a reward. Almost every capable software company in Haidong City had registered their bid.

The post didn't elaborate on the specifics of the bug, offering only a brief description. As Lin Long read these lines, he could not make head or tail of it.

Despite it being past midnight, he decided to call Su Mei. It only took three seconds for her to answer.

“Yes, boss. How may I assist you?” came Su Mei’s voice.

“I'm sending you a link. Check out if you can resolve this situation.” Lin Long instructed.

A major sum of 10 million was at stake, so of course, Lin Long was highly invested. At this beginning phase, money was crucial. He did not want to let any potential earning opportunity slip through his fingers.

“Okay!” Su Mei promptly agreed.

After hanging up, Lin Long sent her the link. In less than two minutes, she called him back, stating in a confident and nonchalant tone, "Boss, it's manageable."

"Fantastic!" Lin Long could not contain his pleasure. It was indeed worthy of a top-level AI expert. Such individuals were indeed an all-around talent in the field of computing.

“All right, have a good rest. Tomorrow morning, we’ll sort this out and make this 10 million ours.”

“Understood, boss!”

Following their conversation, Lin Long felt a surge of excitement. If they manage to snag this 10 million easily, his funds would swell to over 27 million. Any plans to conserve funds could be tossed aside, such as improving his living conditions or splurging on a luxury car. As it stood, Lin Long had no car, no house, and no girlfriend. He was virtually asset-less.

Despite having numerous competitors for this bug bounty, he had immense faith in Su Mei. After all, she was the product of a mysterious system.