Apocalypse Harem System: Infinite Rebate

The Special Forces Beauty

The courtyard fell silent.

Everyone's attention shifted toward Ethan and the woman standing before him.

Ava Reynolds.

Former Special Forces Operator.

S-Rank Destiny Value.

Even without the System's information, Ethan could tell she was different.

While the other survivors looked exhausted and terrified, Ava remained calm.

Alert.

Her posture was perfect.

Her eyes constantly scanned her surroundings.

Like a soldier evaluating threats.

And right now, Ethan was one of those threats.

"Where did you get that gun?" she asked again.

Ethan met her gaze.

"A lucky find."

Ava's eyes narrowed.

She clearly didn't believe him.

Neither would Ethan.

A Desert Eagle wasn't exactly something people found lying around.

Still, she didn't push further.

For now.

The older woman who had allowed them inside stepped forward.

"Enough."

She sighed.

"Everyone's tired."

"If we're going to survive, we need to work together."

The tension eased slightly.

Ava took a step back but continued watching Ethan carefully.

The woman introduced herself as Margaret.

She was one of the residents who had helped organize the apartment complex after the outbreak.

There were eleven survivors inside.

Now fourteen with Ethan's group.

Resources were already running low.

Food was becoming a problem.

Water was becoming a bigger problem.

And everyone knew it.

That night, the survivors gathered in the apartment courtyard.

Margaret attempted to organize a meeting.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed.

A large man named Trevor stood up.

"We can't keep taking in strangers."

Several people nodded.

Trevor pointed toward Ethan.

"They show up and suddenly we have three extra mouths to feed."

Sophia frowned.

"We didn't ask for charity."

Trevor laughed.

"Really?"

"Then what exactly are you contributing?"

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Ethan remained calm.

Trevor wasn't entirely wrong.

In the apocalypse, resources meant survival.

People would naturally become selfish.

The problem was that Trevor was making enemies.

A lot of them.

Margaret tried calming everyone down.

"We'll discuss supplies tomorrow."

"No," Trevor snapped.

"We discuss it now."

He crossed his arms.

"Food should be redistributed."

Several survivors looked uncomfortable.

Everyone knew what that meant.

Trevor wanted control.

And once someone controlled food, they controlled people.

The argument continued.

Meanwhile, Ethan quietly opened his inventory.

His supply reserves appeared.

Hundreds of bottles of water.

Hundreds of energy bars.

Medical kits.

Food.

Enough to support the entire apartment complex for weeks.

Compared to everyone else, he was practically rich.

Then the System suddenly chimed.

DING!

New Opportunity Detected.

Would Host Like To Increase Loyalty Through Resource Distribution?

Ethan smiled slightly.

Now things were getting interesting.

The System clearly wanted him to use his supplies.

The question was how.

A moment later, another notification appeared.

Special Target Nearby

Ava Reynolds

Current Loyalty: 10

Recommended Action:

Provide Needed Resources

Potential Reward Rating: Extremely High

Ethan glanced across the courtyard.

Ava sat alone near a stairwell.

Cleaning a combat knife.

She hadn't touched the communal food.

Interesting.

Maybe she had her own supplies.

Or maybe she simply didn't trust anyone.

Either way, Ethan decided to test something.

He stood up.

The argument between Trevor and the others continued.

Nobody paid attention to him.

Ethan walked over to Ava.

The former soldier looked up immediately.

"What?"

Ethan reached into his backpack.

Or at least pretended to.

In reality, he withdrew items from his inventory.

A bottle of premium water.

Two energy bars.

And a small medical kit.

He placed them beside her.

Ava blinked.

"What's this?"

"Supplies."

"Why?"

Ethan shrugged.

"Because you'll probably be useful."

The blunt honesty surprised her.

A small smile appeared on her face.

The first Ethan had seen.

"That's your reason?"

"Pretty much."

For several seconds, Ava simply stared at him.

Then she accepted the supplies.

Immediately—

DING!

Gift Successful!

Recipient: Ava Reynolds

Reward Multiplier Activated!

Calculating...

Calculating...

The screen suddenly flashed gold.

Brighter than ever before.

1000x CRITICAL REBATE ACTIVATED!

Ethan nearly jumped out of his skin.

A critical hit!

The first one!

The system exploded with notifications.

Congratulations!

You have received:

Military Supply Crate ×10

Advanced Combat Armor ×1

Enhanced Strength Serum ×5

Elite Ammunition Box ×20

Ethan's heartbeat accelerated.

The rewards were insane.

Far better than anything he had received before.

Apparently S-Rank Destiny individuals really were special.

A second notification appeared.

Ava Reynolds Loyalty Increased

10 → 30

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

Meanwhile, Ava looked at the supplies in her hands.

Something in her expression softened slightly.

The apocalypse had taught everyone to take.

To hoard.

To betray.

Yet Ethan had given resources away.

Even if his reasons were selfish.

For the first time since the outbreak began, she seemed genuinely curious about him.

Unfortunately, that peaceful moment didn't last.

A scream suddenly echoed from one of the apartment buildings.

Everyone jumped to their feet.

"What happened?"

Another scream followed.

Then a gunshot.

The courtyard erupted into chaos.

A man burst from the stairwell.

His face was white with terror.

"Zombie!"

"What?"

"There was a zombie hiding inside Building Three!"

Panic spread instantly.

The survivors had assumed the complex was secure.

Apparently they were wrong.

Then came a horrifying roar from inside the building.

Much deeper than a normal zombie.

Much louder.

The System immediately flashed a warning.

WARNING!

Mutant Energy Detected!

Threat Level: High

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

Another mutant.

And this one had somehow been hiding inside the apartment complex the entire time.

The stairwell doors suddenly exploded outward.

A blood-covered figure emerged from the darkness.

The creature was larger than a normal zombie.

Faster.

More agile.

And unlike the Crusher...

Its eyes were glowing red.

As if it possessed actual intelligence.

The mutant slowly scanned the courtyard.

Then its gaze locked onto Ethan.

And to Ethan's horror...

The creature smiled.