This was a little trick for auxiliary calculation that he had developed in his previous life—Activated Water Traces. It could automatically draw out unresolved problems from the caster’s mind and compute a conclusion. The only drawback was its short duration, just two minutes per level. So it was only somewhat useful among low-level mages. High-level mages all had alternatives like mage tower spirits, which were comparable to supercomputers.

With a “snap,” the main door opened and Grace Thompson walked in, looking somewhat anxious and haggard. However, she was much tidier overall, as if she had carefully cleaned herself up.

“Come here.” Brian Carter patted the ground beside him. His fingers stopped moving, and the activated water traces instantly dissipated, the water marks on the floor vanishing as if evaporated, leaving no trace.

Brian Carter picked up his cup and drained it in one gulp. He took several deep breaths, then squinted slightly, watching as Grace Thompson slowly walked over and sat down beside him.

“Do you still want to go back now?”

Grace Thompson was silent, only biting her lip.

Brian Carter smiled indifferently and continued, “Right now, there are zombies everywhere in the world. The zombie virus has been named the sg3 virus, with an incubation period of 24 hours. The preliminary transmission route is believed to be bodily fluids, but I think it’s obviously impossible for it to spread so widely just through bodily fluids. After zombification, humans’ strength nearly doubles, and their speed surpasses that of normal adults. Hmm... they probably dislike sunlight, and their weakness is the head.” Brian Carter bent one leg and rested his hand on his knee. “Overall, it’s like Resident Evil. Uh... you’ve seen Resident Evil, right?”

Grace Thompson nodded.

“It’s like the zombies in there, but enhanced—much faster, much stronger. Their teeth turn into fangs. They’re also quite sensitive to sound.” Brian Carter sniffed. “That’s about it. Hope it helps. Also, here’s this for you.”

He drew the sheathed fruit knife from his waist and handed it to Grace Thompson, who took it.

“My personal suggestion is that you shouldn’t be afraid of the heat—wear more leather or other high-defense clothing. Of course, that’s just my suggestion.” He pointed at the sunlight streaming onto the floor and smiled again.

“All right, the door’s over there. While the sun’s still blazing, I suggest you take the opportunity.” The meaning was clear—he was seeing her out.

Grace Thompson held the fruit knife, pursing her lips, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked up at Brian Carter, who avoided her gaze and turned his head away.

The girl had no choice but to stand up and walk slowly but resolutely toward the door. When she reached the doorway, she looked back at Brian Carter sitting on the floor, only to find that he was also looking at her.

“Can’t you really help me? I just want... to find my parents.” Grace Thompson’s eyes were misty with tears.

Brian Carter frowned, looking at the girl standing at the door, then pointed toward the bedroom where supplies were stored.

“Go there. If you can give me a satisfactory answer, I don’t mind giving you a ride.”

Grace Thompson blushed, and at last, her tears fell.

“If... if... you agree...”

Brian Carter immediately realized what she was thinking and said irritably, “There are a lot of vegetables and meat I just moved in there. I’m asking you to help me figure out how to store them, not to sleep with me!”

“R-really?” Grace Thompson immediately stopped crying, walked over in confusion, and pushed open the door. Inside, the bedroom was piled high with all sorts of supplies—vegetables, fruits, meat, rice, and lots of medicine and bandages. Everything was stacked in a mess, with no organization at all.

“Sorry, I misunderstood you.” The girl let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Brian Carter said indifferently, “It’s nothing. It’s just that dealing with all this food is a hassle, and it’s giving me a headache.”

“It’s too hot. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat can’t be preserved without a fridge. But if there’s electricity, I’d slice the vegetables and dry them in the oven—they’d last a long time that way,” Grace Thompson said cautiously.

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.” Brian Carter stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and added, “I happen to need to go to the supermarket downstairs. I’ll give you a ride while I’m at it.”

Grace Thompson was overjoyed and quickly wiped away her tears. “Thank you, Mr. Carter, I knew you were a good person.”

Brian Carter was speechless.

Considering that Grace Thompson was with him, Brian Carter had to prepare a large number of sharp, pen-like throwing objects. Right now, he could only cast zero-level spells three times, so his overall combat power hadn’t improved much. So he also brought along a total of five kitchen and fruit knives he’d found next door. Together with his own kitchen knife, that made six knives in all, all tucked into his belt around his waist.

Seeing Grace Thompson’s puzzled look, Brian Carter explained that he used to practice throwing knives. She was half-convinced.

Brian Carter put on a thick leather jacket he’d found next door, tucked the hem tightly into his pants, and stuffed a few thick magazines inside the jacket for extra protection. Beside him, Grace Thompson blushed deeply, one hand tugging at the hem of her T-shirt, the other clutching the waistband of her tight jeans, not knowing what to do.

When Brian Carter finished getting ready and turned around, he saw that Grace Thompson still hadn’t moved, and his face darkened.

“Still shy at a time like this?” He walked over and gave Grace Thompson a hard slap on her tense butt.

“Ow.” Grace Thompson’s face turned bright red, a flash of shame and anger passing over her face, but she didn’t dare make a sound.