10.000x Doomsday Survival

2. The Rebate System and the SSS-Grade Target

Axel thought death was the end. But when he opened his eyes, he was transported back to five minutes before Rio kicked him out. A cold voice echoed in his head, "100x Rebate System activated. Do you wish to take revenge now?" What will Axel do when he realizes he has a chance to rewrite his fate?

"Am I still alive?"

Axel took a deep, ragged breath. His lungs burned as if he were inhaling shards of glass. He tried to open his eyes, but his vision remained blurred. The last thing he remembered was the excruciating pain of the zombies tearing his flesh apart. By now, he should have been nothing more than a pile of bones, or at least one of those hideous monsters.

Yet, the pain was slowly fading away.

[Ding! 100x Rebate System integration complete.]

[Host Condition: Severe injuries, 60% blood loss.]

[Activating Beginner Reward: Instant Body Recovery!]

"What was that voice?" Axel muttered.

Suddenly, a soothing warmth spread throughout his entire body. The gaping wounds on his neck and stomach closed up rapidly. His shredded skin knit itself back together, feeling even tougher than before. Axel sat bolt upright. He quickly scanned his surroundings. He was no longer in that pitch-black hallway. Instead, he was sitting inside a cluttered apartment. A large wooden wardrobe had been shoved against the door as a makeshift barricade.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Axel ran a hand over his stomach. There was no stab wound from Cindy's knife. There were no jagged bite marks from the zombies. His skin was completely flawless.

[Ding! Congratulations, you have returned from the dead!]

[100x Rebate System active. Every time you provide resources to a woman with an A-Grade genetic potential or higher, you will receive a return of 100 to 1,000 times the original value with enhanced quality.]

Axel stared blankly. "A rebate? Like getting cashback from online shopping?"

[Correct. The higher the target's quality, the greater the chance of triggering a Critical Rebate.]

"Damn it, this is exactly like those novels," Axel let out a short, somewhat hoarse laugh. "Does this mean I can get whatever I want just by giving stuff to women?"

[Correct. Please locate your first target to initiate a transaction.]

Axel stood up. His body felt incredibly light. He walked toward the corner of the room, drawn by the faint sound of muffled sobbing. Curled up behind a stack of cardboard boxes was a young woman. She wore a white doctor's coat heavily stained with dried blood. Her long black hair was a tangled mess, hiding her face from view.

[Scanning Target.]

[Name: Elena Vance]

[Age: 22 Years Old]

[Genetic Potential: SSS-Grade (Medical Divine)]

[Status: Severe dehydration, starvation, mild trauma.]

"SSS?" Axel's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "System, are you serious? I just started and I already found an SSS-Grade target?"

[Target detected possessing unique genetics highly rare on the continent of Eldoria. Critical Rebate Probability: 95%.]

Axel swallowed hard. He approached her slowly. "Hey. Are you alright?"

The girl, Elena, snapped her head up. Her large eyes were wide with absolute terror. She tried to scramble backward, but her back was already pressed firmly against the wall. "Please, don't bite me. I don't have anything."

"Relax. I am human. My name is Axel," he said, raising both hands to show he meant no harm. "I am not going to hurt you. I am trapped in here too."

Elena looked him up and down. She noticed his shredded, blood-soaked clothes, yet he did not have a single scratch on his body. "Are you really human? But there were so many zombies out there earlier."

"I managed to escape. What are you doing in here?" Axel asked.

"I am an intern at the clinic downstairs. When that meteor hit, everything went completely insane. I ran upstairs and hid in here. I haven't had a drop of water in two days, Axel," Elena replied, her voice trembling. Her lips were terribly dry and cracked.

Axel patted his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small plastic bottle containing maybe two swallows of leftover water. This was the exact same water he had fought so hard for before Cindy's betrayal.

"Here, drink this. It is all I have," Axel offered, extending the bottle toward her.

Elena stared at the bottle as if it were a flawless diamond. "But this belongs to you. If I drink it, what will you do?"

"Just take it. I can hold out a little longer," Axel replied casually. Inside, his heart was pounding. He desperately wanted to prove whether or not this system actually worked.

Elena took the bottle with trembling hands. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Axel."

She downed the water in a single, desperate gulp. The exact moment the bottle went empty, an explosive sound went off inside Axel's head.

[Ding! You have provided 50ml of Mineral Water to SSS-Grade Target Elena Vance!]

[Triggering 1000x Critical Rebate!]

[Congratulations! You have received 50 Liters of Pure Mountain Mineral Water and 1 Bottle of Dragon Marrow Serum!]

Poof.

Suddenly, ten large, completely sealed gallons of mineral water materialized on the floor right in front of Axel, alongside a small crystal glass vial filled with a glowing golden liquid.

"Holy shit. It actually worked," Axel almost shouted in pure shock.

Elena, having just finished her sip of water, stared in absolute disbelief. She even choked slightly. "Axel, where did that come from? How did all these water jugs suddenly appear?"

Axel pretended to stay completely calm, though his brain was working overtime to come up with an excuse. "This is my special ability. I can summon items whenever I want."

"A special ability? Like those mutants on the news?" Elena asked, her eyes shining. Her terror had slightly ebbed, replaced by sheer amazement.

"You could say that," Axel replied. He leaned down and picked up the small crystal vial containing the golden liquid.

[Item: Dragon Marrow Serum (God-Tier Quality).]

[Function: Strengthens bone and muscle structure, provides immunity against low-level zombie viruses, and permanently increases stamina.]

"This one is for me," Axel muttered. He immediately downed the golden liquid in one gulp.

It did not just feel warm. It felt like absolute fire. Axel felt as if his very bones were being violently reshaped. He could hear a distinct cracking sound echoing from his spine and arms. His muscles did not bulk up like a bodybuilder's, but they became incredibly dense and hard as stone. The stamina he had completely exhausted just moments ago now surged boundlessly. He felt like he could sprint across the entire city without breaking a sweat.

"Axel? Are you okay? Your body is giving off smoke," Elena panicked.

"I am fine. I actually feel better than ever," Axel said, clenching his fists. He felt absolutely certain that if he punched the wall right now, he would smash straight through the concrete.

Axel then glanced toward the apartment's trashed kitchen. He spotted an old, heavily rusted kitchen knife with a handle that was practically falling off. He walked over and picked it up.

"Elena, hold this for a second," Axel instructed.

"What for?" Elena asked in confusion, but she accepted the knife anyway.

[Ding! You have provided a Rusted Kitchen Knife to an SSS-Grade Target!]

[Triggering 500x Rebate!]

[Congratulations! You have received: High-Frequency Vibration Sword (God-Tier)!]

A flash of blue light crackled across Axel's hand. A longsword with a sleek, futuristic black hilt instantly materialized in his grip. The blade was a dark, menacing silver, emitting a soft, incredibly stable humming sound.

"System, is this actually a laser sword?" Axel asked in his mind.

[Answer: This is a High-Frequency Vibration Sword. The blade vibrates millions of times per second, capable of slicing through solid steel and concrete like a hot knife through butter.]

Axel casually swung the blade toward a solid wooden table nearby. Without meeting even an ounce of resistance, the table was cleanly sliced perfectly in half.

"Insane. I am literally going to become a god at this rate," Axel grinned. He turned his attention toward the barricaded door. "Elena, are you hungry?"

"I am starving, Axel. My stomach is cramping so badly," Elena admitted honestly.

"Wait right here. I am going to find some food on this floor. And while I am at it, I am going to pay a visit to some old friends," Axel said, his tone turning frigid.

"You are going out there? But the corridor is full of zombies, Axel. I heard them eating something out there just a little while ago," Elena warned, her face going pale.

Axel knew exactly what they had been eating. It was his own corpse.

"Do not worry. I have a new toy now," Axel said, raising his humming sword. "You guard that water. Do not give it to a single soul unless it is me walking through that door."

"But, Axel."

"Listen to me, Elena. You are my very first target. I am not going to let you die. Just sit tight, drink plenty of water, and wait for me to bring back a good meal," Axel stated firmly.

Elena could only give a slow nod. There was something in Axel's voice that made her feel incredibly safe, even while the world outside had completely gone to hell.

Axel walked over to the door. He effortlessly shoved the heavy wooden wardrobe out of the way with just one hand. Elena stared in wide-eyed awe at his monstrous strength.

"One hand? A wardrobe that heavy?" Elena whispered in absolute disbelief.

Axel cracked the apartment door open. The putrid stench of rotting flesh instantly invaded the room. He peered out into the corridor. Sure enough, three zombies were still crouched over, aggressively chewing on the remaining scraps of meat scattered across the floor.

Axel flashed a vicious smirk. "Breakfast time, you bastards."

He stepped out and quietly pulled the door shut behind him. One of the zombies snapped its head in his direction. The creature let out a ragged snarl and immediately lunged straight at Axel.

Slash.

Axel did not even need to put any real force behind his strike. He merely flicked his wrist, swinging the blade. The zombie's head went flying through the air before its body violently collapsed to the floor. Very little blood sprayed out, as the extreme heat from the sword's high-frequency vibrations instantly cauterized the wound.

[Ding! Level 1 Zombie Eliminated. Contribution Points +1.]

The other two zombies charged at him. Axel took a step forward, his movements unbelievably fast thanks to the Dragon Marrow Serum. Two rapid slashes later, the undead monsters were reduced to neatly severed chunks of meat on the concrete floor.

"Way too easy," Axel muttered. He shifted his gaze toward the emergency stairwell leading up to the eleventh floor. That was exactly where Rio and Cindy had run off to hide.

"Rio, Cindy. Can you hear that? Your grim reaper is walking up the stairs," Axel whispered to himself.

Axel began his march toward the emergency stairwell. He was no longer trying to be stealthy. He deliberately stomped his boots, making sure every single step echoed loudly. He wanted them to know he was coming. He desperately wanted to see the absolute terror on Cindy's face when she realized the man she had just murdered was standing right in front of her.

Axel arrived at the eleventh-floor doors, which were heavily guarded by Rio's thugs. Just as they raised their weapons to aim at him, Axel simply tossed a bottle of mineral water right at their feet.