**[Ding! Congratulations to the host for gaining 500 experience points!]**
**[Ding! Congratulations to the host for leveling up. Your current level is 4!]**
Renault felt a surge of powerful energy flooding into his body, and the sensation was exhilarating. He checked his stats:
**Host**: Renault
**Level**: Bronze 4
**Strength**: 29
**Speed**: 24
**Constitution**: 24
**Spirit**: 24
**Free Attribute Points**: 30
**Talent**: Speed Multiplier
**Skills**: None
**Weapon**: Zanma Dao
**Experience**: 27/400
“Ten attribute points per level?” Renault was astonished. If he continued progressing at this rate, his power would increase exponentially.
A newly evolved bronze-level individual typically had a total attribute value of around fifty points. Renault’s stats, however, were far beyond that.
Without hesitation, Renault distributed his free attribute points, putting 1 point into strength and the remaining 29 into speed. With his newfound speed multiplier ability, his focus now was on maximizing speed, using his strength to support his increased velocity.
Once the points were allocated, Renault finally understood why he couldn’t gain experience from killing lower-tier zombies:
**[The strength of iron-level zombies is too low to provide evolutionary energy!]**
With this mystery solved and the situation at the gas station dealt with, Renault didn’t linger. He hopped into his vehicle and drove back toward Baoqu Town.
---
Back at Xishan City Base, inside a dormitory, a man in an officer’s uniform entered and addressed the group inside:
"Yesterday morning, someone infiltrated the Base Management Area and killed Officer Fu’s son, Fu Yang. Does anyone here know anything about this?"
The room erupted into murmurs:
“What? Fu Yang is dead?”
“Was it personal revenge or something else?”
“Yesterday morning, I was overseeing the workers, didn’t go near the base.”
Suddenly, a hand was raised from the crowd. It was Pang Long.
“I… I know something,” Pang Long said hesitantly.
The officer nodded, signaling him to speak.
“I was assigned a task yesterday with Liuzi,” Pang Long explained, “We were told to keep an eye on a group of four people...”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
He recounted the events of Renault and his companions entering the management area.
The officer nodded again, asking, "Did you see them interact with anyone?"
Liuzi suddenly remembered something. “We thought they would be shot by the guards at the management area, but they walked out unharmed.”
Thus, the investigation continued until it reached the door of Dong Liang’s residence.
“Captain Dong, we hope for your cooperation in this matter.”
Seeing the stern faces of the investigative team, Dong Liang was slightly startled, but he had no choice but to tell the truth. He didn't reveal Renault’s background, simply stating that their encounter was purely coincidental.
And so, the issue was put to rest—for now.
---
As evening set in, Renault drove through the night, eventually reaching Baoqu Town under the dim light of the moon and stars. He parked in front of the supermarket, and as soon as the car door opened, little Alice ran up to greet him.
“Renault, you’re finally back!”
Renault patted her head affectionately before heading inside.
The interior of the supermarket had undergone a major transformation. Shelves had been emptied and rearranged, making the space feel much more open.
**Thud, thud, thud!**
The sound of hammering caught Renault’s attention, and he turned to see Guo Haoyu hammering wooden boards against the walls, thickening and reinforcing them.
“Renault, you’re back?” Guo Haoyu greeted him, pausing his work with a smile.
“Yeah, just got back. Where’s Fan Bing?”
“A little while ago, a group of survivors came by, and Fan Bing took them to the backyard. They’re probably still there.”
**Survivors?**
Renault raised an eyebrow and patted Guo Haoyu’s shoulder before heading toward the backyard.
Alice, munching on a bag of chips, asked through a mouthful of food, “Hey Haoyu, don’t you think Renault seems different this time?”
“Huh? Not really. He seems the same to me,” Guo Haoyu replied, puzzled.
“I think Renault’s gotten stronger. A lot stronger,” Alice said, watching Renault walk away with a thoughtful expression.
“Why? I can’t tell at all.”
“You... ah, forget it,” Alice said, giving up trying to explain.
---
Meanwhile, in the supermarket’s backyard, about a dozen survivors were sitting together. Fan Bing had opened a box of expired bread and was distributing it among them.
“These may be expired, but I don’t think anyone here will turn them down, right?” he joked.
The survivors eagerly nodded and accepted the bread, offering their thanks.
Renault leaned against the gate to the backyard, arms crossed, and watched the scene with a neutral expression.
“Fan Bing, where did these people come from?” he asked.
Startled by Renault’s sudden arrival, Fan Bing quickly turned around. “Oh, Renault! You’re back!”
Realizing the seriousness of the question, he hastily explained, “These people are survivors from the town. I noticed they didn’t have anything to eat, so I gave them some food.”
He glanced nervously at Renault, worried that he might have overstepped and angered his leader.
To Fan Bing’s surprise, Renault simply chuckled and said, “Alright, then go grab a box of milk for them. Just bread might be a bit dry.”
“Got it!” Fan Bing said with a relieved smile and rushed off to the storage.
Just then, one of the women who had been eating bread approached Renault. She looked at him with teary eyes and said, “Thank you. You’re truly a lifesaver for us.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” Renault replied calmly. “I’m planning to establish a base here. If you’re willing to stay, we can work together to build something lasting.”
Renault’s gaze passed over the group of survivors, and for a moment, he saw himself in them—desperate, fighting to survive, doing anything for food. Memories of his past life filled his mind, and a wave of complex emotions washed over him.
“Stay here? But this town is full of zombies!” one of the survivors blurted out.
“Yeah, Baoqu’s population was huge. It’s not safe to live here. We’d have to live in constant fear,” another chimed in.
“I think we should leave. There’s a base nearby with no zombies from what I’ve heard.”
The group quickly fell into a heated discussion, each expressing their doubts and fears about staying.