Yang Mu’s phone rang, an incoming call from Chu Hong.

As soon as he answered, sobbing greeted his ears:

"You ran off with the dog again, leaving me behind!"

"Next time, I'll invite you to ride the dog together."

"Absolutely not! That thing looks disgusting."

"Heh, heh."

"Are you okay?"

"Would I be talking to you if I wasn't?"

"Oh... I think I'm about to be rescued. The special forces captain said the army is already in action. We might have a chance to escape. The explosion site is so close, the zombies surrounding this building are moving towards it. Once they’re all gone, we’ll make a break for it and rendezvous with Kamikaze Squad One and Squad Two. They’ve rescued a lot of people. But all the food we had has nearly been eaten by them. We didn’t even have lunch... Where are you? Send me your location. If you're nearby, I’ll have the special forces pick you up."

"Special forces? Following your orders? You really think highly of yourself. But since you’re still thinking of me at a time like this, I’ll let bygones be bygones. After I divorce Wen Sijia, we’ll sever all ties and never cross paths again."

"Ugh, you’re so dramatic, like you’re reciting lines from a script! You’re going to make me cry."

"Aren’t you already crying? Trying to play the victim, huh? I’m not falling for it!"

"Yang Mu, you’ve really changed. You weren’t like this before."

"I used to think being polite and well-mannered around you rich girls would earn me respect. But the more I acted like that, the more you looked down on me. From now on, I’m going to be myself. What do I care about your wealth? You’re still just humans—two legs, one head. You and Wen Sijia? Strip down and lie in front of me, and in ten months, I could have you both bearing children. You’re no different from any other woman. You’re not made of gold or diamonds. I was the fool for thinking otherwise."

"The more you talk, the more vulgar you sound... Ah! They’re starting to evacuate! Yang Mu, you’d better get out too. See you outside! And don’t think I’ll let you walk away from this. I’m going to find you when I get out, and you’ll pay for what you’ve done!"

"Damn it! You’re really something! Fine, next time we meet, I'll spank you till you cry!"

After hanging up, Yang Mu felt oddly satisfied, thinking Chu Hong's whining was probably just a symptom of her princess syndrome.

He picked up his binoculars and resumed his observation.

Not long after, the second sound source detonated, prompting the zombies in the quarantine zone to stir.

Watching for a while, Yang Mu frowned slightly. These two explosion points were not well-placed. The zombies near exit B were slowly moving in his direction, and the rest were forming a tightening encirclement around the building. Escape was impossible for now.

All he could do was wait and hope the next explosion might improve the situation.

Minutes passed, and the third sound source detonated—only 500 meters away.

Yang Mu observed the swirling mass of zombies, torn with frustration. This felt like some kind of sinister trap. Instead of dispersing, the zombies turned back, tightening their grip around the building.

The military’s choice of sound sources had to be strategically placed in areas devoid of survivors, which was no easy task.

This plan could move zombies away from some zones, allowing survivors to escape, but it would also push zombies into other areas.

It seemed the operation would unfold in two stages, with the quarantine zone divided into Area A and Area B.

First, they would attract zombies to Area A, allowing survivors in Area B to flee, then reverse the process to free those in Area A.

Unfortunately for Yang Mu, he was now in Area A, where the zombies were set to gather in greater numbers.

"Do you have any food at home?"

"No, if I had food, would I still order takeout? Do you have any? I’m starving."

Yang Mu, without hesitation, tossed a piece of bread to Song Ren. This wasn't an act of kindness but rather a reward. The little demon was a treasure, and it was thanks to Song Ren that she existed.

"My supplies aren’t much either. Judging by the situation, we won’t be escaping anytime soon. Let’s wait a while and see if there are any open doors on this floor. We might be able to scavenge something to eat."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I don’t want to go out. That black zombie from earlier was terrifying!"

"Fine, let’s wait and see."

Hours passed with Yang Mu sitting on the balcony, keeping an eye on the surroundings below while training the little demon.

All things considered, there had been progress. The little demon was now capable of following simple commands, far smarter than any dog, which delighted Yang Mu to no end.

The afternoon sun slanted through the sky, intensifying the oppressive heat.

Suddenly, Yang Mu spotted a group of people running from afar. They squeezed through gaps in the zombie horde and finally reached the building, shattering the door to rush inside.

He roughly estimated that there were several hundred of them, with even more zombies in pursuit!

They broke down the building's entrance, allowing the zombies to flood in as well.

What the hell!

Where did these people come from? How did they manage to breach the zombie barricade?

The number of people made it hard for Yang Mu to discern clearly, but the sound of gunfire reached his ears—rapid fire, powerful, seemingly military-grade equipment.

After some hesitation, Yang Mu sent a WeChat message to Chu Hong, asking her whereabouts.

Half a minute later, Chu Hong called him directly, her voice breathless.

"I’m... I’m at Binbei Tower."

"What? How did you end up there?"

So the group that had just barged in was indeed Chu Hong's. Of all the routes they could’ve taken, they had to charge into the zombie-infested zone? Were they out of their minds?

"There were too many of us! As we moved, we picked up survivors scattered along the way. Eventually, we joined up with Kamikaze Team One and Two, swelling to thousands. Originally, we were supposed to take another route, but someone in the crowd turned into a zombie. By the time the special forces realized, it was too late to control the situation! Amidst the chaos, we ran, and the more we ran, the more zombies there were. We barely made it here!"

"Which floor are you on?"

"The sixth floor. Everyone’s here. The Kamikaze team is setting up defenses, trying to hold the zombies back on the lower levels. I’m so scared..."

Before she could finish, the call abruptly ended—likely her phone had died.

What bad luck.

Yang Mu stared blankly for a moment. While he sensed that his relationship with Chu Hong had subtly changed after two phone calls, he still didn’t immediately rush downstairs.

The situation below was too complicated. With Chu Hong under the protection of the Kamikaze squad, she shouldn’t be in immediate danger. It was better to wait and initiate the second step—creating noise sources elsewhere to divert attention, giving them a chance to escape later.

Yang Mu heard more gunshots from below, likely the Kamikaze squad fending off zombies.

He also saw an increasing number of zombies gathering downstairs, swarming into the building.

The hope of escaping earlier now seemed less certain.

At eight that evening, the government website delivered news that shattered Yang Mu’s remaining hope.

The evacuation plan had failed.

Initially, things had gone well, with nearly twenty thousand survivors making their way to the exit. But just like Chu Hong’s situation, someone turned into a zombie in the crowd, throwing everything into chaos.

The bulletin updated the characteristics of the zombie virus: it could erupt instantly or remain dormant for an indefinite period.

In other words, even people who appeared healthy were not necessarily safe. If they had been scratched, they could turn into zombies at any moment.

This rendered the noise source plan untenable. A large group of people clustered together was a ticking time bomb. No one dared unleash such a danger—doing so could mean being labeled humanity’s greatest villain.

The aerial division was still struggling, with the number of flying zombie birds reportedly increasing rather than decreasing.

Ground forces were advancing slowly but had managed to rescue some survivors on the periphery—a small consolation.

However, worse news surfaced online: across the ocean, in the Medland Federation, a region had also fallen to a zombie outbreak. Suddenly, apocalyptic fears escalated, plunging the world into a state of panic, chaos erupting everywhere.

Yang Mu's expression grew colder. Gripping his axe, he turned to Song Ren and said, "Let’s go, time to find some food. I don’t plan on starving here."

With that, they left the apartment and began searching the building floor by floor, starting from the thirtieth.

Along the way, they encountered several zombies, all of which Yang Mu swiftly dispatched. Song Ren watched in awe, his admiration for Yang Mu growing by the minute.

"Bro, how do you do it?"

"First, avoid their teeth and claws. Zombies aren’t as terrifying once you realize that. Sure, they’re stronger, but not invincible. The reason you can’t kill them is that you haven’t conquered your own fear. You need to overcome it—otherwise, you’ll be the one who dies!"

As Yang Mu slaughtered zombies, he coached Song Ren, who quickly grew more adept in the process.

The little demon proved invaluable. When faced with a single zombie, she would pounce and pin it down, leaving Yang Mu and Song Ren to finish it off with a flurry of blows.

They made their way through the building, eventually stumbling upon a few unlocked, unoccupied apartments. Inside, they found some food—not a lot, but enough to last them a few days.

"With this, we don’t have to worry about starving. You head back first; I’m going downstairs to scout."

The gunfire had ceased, and Yang Mu was curious about the situation below. He decided to investigate.

"Take the little demon with you?"

"No, she’s your girl. Without you, I’m afraid she might not behave."

"I told you she’s not... Never mind, should I come with you?"

"No need, it’s just a quick recon. More people would only get in the way."

After securing the food, Yang Mu set out alone, cautiously descending the stairs.

The stairwell had been safe earlier, without a single zombie in sight.

He made it down to the ninth floor without incident, but as he reached the eighth, two zombies lurked near the stairwell door.

Yang Mu approached stealthily, quickly dispatching one. The other lunged at him, but after a brief struggle and more than ten strikes, he managed to kill it. Only then did he finish off the first zombie.

Fighting zombies in a stairwell gave Yang Mu an advantage. If things got hairy, he could always kick them down the stairs, buying himself time as they clumsily climbed back up. Their sense of direction, after all, was far from sharp.

He continued to the seventh floor, which was eerily quiet.

That didn’t seem right. Just moments ago, hundreds of people had rushed into the building. Chu Hong had said she was on the sixth floor. How could it be so silent here on the seventh?

Taking another step, the motion-sensing lights flickered on.

Yang Mu glanced towards the stairwell door, which had a small vertical window. Beyond it lay the hallway, flanked by rows of office doors.

As he peered through the glass, his heart froze, and he instinctively stepped back, pressing his body against the wall, unable to stop the trembling...