The truck had actually not run over Chu Hong; its chassis had merely crossed over her, sparing her from harm.

The unfortunate bystander had not been so lucky. The truck’s wheels had passed over his abdomen, disconnecting his upper and lower body. His belly had been crushed, exposing protruding bones and a churning, steaming intestine.

Yang Mu could not help but gag, feeling nauseous, yet his eyes remained fixed on the bystander, unyielding in their gaze.

Though grievously injured and seemingly beyond hope, the man's legs continued to twitch, and his upper body writhed, one hand stubbornly gripping Chu Hong's pale yellow underwear, his eyes wide and wild, emitting beast-like growls as he gaped, attempting to bite Chu Hong's buttocks.

"Don't bite me! Help me, Yang Mu! Save me!"

Yang Mu, driven by curiosity, kicked the bystander's head with force.

The kick was so powerful it sent the bystander sprawling, releasing Chu Hong.

The small underwear was now bunched up at Chu Hong's thighs, granting her freedom. Crying, she scrambled up, pulling up her underwear, her legs trembling, now bow-legged, struggling to stand.

"You scared me to death! Did you just see my... see down there?"

"Don't speak!"

Yang Mu gently silenced Chu Hong, pulling her back a step.

The terror was not yet over; the bystander began undergoing another transformation.

Oil seeped through his skin, forming a layer of yellowish froth on his body. There was a crackling sound as his bones shifted, and the blood from his wounds rapidly congealed. Muscles grew, encasing the coagulated blood and protruding bone fragments.

This series of changes lasted only a few seconds before he turned, kneeling and writhing, shedding the greasy coating. The fractures had healed, and he now resembled a monstrous entity with no fat, only muscle.

Yang Mu recalled the information that had appeared in his mind earlier.

"Undying demons arise, and the shadow of the apocalypse will cover the entire planet..."

Could this creature be the undying demon? Transformed from a human?

The monster slowly shifted its body. Yang Mu hurriedly pulled Chu Hong back several steps.

Changing angles, Yang Mu noticed a small blue crystal on the ground behind the monster, emitting a faint glow.

What could it be?

A blue diamond? A piece of glass? A crystal? Or perhaps the raw stone mentioned in his mind?

Without time to ponder further, the monster, with its soulless white eyes, was staring in their direction, though it was unclear if it was looking at him or Chu Hong.

Yang Mu turned and ran.

"Wait for me! Take me with you! Ah! Ah! What is that thing? It's coming after us."

Chu Hong's voice was shrill, and Yang Mu glanced back as he ran.

The monster moved on all fours, its speed at least faster than Chu Hong’s.

Clenching his teeth, Yang Mu decided to abandon Chu Hong.

Accelerating, he left her far behind, navigating through alleyways to circle back.

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After running over a thousand meters, he emerged from another street.

Looking back at the scene of the incident, Chu Hong's car was still there, the truck crashed into a tree, and the driver inside was frantically banging on the window.

Yang Mu approached slowly. The truck driver was another soulless white-eyed person, baring his teeth like... a zombie!

Realizing this, Yang Mu hurried back to where the monster had been and retrieved the glowing blue stone.

The stone felt cool to the touch and its material was indiscernible.

Hurrying into a nearby alley, he examined the blue stone, but could not determine what it was.

While he was still puzzled, something strange happened: the blue stone in his palm began to dissolve into his flesh, vanishing as if consumed.

Yang Mu was stunned. After risking so much to get this, it disappeared?

He quickly pressed his hand over his palm, and after a few moments, the blue stone reappeared, emerging from his skin.

It was extraordinary; this must be a raw stone that could merge with his body and be summoned at will.

After some hesitation, he placed the raw stone back into his body, moved his limbs, but found no significant change—disappointing, to say the least.

For now, he had to set this aside and planned to leave the area. After passing through several alleys, he reached the main road, Renmin Road.

What he saw there left him dumbfounded: the road was in chaos, with numerous soulless white-eyed individuals running about like zombies. Vehicles were stalled and unable to move, horns blaring incessantly, and the cries of people filled the air.

These creatures were not merely zombies akin to those depicted in films—they were the real deal!

Anyone bitten by them would become a zombie within seconds.

Retreating back into the alley, Yang Mu, though frightened, continued to think.

What was appearing everywhere were probably ordinary zombies.

The creature he had encountered was an aberration. It had shed all its fat, healed its injuries with the newly grown muscle, and then began its rampage.

After standing in place for a moment, Yang Mu decided to return to Wen's home.

He, a toad, was ultimately unable to let go of the swan, and besides, they were not divorced yet. Wen Sijia remained his lawful wife.

Unable to use the main road, he had to navigate through smaller alleys.

Carefully selecting the best path, avoiding both living people and zombies.

As he turned a corner, a garbage can nearby suddenly moved, its lid lifted, and a head emerged.

“Chu Hong?”

This cunning woman had not been eaten after all.

Yang Mu felt a mix of emotions, unsure whether to feel relief or regret.

Chu Hong, seeing Yang Mu, cried out in frustration.

“Damn Yang Mu! You abandoned me and ran off!”

Crying, Chu Hong crawled out of the trash can, her foul odor evident even before she approached.

“Get away, you stink! Don’t come any closer.”

“No! I’m coming, you stink! You abandoned me!”

Yang Mu frowned, realizing Chu Hong's voice was loud and annoying.

Just as he thought this, a chill ran down his spine as he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

Turning sharply to the right alley, he saw the aberrant zombie standing there.

“Ah! It’s coming! It’s coming!”

Chu Hong clung to Yang Mu, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Yang Mu finally understood that the aberrant zombie’s target was Chu Hong.

It might still retain some primal memories, knowing it was Chu Hong who had hit it with the truck and thus sought revenge.

As he tried to pull Chu Hong off him and ran to the left side of the alley, he soon encountered two ordinary zombies stumbling into the alley.

The narrow alley of Jiangnan city was only about two meters wide, making it impossible to rush between the two zombies.

Yang Mu’s eyes widened as he spotted an open courtyard door and dashed inside.

Chu Hong, having been bitten by a snake once, feared the well rope, knowing Yang Mu’s lack of compassion and fearing he might abandon her, clung tightly to his neck.

“Let go of me, you idiot!”

Yang Mu turned to close the courtyard door, using a bolt to lock it, while shouting at Chu Hong.

“No, I won’t let go! You need to protect me!”

With Chu Hong’s hands tightening around his neck, nearly cutting off his air, Yang Mu was preoccupied with locking the door. In a moment of desperation, he turned his head and bit her lip.

For Yang Mu, this was a form of aggression towards Chu Hong.

For Chu Hong, it was like a bolt from the blue.

After a moment of stunned silence, she shouted in anger:

“Yang Mu, I’m going to kill you!”

Actually, Chu Hong’s shout was somewhat garbled, unable to articulate clearly due to her lips being pulled by Yang Mu.

She could only press her face forward to avoid the pain, resulting in closer contact with Yang Mu.

Yang Mu quickly released her, distancing himself, his face showing disgust—she still carried the stench of the trash can.

It was unfortunate for her.

Chu Hong and Wen Sijia were both daughters of wealthy families. However, Wen Sijia was dedicated to taking over the family business, while Chu Hong was a spendthrift, known for her reckless behavior—a true pampered princess.

Now, to survive, she had to brave the filth of a garbage can, which was indeed rare.

As Chu Hong prepared to continue her tirade, a loud crash echoed from the wooden door, followed by a shattering sound, as a withered, muscular grayish-white arm reached in.

Yang Mu's heart raced again. The aberrant zombie was incredibly powerful! Its strength likely surpassed that of an average adult male, and it possessed regenerative abilities. How was he to deal with this?