Jackie Won flew backwards without a sound, crashing into the wall and slowly sliding down a few seconds later. By the time he hit the ground, he was no longer breathing.

James Lon calmly remarked, "Those dirty hands shouldn't touch people—it's quite rude."

Anna Karenina, not realizing Jackie Won was already dead, pointed at James Lon and shrieked, "James Lon! He's your brother-in-law, how dare you hit him! Are you out of your mind?"

Without warning, James Lon reached out and grabbed her hand. Crunch! Anna's hand bent at an unnatural angle, her fingers pressing tightly against her forearm.

"Ah!" Anna Karenina nearly fainted from the pain.

With a faint smile, James Lon said, "I don't like being pointed at."

As James Lon turned his back on her, two male survivors quietly stood up, planning to take advantage. They barely took two steps before a flash of white light crossed their vision, ushering them into oblivion.

James Lon flicked the blood from his knife and casually tossed it back into his spatial backpack. Only then did the two bodies collapse, blood pooling around them.

He killed them?!! Anna Karenina's eyes widened with terror, reminding James Lon of a duck being choked. She finally realized that James Lon before her was so different from the one she used to know.

"Please, please, please don't kill me. I was wrong before, don't kill me..." she begged and wept.

James Lon patted her cheek with a smile, "Don't be silly, I don't kill women."

Anna Karenina's face turned pale, but she managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Squelch! A knife plunged into her chest!

In disbelief, Anna Karenina looked at James Lon. "You, you said you wouldn't..."

She felt her strength ebbing away rapidly.

With an innocent shrug, James Lon blinked, "Did I say that? I forgot, sorry."

You tricked me! Anna Karenina died with a deep sense of resentment.

James Lon gazed coldly at Anna Karenina for a while, but his system offered no notification. Death hadn't reduced her return rate multiplier? This was good news.

A dangerous smile played on his lips. If that's the case, there's more room for maneuvering. For instance, with someone as dangerous as Teresa Taylor, raise the multiplier through her first and then kill her!

"You got off easy," he said, taking one last look at Anna Karenina's corpse before venturing out into the dark.

Circling the third floor, James Lon found most of the stores ransacked by survivors. Even the mattress store was occupied, smeared with human waste. Disgusted, he left immediately.

Reaching a suitable location cloaked in darkness, James Lon phased through the floors, heading towards Sunshine Garden.

A few survivors exchanged glances. "That guy just left!"

"He was using a flashlight! How did that cat not kill him?"

"Could it be the cat left?"

"We didn't hear any screams just now. Maybe the cat isn't at the entrance!"

"If he could leave, so can we!"

Exchanging confidential looks, two brave souls made a dash for freedom. But minutes later, their anguished cries rumbled from the doorway.

"Ahhh!"

"Help! Help!"

The group was dumbfounded. The cat was still at the entrance! So how did that man escape?

......

Shortly, James Lon arrived at Sunshine Garden. After all his recent jaunts, it was still not yet 5 AM. Deciding not to go home immediately, he planned to check out the other two buildings at Sunshine Garden. With a perception range of 100 meters, he could partially see some floors in Buildings A and B, but not comprehensively. It was better to inspect personally—there might be women worth recruiting.

First, James Lon explored beneath the swimming pool. The mutated frog remained in the pool, glowing brightly in his senses—like a beacon amid the night.

"What's that?" James Lon suddenly noticed a swarm of small dots moving near the frog. Each was palm-sized, with round heads, tails, and little legs.

"Tadpoles!" James Lon was taken aback. The mutated frog had laid eggs! And the tadpoles were developing at a remarkable pace. Two days ago, there were no tadpoles. Today, they already had legs...

This must mean they'd turn into frogs in a matter of days. Their size was abnormal, likely inheriting the mutated frog's enhanced physical attributes.

But what about abilities? Would the tadpoles inherit the frog's abilities? His expression turned grave.

One mutated frog was a significant threat. A swarm? Sunshine Garden would be uninhabitable!

With no immediate solution, James Lon moved on to Building A. Entering B's underground, he phased into an empty room, leaping upwards. Finally, he stopped on the fifth floor.

Carefully, he observed the state of B's inhabitants. Like Building C, lower floors in B—those below the 21st—were mostly vacant. But people in B had congregated above the 32nd floor.

The 32nd and 33rd floors were fully occupied, all doors open. Unlike Building C, no one lived in the corridors. People stayed within rooms, packed ten per space, many bound at the wrists and ankles.

Satisfied there was nothing exceptional, James Lon headed to Building A. On entering the fifth floor, he began monitoring the whole building.

Situation in A varied from B and C. Residents all lived above the 22nd floor, unable to open security doors, squeezed into occupied rooms, leaving others empty and echoing.

"Seems someone is orchestrating housing," James Lon surmised, noting that organization suggested someone in control.

Additionally, such management must be partly coercive. No rational person would allow others to inhabit their property.

"Interesting," he murmured, stepping from an empty room and climbing the stairs. Someone had piled debris to barricade the 21st staircase, seemingly against animal threats.

Reaching the 25th floor, he paused as a woman stepped out from the stairwell. Instantly captivated, James Lon was drawn to her.

Though not outstandingly beautiful compared to Shirley and the others, Lydia Johnson exuded something special—an alluring charm. Her physique was neither too slim nor too full. Lanky yet subtly rounded, even slightly thick in the legs, no feature was extraordinary. Yet her mannerisms...

[Lydia Johnson]

[Age: 23]

[Quality: 9/10] (Intensely Alluring)

[Morality: 10/10] (Awaiting Marriage)

[Overall Score: 9/10]

James Lon's eyes twinkled.

"Ah!" Lydia Johnson gasped, startled by his presence outside her door.

James Lon unabashedly met her gaze.

Her eyes were gentle, conveying innate fear and vulnerability, invoking an instinct to console her. Uneasy, Lydia peered at James, disquieted by his scrutinizing, compelling gaze.

Paralyzed by indecision whether to retreat or continue, she froze there on the threshold.