The environment in the City of Death is harsh, unlike Mist City where thick fog lingers every day. The air is filled with the smell of burning gunpowder, and scavenger birds fly around, adding a pungent odour that is hard to adapt to.
Bai Qingqing sat by the window, gazing at the retreating view of the dilapidated city outside.
The team arrived in the City of Death before her and wandered around the city but couldn’t find a place to settle down.
They went to the research institute where the virus outbreak originated, but the institute’s gate was tightly sealed, presumably damaged. Behind the gate, it was blocked by rocks or something sturdy. Even an explosion with petroleum couldn’t open it.
The Thunder Squad’s attempt to break through failed and only attracted a wave of zombies like a tide. They had to temporarily retreat.
Coincidentally, she entered the City of Death, causing a disturbance among the zombies. They were rescued by the team and needed to find a place to rest before nightfall, then discuss how to enter the research institute together.
The City of Death was not the top metropolis; it only had a few million inhabitants. Several years ago, humans established a virus and biological research institute here, conducting everything in secrecy.
Last year, for some unknown reason, a viral infection broke out, turning the entire city into a paradise for monsters. Infected humans travelled by buses and planes to various cities, and within a few days, the zombie virus spread throughout the world, bringing about the apocalypse.
Li Jin had heard about this research institute before. With so many forces involved, he had gained a reputation in the industry but still hadn’t qualified to access the virus research institute. He only learned a bit of information from his senior.
Therefore, he firmly believed that by coming to the City of Death and finding a way into the research institute, they could locate the source of the virus and gather scientists to develop a cure for the zombie virus.
The City of Death was filled with zombies that seemed impossible to kill. Their ferocious faces made people’s hearts race.
Bai Qingqing withdrew her gaze and pondered with her head lowered.
Li Jin probably knew that the City of Death was extremely dangerous, yet he risked his life for the sake of humanity’s interests and future. However, he didn’t know that the low-level zombies in this place weren’t the most dangerous presence.
The most terrifying were the intelligent creatures lurking in the shadows, the mutated and evolved species. In the eyes of these intelligent monsters, humans were nothing more than livestock that could be slaughtered at any moment.
She knew that the Thunder Squad were the protagonists, and Bai Tiantian, the main character who shaped the entire world, was present. There shouldn’t be much danger, but she couldn’t help but feel some worry in her heart.
Her existence had altered fate, influencing the plot to some extent. Shen Mingxuan turning into a zombie was an unexpected event.
Shen, as a zombie, was going in the opposite direction from her and the protagonist group. He was drifting further away. With his strength, he shouldn’t be killed by his own kind or those with extraordinary abilities. She didn’t need to worry too much.
Bai Qingqing glanced at Liang Zhiyu and Bai Tiantian busy in the kitchen, then looked at Li Jin wearing glasses and holding test tubes. Her mood became slightly complicated.
She hoped that everyone would safely make it out of this instance in the City of Death.
Only by staying alive could they do anything.
As time grew late, the sky was covered like a curtain, and occasional terrifying roars of zombies could be heard in the darkness.
The team found a dilapidated building. Fu Chen confirmed that it was safe before allowing everyone to get off the vehicle. The three men in the team escorted them as they made their way upstairs.
The night environment is extremely terrifying, filled with crisis everywhere. Zombies would rush out from unseen corners, even scarier than playing an escape room game. The group hurriedly made their way upstairs.
They smoothly reached the upper floor and found an empty room, locking the door behind them.
The building used to be a technology office building, but now it was in ruins. The glass was shattered, chairs and tables were scattered on the ground, creating a scene of disaster.
A cool breeze blew in from outside as they stood in the tall building, looking down at the city. It felt chilling in their hearts.
Bai Qingqing had been exhausted from the journey and finally saw the target of their mission. After she relaxed, she took out a reclining sofa from her space and lay down. “I’ll take a nap first. Don’t disturb me.”
Fu Chen adjusted her blanket and whispered, “Sleep well. Big brother will watch over you.”
Bai Qingqing hummed in response, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
Liang Zhiyu, with his narrow fox-like eyes, stared at her and faintly curled his lips in a cold manner. He didn’t misjudge her; she was just like him.
After she woke up from her injury, she changed completely. She disguised herself as a weak prey to attract them, subtly luring them in. Cheng Rui, Xiao Yang… without exception, they fell into her trap.
It seemed like she was their prey, wanting to control them in the palm of her hand, but in reality, they unknowingly became her prey.
In the current situation, even if she said she hadn’t lost her memory and directly admitted to deceiving Fu Chen, he wouldn’t care.
Xiao Yang also witnessed that scene, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists. During the days he was separated from Qingqing, he thought of her every moment, almost driving himself crazy.
If it weren’t for Fu Chen beating him up and Liang Zhiyu emphasizing the importance of the City of Death mission, he would have wanted to stay in Mist City and find Qingqing before leaving.
His injured left hand throbbed faintly. At that time, he thought Bai Tiantian was Qingqing, which was why he risked his life to save her. By a twist of fate, he ended up saving Bai Tiantian.
Now that his wound was hurting, he didn’t have the qualification to go to her, act spoiled, and seek her affection.
Among the team, besides the single-minded Li Jin who only focused on the virus, Bai Tiantian seemed like an outsider. She saw the reactions of the three men and felt a slight sourness in her heart, so she shifted her gaze away.
Time passed so quickly. It had been a year since the outbreak of the apocalypse. When Thunder Squad rescued her and she timidly hoped for everyone’s protection, she was fortunate that she was still likable in the pre-apocalyptic school and at home.
The several men of Thunder Squad took good care of her and loved her. The mischievous and misbehaving Bai Qingqing was despised by everyone, and she even began to hate herself.
After Bai Qingqing lost her memory, they gradually changed their view of her step by step, and she did the same.
So many things happened during this time. Her kindness and innocence were no longer valued and adorable; they could hurt the people around her. Did she really make a mistake? That’s why they all started to dislike her.
Bai Tiantian couldn’t control her heartache. In fact, she had seen it early on. The captain had feelings for Qingqing, but she deluded herself into thinking that he saw Qingqing as a sister.
Every strong man who could protect her, Fu Chen was powerful, outstanding, and handsome. She couldn’t control her feelings for him.
At first, she hid these thoughts well, but she watched him gradually fall for Qingqing and couldn’t help but feel sad and miserable.
Li Jin completely failed to notice the subtle emotions of everyone. Holding a test tube, he said, “Do you have time to come and discuss?”
Fu Chen stood up, stretched his long legs, and walked over, saying, “Let’s go outside.”
Xiao Yang and Liang Zhiyu followed him, walking to the balcony together. They stood or sat, gathering together.
They knew in their hearts that they couldn’t stay in the City of Death for too long. At most, within a week or half a month, they had to find the source of the virus and leave.
On the way here, Fu Chen had mentioned that there was a powerful high-level zombie in the City of Death, and there was a leader in the human base, while zombies also had their own leader. The high-level zombie in the City of Death was like the emperor of zombies.
The current strength level of the team was as follows: Fu Chen was a peak sixth-order in dual abilities, Xiao Yang was a fifth-order in wood abilities, and Liang Zhiyu was a fifth-order in wind abilities. Their abilities were top-notch in the apocalypse, but in the zombie paradise, there was no guarantee of a safe return.
Fu Chen speculated that the strength of the zombie emperor was at the sixth or seventh order. There might be intelligent zombies of the fifth order or higher by its side. If they were discovered by the zombie emperor or encountered high-level ability users, they would have to flee the City of Death.
Initially, Fu Chen wanted to obtain the virus source and then take the opportunity to kill the zombie emperor. But now it was not possible; he had a weakness, and that was Bai Qingqing.
He didn’t dare to risk his life, and he couldn’t guarantee a hundred percent success in killing the zombie emperor. Even if they killed one zombie emperor, there were still many zombie kings in the world. Humans needed to unite to resist the zombies.
Liang Zhiyu held a few pieces of paper, which were the information he had collected from various sources throughout the journey, along with several maps drawn based on the virus research facility they had explored.
He skilfully and accurately mapped out the area of the virus research facility, marking red dots in certain corridors and planning three routes using blue, cyan, and orange colours.
Each route passes through different places, and the breakthrough points are also different. Only by returning to the main hall can they leave the virus research facility.
Liang Zhiyu is the strategist of the team, and his plans have never been wrong. Even with minor adjustments, they don’t affect the overall outcome. It’s certain that following his lead is the right choice.
Xiao Yang, who was lazily sitting on a rusty railing, jumped down and pointed to the blue route on the map, asking, “Is this the fastest route?”
Liang Zhiyu pushed his glasses and said, “Based on my calculations, it will take us about an hour to reach underground and obtain the virus source, and then return along the same path without encountering zombies.”
Fu Chen raised a concern, “If the elevator is damaged, we won’t have enough time.”
Liang Zhiyu calmly replied, “Fu Chen, you’re right. I just mentioned that under normal circumstances, the round trip takes only an hour. However, after precise calculations, barring any surprises, it will take everyone two hours to return to the surface.”
He extended his well-defined fingers and pointed to the intersection of the blue and cyan lines, which was also marked with a red dot, saying, “The blue line is impassable, so we’ll have to divert to other areas along the cyan line, which will take an additional ten minutes.”
Xiao Yang looked at the dense lines and markings, admiringly said, “Brother Liang, what kind of brain do you have? Anyone who tries to compete with you would be exhausted.”
Liang Zhiyu faintly smiled but didn’t say anything.
The group discussed their plans for tomorrow for over an hour.
…
In an abandoned factory in Fog City, a decayed zombie named Shen sat on the sofa, wearing tattered clothes. A black cat returned from hunting outside and jumped onto his shoulder, meowing.
Shen, like a statue, remained motionless. He learned through the zombies in Fog City that Qingqing hadn’t returned.
He had waited for two days with his eyes wide open, but she never showed up. In this desolate world, he was the only zombie, waiting alone, searching for a human girl.
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