With three spells at his disposal, Brian Carter began to feel a bit more confident. The memories of his previous life hadn’t directly transformed him into a legendary powerhouse; he was still the independent Brian Carter of this world. The experiences of his past life felt more like watching a movie—having no real impact on him.

First, he needed to test the power of these three spells. Brian Carter found a pen and an aluminum plate—these two items were for testing Magic Missile and Acid Arrow. As for Minor Healing, he had already tried it earlier. It worked very well for injuries that didn’t involve bones.

Following the arcane runes that appeared in his mind, Brian Carter held the pen and began to chant softly. The mysterious syllables, rising and falling, and the rapid construction of the mental model produced a dramatic change, like a chemical reaction. A faint glow suddenly appeared on the pen in Brian Carter’s hand, and he quickly aimed it at a blank spot on the wall.

The pen shot out like an arrow leaving the bowstring, and with a flash and a crisp “pop,” half of the pen was deeply embedded in the wall. Brian Carter stared in shock at this bizarre pen.

“What power! And what a sturdy pen…” For such a collision to result in the pen being embedded in the wall, Brian Carter couldn’t help but marvel at the pen’s material.

Next was the test for Acid Arrow.

After a brief incantation, a fist-sized, pale green, semi-transparent glob of slime, trailing a long tail, slammed into the prepared aluminum plate.

The sizzling sound of corrosion, accompanied by thick smoke, filled the entire living room. When Brian Carter went over to take a look—

Not only had the aluminum plate been eaten through, leaving a hole the size of a fist, but even the dozen or so books underneath had been completely corroded. The acid went all the way down to the floor tiles, leaving a small pit before finally stopping.

Brian Carter was quite satisfied with the power of his only two offensive spells. Magic Missile was extremely fast and powerful, but required a physical medium. Acid Arrow was a bit slower, but its power was immense and it could lock onto a target, never stopping until it hit. Each had its own strengths and weaknesses, suitable for different environments.

After finishing the spell tests, it was already noon. Having not eaten properly since yesterday, Brian Carter was clearly feeling very hungry. He ran to the bathroom to check the solar water heater—still fully charged with 100 liters, enough for a good bath, some rest, and a meal. Thanks to the strong sun, the water temperature was over ninety degrees, so there was no need to boil water.

Brian Carter grabbed a few packs of instant noodles and got them ready. Then he found a change of clothes and scrubbed himself clean with a towel from head to toe. He changed into the prepared tight jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt—these close-fitting clothes would make it easier to move around, improving efficiency and avoiding worries about clothes snagging or pulling on muscles.

After soaking two packs of instant noodles in the solar-heated water and eating them, Brian Carter felt much better. His body was slowly recovering from last night’s tension.

Brian Carter found a chair, sat down, and began to carefully consider his next steps.

Yesterday, he thought he could barely get by for two months with the two bags of rice at home, but now it was clear that was impossible. Without electricity or water, no one could last two weeks. If he wanted to survive, he had to think about the issues of water and electricity. He took out a piece of paper and a pen.

He solemnly wrote the words “water” and “electricity” on it.

Electricity could come from a power station or a generator. According to what Brian Carter knew, there was a medium-sized supermarket called Wanjiale just outside the neighborhood, and it had a gasoline generator. He’d seen it several times—a generator about a meter wide and half a meter tall, powering the supermarket’s lights, computers, and freezers. It wasn’t even that noisy. And even if it was, the hardware store next door had soundproof panels—he could just move some over.

As for water, the supermarket also had plenty of bottled water, and there was a dedicated water delivery point under the building, which should have a large supply of uncontaminated bottled water. Then there was the issue of gasoline…

Brian Carter walked to the living room window, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window. Down on the driveway below, seven or eight cars were parked haphazardly. Seven or eight zombies wandered aimlessly in the shade nearby, searching for signs of the living. In the distance, thick black smoke billowed into the sky—something must be burning. But now, there was no way the fire department or ambulance would respond. Occasionally, a scream could be heard from far away—probably one of the hidden survivors being found by zombies. After all, not everyone had food prepared at home, nor did everyone have solar-heated water reserves. Those who couldn’t stand the hunger would eventually sneak out of hiding and rush toward supermarkets and stores in search of food.

The air in the living room was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the foul odor of rotting corpses. The warm breeze from outside blew into the living room, brushing against Brian Carter and gradually dispersing the stench in the room.

From the living room window, he could see a corner of the Wanjiale supermarket outside the neighborhood. A motorcycle lay toppled nearby. The wall next to the supermarket was covered in bloodstains. Swarms of flies buzzed incessantly. Even from a distance, the dense black dots could be seen circling in the air.

The building Brian Carter was in was about three hundred meters from the supermarket. In between was the main avenue of the neighborhood, completely deserted—except for blood-red chunks of dried flesh, not even a single zombie. The dazzling sunlight reflected off the concrete, making it hard to keep his eyes open.