Ryan only needs one hand for his sword, so he keeps his pistol in the other. When a brute finally comes near, Ryan shoots it in the head twice to kill it.

>Earned 51 ₵

This ruled out the percentage explanation, and left the explanation of the Fortune skill giving a flat bonus to credits earned. For the next test, Ryan buys another level of Fortune and kills a zombie. The result is seven credits earned.

Smiling slightly, Ryan buys four more levels of Fortune. This gives him eleven credits per zombie killed. Once the street is clear of zombies, Ryan climbs over the concrete block fence and crawls under the van. He then climbs down the ladder and uses his spear to kill many zombies and buy increases to the Fortune skill.

After two hours, Ryan has raised the Fortune skill to level fifty-five. He had to replace the battery in his flashlight for 80 credits, but the sum was inconsequential. Even the barbecue ribs Ryan ate for lunch while sitting on the top of the van costs less than a minute worth of killing zombies.

After eating lunch, Ryan decides he's killed enough zombies. He buys a sheet of paper for 1 credit and one of his favorite pens for 30 credits. The pen has a .3 mm needle tip, and writes in a smooth line of pitch black ink. Though his salary working for city maintenance didn't allow him to squander his pay on fancy pens, the world's new system would.

Ryan writes down all the foods and drinks he can think of, all the he added to the shop the night before, and he starts running in the direction of The Sanctuary. With a Running level of ten, Ryan can run the distance from the manhole to The Sanctuary without a break, but the zombies he kills along the way enable him to buy another five levels, which makes running even easier. This leaves Ryan with 490 credits.

Once at The Sanctuary, Ryan makes his way through even more widespread zombie corpses, and a few scavenger corpses, to reach the entry door. A woman takes Ryan's list and thanks him before sending him away, never even allowing him inside.

'Well, I hope Jacob is doing fine,' Ryan thinks and starts back the way he came.

Instead of returning to the manhole, Ryan runs past it and stops at the car dealership. A padlock keeps the gate to the lot closed, but Ryan simply waits in the center of the intersection. A few minutes go by, and Ryan buys five more levels of Running for 1500 credits, which places him at level twenty.

Ryan can only run for about three miles before he needs to rest, but the twenty-six mile trip to his parents' house is completed before sundown. The house looks the same as the previous week, but zombies are more prevalent in the streets.

Even inside the home, nothing has changed. The note Ryan left a week ago is still where he left it, and no zombies have populated the house. The only change is the lack of running water when Ryan tries to wash his hands in the sink.

Spoiler: Status Screen

>Name: Ryan Stone

>Class: Tycoon

>Credits: 35984 ₵

>Str: 17

>Dex: 14

>Vit: 14

>Int: 11

>Wis: 11

>Luc: 12

>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 20, Sprinting 2, Fortune 55, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10

>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight: Dead Battery, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2

>Current Injuries: Sleepy

>Weapons

>>Iron Dagger, 100 ₵

>>Steel Sword, 300 ₵

>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ₵

>>Steel Spear, 300 ₵

>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ₵

>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ₵

>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ₵

>Armor

>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ₵

>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ₵

>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ₵

>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ₵

>Skills

>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ₵

>>Spears 1, 300 ₵

>>Swords 1, 300 ₵

>>Shooting 1, 300 ₵

>>Sneaking 1, 300 ₵

>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ₵

>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ₵

>>Night Vision 1, 500 ₵

>>Climbing 1, 300 ₵

>>Running 1, 300 ₵

>>Sprinting 1, 300 ₵

>>Fortune 1, 300 ₵

>Items

>>Plastic Bag, 1 ₵

>>Concrete Block, 15 ₵

>>High End-Table, 400 ₵

>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ₵

>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ₵

>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ₵

>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ₵

>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ₵

>>Pillow, 400 ₵

>>Lighter, 50 ₵

>>Magazine: .22, 400 ₵

>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ₵

>>Battery: Size 18650, 80 ₵

>>Food & Drink

>>>Bottle of Water, 5 ₵

>>>Glass of Water, 10 ₵

>>>Jug of Water, 10 ₵

>>>Cup of Coffee, 10 ₵

>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cola, 15 ₵

>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cherry Cola, 15 ₵

>>>Two Litter Bottle of Root Beer, ₵

>>>Box of Spaghetti, 15 ₵

>>>Bag of Egg Noodles, 25 ₵

>>>Cup of Ramen, 5 ₵

>>>Bottle of Salad Dressing, 43 ₵

>>>Jar of Mayonnaise, 40 ₵

>>>Bottle of BBQ Sauce, 23 ₵

>>>Bottle of Steak Sauce, 30 ₵

>>>Bottle of Ketchup, 30 ₵

>>>Can of Tomato Sauce, 18 ₵

>>>Jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 20 ₵

>>>Jar of Alfredo Sauce, 26 ₵

>>>Cup of Parmesan Cheese, 40 ₵

>>>Orange, 12 ₵

>>>Lemon, 8 ₵

>>>Lime, 8 ₵

>>>Watermelon, 50 ₵

>>>Corn, 5 ₵

>>>Cantaloupe, 30 ₵

>>>Honeydew, 30 ₵

>>>Pepper, 10 ₵

>>>Carrot, 4 ₵

>>>Cauliflower, 25 ₵

>>>Cucumber, 10 ₵

>>>Pineapple, 30 ₵

>>>Celery, 25 ₵

>>>Garlic, 6 ₵

>>>Romaine, 10 ₵

>>>Bag of Rice, 25 ₵

>>>Can of Beans, 15 ₵

>>>Can of Sour, 23 ₵

>>>Can of Green Beans, 10 ₵

>>>Can of Corn, 10 ₵

>>>Can of Peas, 10 ₵

>>>Can of Carrots, 6 ₵

>>>Can of Potatoes, 18 ₵

>>>Can of Stew, 25 ₵

>>>Can of Peaches, 20 ₵

>>>Can of Oranges, 13 ₵

>>>Can of Pineapple, 17 ₵

>>>Can of Pear, 20 ₵

>>>Jar of Apple Sauce, 26 ₵

>>>Can of Tuna, 12 ₵

>>>Bag of Flour, 52 ₵

>>>Bag of Sugar, 25 ₵

>>>Bottle of Maple Syrup, 34 ₵

>>>Jar of Honey, 50 ₵

>>>Bottle of Vegetable Oil, 36 ₵

>>>Can of Coffee Grounds, 60 ₵

>>>Jar of Salt, 30 ₵

>>>Bag of Cookies, 37 ₵

>>>Box of Crackers, 30 ₵

>>>Stick of Butter, 12 ₵

>>>Carton of Eggs, 11 ₵

>>>Block of Cheese, 55 ₵

>>>Bag of Shredded Cheese, 27 ₵

>>>Carton of Ice Cream, 50 ₵

>>>Bottle of Orange Juice, 40 ₵

>>>Jug of Milk, 36 ₵

>>>Jar of Peanut Butter, 44 ₵

>>>Jar of Jelly, 28 ₵

>>>Bag of Bread, 30 ₵

>>>Red Delicious Apple, 10 ₵

>>>Gala Apple, 14 ₵

>>>Golden Delicious Apple, 14 ₵

>>>Honeycrisp Apple, 26 ₵

>>>Banana, 3 ₵

>>>Broccoli, 19 ₵

>>>Yam, 18 ₵

>>>Potato, 10 ₵

>>>Onion, 18 ₵

>>>Cabbage, 26 ₵

>>>Red Grape, 1 ₵

>>>Green Grape, 1 ₵

>>>Donut, 6 ₵

>>>Bagel, 7 ₵

>>>Muffin, 12 ₵

>>>Cake, 100 ₵

>>>Box of Raisins, 40 ₵

>>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ₵

>>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ₵

>>>Pound of Ground Beef, 44 ₵

>>>Chicken Breast, 26 ₵

>>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ₵

>>>Cooked Hotdog, 30 ₵

>>>Cooked Cheeseburger, 50 ₵

>>>Cooked Bacon Cheeseburger, 60 ₵

>>>Cooked Sirloin, 130 ₵

>>>Cooked Cheap Filet Mignon, 140 ₵

>>>Cooked Ribeye, 200 ₵

>>>Cooked Filet Mignon, 210 ₵

>>>Cooked Prime Rib, 210 ₵

>>>Cooked New York Strip, 210 ₵

>>>Cooked Baby Back Ribs, 220 ₵

>>>Cooked Porterhouse, 280 ₵

>Hacks

>>Contracting, 10000 ₵