The rain poured down in torrents, the relentless sound of water pattering against the earth.

A twelve-year-old Yang Mu lay in the narrow alley, on the verge of unconsciousness from severe blood loss.

Despair crept over him as he felt death approaching. All of this because he had taken half a loaf of bread from a small beggar the day before. Ironically, they had found that bread together in a dumpster, but today he was alone while the beggar had twenty others by his side. In this harsh world of survival, the strong prey upon the weak. He was wrong, and it was he who was nearly beaten to death.

Suddenly, footsteps approached, and someone lifted him from the ground, carrying him out of the alley and to a black car nearby.

The window rolled down, revealing the face of an exquisitely beautiful young girl.

She was breathtaking. That single glance imprinted itself in Yang Mu’s memory forever.

"Miss Wen, he's gravely injured," someone said.

"Put him in the car."

"But he's covered in blood and rainwater. He’ll dirty the vehicle."

"Is a life worth less than a car? Since when did the Wen family lose its compassion?"

"I'm sorry, Miss, I was wrong."

"Hurry and get him in. We’re taking him to the hospital!"

And just like that, Yang Mu was placed in the car. Before he drifted into unconsciousness, he heard the young girl speak.

"Don't be afraid, little brother. My name is Wen Sijia. I’ll make sure you get to the hospital. You just need to stay strong."

He passed out. When he woke up, he was in a hospital bed.

Eight years and seven months would pass before Yang Mu saw the girl again. By then, she no longer recognized him.

Dreams come in many forms—some are wild and nonsensical, while others are fragmented memories from childhood.

Yang Mu had one such dream. When he awoke, he frowned slightly. A ray of warm sunlight pierced through the window, illuminating his face. It was the third day since the apocalypse began.

“Awake?”

A gentle female voice broke the silence.

Yang Mu looked up, only to be greeted by the sight of an impressive bosom.

He tilted his head slightly to see the delicate, tired face of Chu Hong.

He had never noticed before, but from this angle, Chu Hong exuded an unmistakable femininity.

When he was fourteen, an old beggar had told him that any woman capable of nursing a child was a “true woman.”

Yang Mu had asked what kind of woman could do that.

The old man had thought for a long while before replying with a single word.

"Big."

Back then, Yang Mu had taken the old beggar’s word as truth. The man had died half a month later, and on his deathbed, he had grasped Yang Mu’s hand, trembling as he spoke.

“I lied to you... I’ve never even touched a woman in my life. I don’t know what they’re like. You’re still young. Stop begging for food and find a real job. Only then will you meet a woman who might want to bear your children. Don’t end up like me—a man who lived a wasted life and left nothing behind.”

Yang Mu wasn’t particularly close to the old beggar, so his death didn’t affect him deeply. But the man’s explanation of a “true woman” had stuck with him, influencing his view of women through adolescence.

As for Wen Sijia, who had entered Yang Mu’s heart as an adult, part of that was because of a long-buried memory from years ago. The other part was perhaps due to her "authenticity."

If that old beggar were resurrected, he would undoubtedly point at Wen Sijia and say, “See? That’s the truest of true women.”

For a moment, Yang Mu lost himself in thought, realizing that he had slept the entire night with his head on Chu Hong’s lap. Judging by her exhausted expression, she must have stayed awake the whole time.

Yang Mu sat up, and Chu Hong stirred, trying to stand, though her leg seemed to cramp, prompting a sharp yelp of pain.

Yang Mu grabbed her leg and stretched it out, causing her to yelp even louder, feeling embarrassed by the awkward, splayed position.

Stolen novel; please report.

“What are you doing? Stop messing around, Yang Mu!”

“Since you’ve been such a diligent pillow, I’ll help you get your blood flowing. Stay still.”

“O-Okay… Just don’t stretch it so much. My pants might rip open.”

“Heh, these bath pants of yours are tough! Even that guy yesterday couldn’t tear them apart, no matter how hard he tried.”

“You… Stop talking about it.”

Chu Hong’s face flushed, whether from embarrassment, anger, or lingering fear from yesterday’s events, it was hard to tell.

Yang Mu gave no thought to Chu Hong’s emotions, nor did he feel inclined to engage in any flirtatious banter. After stretching her limbs, he exited the small office and went outside to rouse those who had been sleeping haphazardly.

“Anyone who doesn’t want to starve should come with me to find food. We’ll head upstairs. The lower floors are infested with zombies and are not secure. The higher we go, the better.”

Yang Mu’s words clearly carried weight, and everyone immediately rose.

Hu Die’s eyes flitted between Yang Mu and Chu Hong, her brows furrowed with concern, though she said nothing.

Once everyone was ready, they ventured out into the corridor, heading toward the stairwell.

The door to room 1020 faced the elevator entrance. As they passed, they heard the elevator’s chime.

Was someone using the elevator?

This thought barely formed when the elevator doors opened, revealing a sight that made Yang Mu’s heart race!

The zombie dog!

“Grrr!”

The zombie dog leaped out, swiftly crushing Wang Yunzhi’s head, splattering blood everywhere.

“Wife!”

Liu Dongfeng shouted and attempted to charge forward, but Yang Mu urgently stopped him.

“Run upstairs!”

As Yang Mu spoke, he drew the two pistols from his backpack, disengaged the safeties, and fired at the zombie dog.

Though he had never used a gun before, having seen others do so gave him some familiarity.

He managed to land a few shots, with one hitting the zombie dog in the forehead, though his aim was not precise.

The zombie dog retreated, dragging Wang Yunzhi’s lifeless body. It snapped at Yang Mu in fury before launching itself at him.

Noting that Chu Hong and the others had already fled down the corridor, Yang Mu quickly turned back, luring the zombie dog into the room they had previously occupied.

As the zombie dog followed, Yang Mu climbed onto the balcony’s railing.

The zombie dog raced toward him, mouth agape, leaping into the air. Yang Mu made a swift jump to the adjacent balcony as the creature approached.

The gap was roughly two meters—an easy jump for him.

The zombie dog missed its target and plummeted downward, crashing into the horde of zombies below, causing a burst of blood and a cloud of mist. The impact must have caused considerable damage to several zombies.

Yang Mu peered down for a long while. As the blood mist cleared, he saw that the zombie dog had managed to stand, though its legs were broken and it was covered in blood—whether its own or that of others, it was unclear.

It lifted its head and let out a fierce, prolonged roar, full of rage.

Yang Mu sat on the balcony, panting, examining his pistols. One was out of ammunition, and the other had only one bullet left.

His marksmanship was poor; if only he had aimed for its eyes, perhaps the shot to the forehead would have been more effective.

He stood, adjusted his clothing, and exited the room. At the elevator, he saw Wang Yunzhi attempting to rise, half of her face gone, her mouth emitting guttural growls. Her eyes were vacant and pale—she had become a zombie.

Yang Mu hesitated, then drew the pistol with remaining bullets and aimed at Wang Yunzhi’s head.

She seemed sluggish due to the head injury, staggering toward Yang Mu. When she was only thirty centimeters away, he fired, the shot exploding her head, causing her to fall backward.

“Rest in peace! May your soul find peace and hope you can still be a good wife in the afterlife.”

Yang Mu holstered his gun and swiftly pursued the direction Chu Hong and the others had taken, catching up with them on the twenty-fourth floor.

“Yang Mu, how is my wife?”

Liu Dongfeng, with bloodshot eyes and trembling hands, clutched Yang Mu’s arm.

“She has turned into a zombie. I put her down to spare her from further suffering.”

Hearing this, Liu Dongfeng collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

Yang Mu glanced at him, noting the genuine grief—there seemed to be true affection between the couple.

“Cry here if you must. The rest of us need to keep moving.”

Yang Mu’s expression remained cold as he bypassed Liu Dongfeng and continued upward.

Hu Die observed Yang Mu’s impassive demeanor, biting her lip as she followed.

She understood this man; his lack of visible emotion about Wang Yunzhi’s death did not mean he was unaffected. He simply knew what needed to be done at this moment.

The others hastened to follow, with Wang Liang urging Liu Dongfeng.

“Brother-in-law, let’s go. My sister is gone, but we must survive.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

With Wang Liang’s persistence, Liu Dongfeng finally rose and joined the group.

They returned to Song Ren’s home, knocking on the door to summon him.

“Thank heavens you’re back! I was so worried!”

Song Ren was overjoyed to see Yang Mu and his eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful girl accompanying him.

“Where’s Xiao Yao?”

“She’s in the bathroom. I’m afraid to be alone with her.”

Yang Mu opened the bathroom door to find the petite figure in a trench coat and mask rushing out and embracing him.

Yang Mu was startled, but observed that she seemed comforted by merely smelling him.

The time they had spent together yesterday had made her remember his scent, which was a positive sign. However, her clinginess was impractical; more training was needed.

“Let’s go. The house is too small and lacks sufficient food. We need to move upstairs.”

Yang Mu had no plans beyond finding food.

There were many zombies downstairs, but they rarely ventured upstairs. As long as there was enough food, survival on the upper floors was feasible. As for escaping...

Peering out the window at the horde below, it was clear that the area within three to four kilometers was densely populated with zombies. Unless they retreated, this place was a dead end.

Reaching the forty-fifth floor, they finally struck gold.

There was a luxurious, nearly two-hundred-square-meter apartment with the door ajar. It featured four bedrooms, two living rooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a study, all lavishly decorated.

Yang Mu estimated the apartment to be worth over ten million.

Ah, the wealth of Hannan City is abundant, but now it was deserted. The fate of the previous occupants was unknown.

In the kitchen, Yang Mu found plenty of food, with the refrigerator fully stocked—enough to last at least a week.

“I’ll take the bedroom with the balcony. The rest can choose for yourselves. Song Ren, will Xiao Yao stay with you?”

“No, no, I’d rather stay with you.”

“But she’s your girlfriend.”

“I’ve said it’s not like that…”

Song Ren was frustrated, while the others looked puzzled, unsure about the enigmatic Xiao Yao.