Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 112

Chapter 112: The Secret Stash
When the group arrived at the entrance of the apartment building, they heard the howling of animals nearby.

“Let’s hurry inside,” said Percy as he scanned the street behind them.

Rayne led the group inside, walking up to the second floor and to the empty room they had looted earlier.

“Here’s an empty room we found earlier. It’ll work as a good place to spend the night. We’re going to stay with the local in room 309,” said Julian. He didn’t want to be around Kia if he didn’t have to be.

Kia looked around the luxury apartment and nodded. “This is quite nice indeed. Even the stove looks like a gas stove. Maybe we’ll be lucky, and the gas lines are still functional.”

As Kia, Percy, and Kenzo got settled, Rayne and Julian made their way up to the young man’s apartment.

“Oh hey, you’re back!” he said, opening the door to let them in. Rayne walked in and noticed multiple boxes and suitcases scattered all over the floor.

“Sorry about the mess, I’ve been busy packing ever since you guys left. Let me show you to your room,” said Lenny as he hopped over a few suitcases to bring them to the guest bedroom.

As they entered the guest room, Rayne noticed that the bed was made with clean sheets and smiled approvingly at the sight.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you need. Oh, and I invite you to dinner today! It’s going to be just pasta with red sauce, but I hope you like it,” said Lenny before running off to the kitchen.

Rayne turned to look at Julian. “It’s very kind of him to invite us for dinner. I can’t imagine very many people are willing to share their food supplies with others these days.”

Julian closed the door and then walked over to lift Rayne off the floor.

“Julian! What are you doing?” she exclaimed, blushing.

He princess-carried her over to the bed, placing her down in the center. Then he climbed on and pulled her into his embrace to cuddle closely.

“I’m willing to share everything I have with you,” he said in a deep and seductive voice.

Rayne’s heart raced at the implied meaning of his words. She rested her head on his chest while he played with her hair.

“Oh yeah? Everything?” she said flirtatiously. While a part of her was still a little shy from Julian’s open display of affection, she had grown accustomed to it over the past few weeks and wanted to respond in a cheeky manner.

Julian smiled at her flirty words. To him, she appeared like a little feisty kitten, absolutely adorable.

“Mhm, everything. Why, what do you have in mind?” he asked as he continued to play with her long strands of golden hair.

“You see, before we left the bunker, I happened to discover someone’s secret stash of chocolate,” she said, making it sound like she uncovered a great secret.

Julian played along, gasping in shock. “What?! How did you find it? I tried so hard to keep that hidden!”

Rayne burst out in laughter. “Haha, you can’t back out on your words now! You said you’re willing to share everything, so when we make it back to the bunker, I’m heading straight for that secret stash!”

They continued to laugh and joke around together on the bed until they heard a gentle knock on the door.

“Hey, dinner is ready,” Lenny said from the other side of the door, causing Rayne to freeze.

Julian laughed at her startled expression and called out, “We’ll be right there!”

Rayne quickly got off the bed and straightened out her hair from Julian’s teasing. Thankfully, he was careful not to mess it up too much this time, and they made their way to the kitchen.

Lenny moved his suitcases and boxes to the corner of the living room, clearing a path to the kitchen.

Rayne smelled a pleasant scent coming from the stove and was excited to eat.

“Hey, come on over and take a seat. I’m about to plate the pasta now,” said Lenny cheerfully. He used to entertain his friends and family often in the past, cooking elaborate dinners with festive themes.

Although this dinner was nowhere near the fancy dinners he was used to making, he was still happy that he could have company over.

Lenny quickly served the bowls of pasta and came over to join the two of them at the table. “Well, I was saving this for a special occasion, but I guess this will be as good as any,” he said as he placed a beautiful bottle of wine on the table.

Julian picked up the bottle and inspected the label. “Wow, what a treat! If I’m not wrong, less than ten bottles of this wine were produced!”

“Ah, a man of culture,” commented Lenny. “Yes, indeed, this is one of my most prized bottles in my collection. A shame I couldn’t serve it alongside something better than basic pasta.”

Julian looked over at Rayne and handed her the bottle. She quickly understood the hidden message and lowered the bottle so that it was hidden from Lenny’s view, then quickly stored it in her system.

After successfully storing it and taking out a copy, she smiled at Lenny. “I must thank you in advance for pulling out something so precious for us to try.”

Lenny waved his hand before bringing over three crystal wine glasses. “No, no. I must thank you for joining me. I’m a social creature, and these many weeks of silence have slowly begun to take a toll on me. If it wasn’t for the lack of people and the influx of dangerous wildlife, I would’ve stayed here.”

Rayne looked around and agreed. This apartment was spacious and well-kept, furnished with many high-quality items. It seemed that the gas lines were still working since Lenny was able to boil pasta on his stove, making it a much better place to live than most.

The three of them happily ate their meal and indulged themselves in a few glasses of the expensive wine, which warmed their bodies. They found Lenny’s company to be very pleasant as he was naturally a funny person and an experienced host, causing the conversation to flow.

“Be prepared to live a much less comfortable life at the base. Last I heard, there were no more housing units available for people to rent. Most of the population lives in tents currently,” said Julian, trying to convey the reality of what living at the base was like.

Lenny sighed. “Ah, well, what can you do? If that’s the price I need to pay to not live in solitude, then so be it. Hopefully, I can find myself a hot daddy who’s willing to take me in.”