After killing the mutant, Leo and William didn’t linger in the area any longer, fearing that the battle might attract even more troublesome mutants.

Sitting inside the truck, Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. The fight had been far more dangerous than he had expected, and the tension still lingered in his body. On top of that, exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him.

He was glad that he had decided to team up with William. If he had faced the mutant alone today, he couldn’t guarantee that he would have survived.

Before long, they arrived at the small town near the building.

"William, go check on Elena. I’ll inspect the truck and see if it suffered any damage."

William nodded before climbing out of the vehicle.

Leo slid into the driver’s seat and tapped the control screen. Among the various icons, there was one that displayed the truck’s current condition.

A moment later, an overview of the truck appeared on the screen. The chassis and several tires were highlighted in red, indicating that they had indeed been damaged during the earlier chase.

"System, how do I repair the truck? Is there a way to repair it automatically, or do I have to fix it myself?"

[Host, the truck can be repaired manually. However, you may also use crystal nuclei to restore any damaged parts.]

[You can press the icon that resembles a wrench. It will display the number of crystal nuclei required for the repairs.]

"I see. So that’s what the icon is for."

Leo tapped the wrench icon. The screen informed him that repairing the damage would cost one crystal nucleus.

He selected the repair option, and a soft yellow light appeared around the ignition panel. Without the System explaining further, Leo quickly understood what he had to do.

He placed his Origin Card against the scanner.

After the scan was complete, a one-hour countdown appeared on the screen, indicating the estimated repair time.

Seeing that there was nothing else requiring his attention, Leo climbed out of the truck and headed toward the building.

As he approached the room where William’s family was staying, a rich aroma drifted through the hallway.

The delicious smell instantly made his stomach rumble. Although he hadn’t been in this world for long, his body hadn’t enjoyed the smell of a proper home-cooked meal in what felt like a very long time.

Leo knocked on the door twice.

A few moments later, William opened it with a smile.

"Leo, welcome to my humble abode. I was just telling Elena about everything that happened earlier."

Just then, Elena walked out of the kitchen carrying several plates of steaming food.

"Leo, come sit on the couch. The food is almost ready."

William dragged a small table in front of the couch while Elena continued bringing out more dishes.

Soon, the table was filled with food. Everyone took their seats and began eating.

"Leo, William told me what happened earlier. It must have been incredibly dangerous. Thank you for protecting my husband."

"Elena, you don’t need to thank me. I should be thanking William instead. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to kill that mutant. In fact, if I had been alone, I might not have survived."

William chuckled.

"You’re being too modest, Leo. You were the one taking all the risks. I spent most of the fight inside the safety of the truck."

Elena smiled helplessly.

"Alright, enough of that. Let’s eat before the food gets cold."

William picked up his glass of water and raised it toward Leo.

"I’d like to make a toast. Thank you for giving me and my family a chance to travel with you... and here’s to surviving together in this damn world."

Leo smiled and raised his own glass.

"To surviving."

The three lightly clinked their glasses together before continuing their meal. Laughter and casual conversation soon filled the room, washing away some of the tension from the day’s battle.

After finishing his meal, Leo stood up.

"I’m full. I’m going back to the truck to get some rest. You two should also get a proper night’s sleep. We’ll be leaving tomorrow, and after what happened today, we need to be ready for whatever comes next."

After saying goodbye, Leo left the room.

Once he returned to the truck, he lay down on the bed and took out his Origin Card.

Earlier, after killing the mutant, the System had informed him that he had reached Level 9. However, because of the situation at the time and William’s presence, he hadn’t had the chance to check his status.

He tapped the card.

Name – Leo Blackwood

Level – 9 (36%)

Physique – 16

Agility – 14

Strength – 16

Constitution – 15

Mental Power – (Locked)

Looking at the numbers, Leo frowned slightly.

"System, why did I gain so much EXP from killing a single mutant?"

[Host, the creature you killed is different from the undead zombies. These creatures are extraterrestrial beings that possess far greater essence.]

[They invade different planets and slowly drain the essence from the planet’s core until nothing remains.]

"What happens after a planet loses all of its essence?"

[The planet dies. Without its essence, it can no longer sustain its ecosystem or support life.]

Leo fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"So if we don’t eliminate these creatures... sooner or later this planet will die. And if the planet dies, I die along with it."

[Exactly, Host.]

[This is why the System encourages you to grow stronger as quickly as possible.]