The Apocalypse Took Everything, This Time I Hoard It All First
Chapter 39: Never Apart

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Never Apart

The mutated Jasmine Donovan thrashed wildly, lunging to bite Dexter Wallace’s neck. Foul-smelling saliva dripped onto his collar.

Dexter Wallace suddenly clamped his hands on her shoulders. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a crazed obsession.

He looked at the unrecognizable, snarling Jasmine Donovan before him, his tone filled with disgust.

"Stop screaming... It’s so ugly. Not at all like your real voice."

’Since she’s already become like this, I’ll never let her make such an ugly sound again. And I’ll never let her leave me.’

Dexter Wallace’s voice was hoarse. "It’s okay if you don’t want me anymore. I’ll keep you by my side forever."

The moment he finished speaking, Dexter Wallace suddenly released his grip on Jasmine Donovan. He snatched a fruit knife from the coffee table, his movements too fast for anyone to react.

The mutated Jasmine Donovan continued to snap and bite wildly. Dexter Wallace grabbed the back of her neck, slammed her down on the armrest of the sofa, and ignoring her struggles, precisely drew the blade across her throat.

"SQUELCH—"

Foul-smelling blood gushed out, splattering all over Dexter Wallace’s cheeks and hands.

Jasmine Donovan’s body instantly went limp and her head rolled to the floor. But even without a body, the neck was still twitching slightly, and a faint "HURK HURK" sound came from the throat, not yet completely silent.

Dexter Wallace slowly released his hand, picked up Jasmine Donovan’s head, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He frowned, glanced with disgust at the severed stump of the neck, and muttered, "Still making noise... So annoying."

As he spoke, he gripped the fruit knife and, without hesitation, plunged it into her brain through the severed neck, viciously stirring it around a couple of times!

Only when the faint "HURK HURK" sound completely disappeared did he slowly pull out the blade. He gently wiped the bloodstains from the head with his sleeve, his movements as tender as if he were handling a priceless treasure.

"There, that’s better," he murmured to himself, his eyes vacant, his tone filled with a paranoid satisfaction. "You won’t be noisy anymore, and no one can ever take you away from me again. Jasmine, we’ll never be apart now, okay?"

Drew Dunn was frozen in place, trembling all over as he watched the bloody and bizarre scene, unable to even scream.

He still hadn’t recovered. First, he was shocked by Jasmine Donovan’s mutation, and then he was stunned into a stupor by Dexter Wallace’s crazed actions.

Nancy Sullivan was so scared she hid behind Shane Shaw, covering her eyes tightly as tears streamed down her face.

Jasmine Donovan had been her roommate. Although they weren’t very close, she had watched the two of them meet and fall in love over the three years since they started school. She used to ship their relationship all the time.

Shane Shaw’s expression was grave. He turned his head away, his eyes filled with a complex mix of shock, sorrow, and helplessness in the face of the apocalypse.

Cradling Jasmine Donovan’s head, Dexter Wallace walked step by step toward a first-floor bedroom, endlessly murmuring Jasmine Donovan’s name as if nothing else in the world mattered.

Kevin Keane watched the closed bedroom door, sighed, and then went around prying open the skulls of the zombies inside the villa. He got two Crystal Cores, gave them to Luna Dawson, and then opened the villa’s main door.

The midday sun shot into the living room, dispelling some of the bloody stench.

Everyone looked up. The fire on the RV in front of the door had died down a little. Luna Dawson took out a fire extinguisher and, with Kevin Keane, put out the blaze.

Seeing this, Evan Olson got out of the car and walked over. "It’s all clear outside. How are you guys doing?"

Kevin Keane had a complicated expression on his face. "It was... something. We collected a lot of stuff, so it wasn’t a total loss."

After speaking, he turned to look at the three survivors and added, "Three of them are alive. One of them went crazy."

Evan Olson was taken aback. "Crazy?"

Kevin Keane coughed. "I’ll tell you once we’re in the car."

Luna Dawson glanced at the three of them, sighed, and said, "What do you three plan to...? Hmm... The food in the basement is enough to last you all for a few months."

Drew Dunn was still in a daze and didn’t say anything.

Shane Shaw quickly spoke up, "We just live in Building 106. Thank you for today! We haven’t been home in days. Where do you live? We’ll come by to thank you properly another day!"

Luna Dawson waved her hand. "No need. I’ve already collected our reward."

Nancy Sullivan wiped away her tears. "Thank you so, so much! We have something urgent to do, so we’ll be leaving now! If we meet again, we’ll be sure to thank you properly!"

After they finished speaking, they gratefully bowed ninety degrees to Luna Dawson and Kevin Keane. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two of them hurriedly drove back.

Drew Dunn also blankly thanked them a few times. Like a soulless puppet, he walked toward the basement...

Luna Dawson and the other two walked into the yard. Lynn Shelby was squatting in a corner piled high with zombie heads, poking around in their brains with a dagger.

The thin layer of snow was covered with bits of flesh, scraps of scalp, and hair.

The human tissue looked especially glaring against the white snow, and on closer inspection, there were pools of yellowish-white brain matter.

Even though Rhonda Dawson had been seeing zombies for a few days, a scene like this still made her want to puke!

Seeing this, a vein couldn’t help but throb on Kevin Keane’s forehead. He glanced at Luna Dawson out of the corner of his eye.

He discovered that not only was she not the least bit uncomfortable, but her eyes were also shining with excitement.

Luna Dawson asked joyfully, "How’s it going? Any Crystal Cores?"

Seeing her sister so completely unfazed while she herself still couldn’t stand it, Rhonda Dawson became even more determined. ’I have to catch up with them. I can’t drag everyone down!’

Even with a mask on, Lynn Shelby frowned at the smell. "The drop rate is too low. I’ve only dug up three so far."

He and Evan Olson had dug through dozens of zombies, and his hands were trembling and numb from the cold.

Luna Dawson looked at all the brains on the ground and, unwilling to give up, stomped on every clump, afraid of missing a single Crystal Core.

Evan Olson watched Luna Dawson’s stubbornness with amusement. "There are no more. I’ve already checked several times."

Luna Dawson pouted. "Fine. It’s just the beginning. I bet there will be more later on."

Lynn Shelby poked at the three Crystal Cores in the snow with his dagger. "Amazing. Even zombies have Shariputra now."

Luna Dawson quickly rinsed them with water, washing off all the yellowish-white tissue stuck to the Crystal Cores. After wiping them clean with a tissue, she handed them to the others.

Hector curiously held a dark green Crystal Core. "Whoa, killing monsters drops gems!"

Rhonda Dawson chuckled lightly and patted Hector. "That’s right, you’re so amazing. You defeated them all."

Evan Olson looked at the light green Crystal Core in his palm, his curiosity piqued. He looked at Luna Dawson and asked, "Can this thing upgrade superpowers?"

Lynn Shelby’s imagination ran wild, and he shuddered. "Chew it raw? Swallow it whole? Or what?"

Kevin Keane’s mouth twitched. "Who could possibly eat this?"

The moment Hector heard that, he took the Crystal Core and was about to put it in his mouth. Rhonda Dawson snatched it away, her expression stern. "Why do you put everything in your mouth? You’re not allowed to eat anything without a grown-up’s permission!"

Hector’s little lip trembled. He blinked his big eyes and fidgeted with his hands. "I know I was wrong... The gem just looks like that green tea-flavored candy..."

Luna Dawson took out a real green tea candy and handed it to Hector. "From now on, whatever you want to eat, just tell your auntie. Auntie has everything. Don’t put strange things in your mouth anymore. This is a world of monsters now, full of viruses!"

The little tyke’s apology was very sincere. "I know. Hector knows he was wrong."

Only then did Rhonda Dawson unwrap the candy and feed it to Hector. She looked at Luna Dawson and asked, "So how exactly do you use this thing?" After all, Luna Dawson was always the one with the strangest ideas.