Chu Hong posed the question.

Yang Mu regarded her with a look of incredulity, scoffing, “Logic? Have I not made myself abundantly clear? Unusual behavior invariably conceals ulterior motives; is further explanation necessary?”

Chu Hong countered, “But his friends are nearby, and he wants to lead us to them. What’s so suspicious about that? They must have communicated via WeChat, ensuring they know it’s safe here.”

Yelena added, “They might know there’s a relatively safe route to Exit C, yet their hesitance to take it is understandable, given the constant threat of zombies.”

Yang Mu shrugged and glanced at Hu Die.

After a moment of contemplation, Hu Die spoke softly, “When Guandong led us, he navigated numerous alleys without encountering zombies. This implies that his friends must have thoroughly scouted the area beforehand and provided him with a safe passage.”

“They’re aware of the situation on Minghai Road. Although it’s not far, two streets separate us, with the Agricultural Bank Tower and Yufeng Tower obstructing the view. If they haven’t gone there, they wouldn’t know what’s happening.”

“Thus, two points indicate that Guandong’s friends are proactive and not overly fearful of zombies; they’ve been actively searching for an escape route!”

“Yet they haven’t left; they remain here, suggesting that after extensive exploration, they’ve failed to find a viable escape path, or more specifically, one that leads to Exit C. Therefore, they must temporarily stay put.”

“Guandong’s insistence on guiding us, confidently claiming there’s a route to Exit C, is evidently a falsehood. If they cannot escape, how can that possibly be true? Either Guandong is deceiving us, or he has been misled by his friends; the route to Exit C they speak of is undoubtedly a dead end!”

“Regardless of who is lying, their intent is clear: to lead us here! But why? Why employ deception to bring us to this place?”

“As our leader pointed out, unusual behavior indicates ulterior motives. If they harbored no hostility towards us, they would not lie. Since they have lied and brought us here through deceptive means, this must surely be a trap… or at the very least, it presents that possibility.”

“In such perilous apocalyptic circumstances, our leader sees through human nature, opting to act preemptively. Whether or not the opposition is hostile, it is prudent to control the situation first. If we wrongfully accuse them, we can always reconcile; if we are right, we will not be at their mercy.”

“Even if we concede a hypothetical scenario where we are outsiders and they are the locals, our arrival could mean we would be under their control. Even absent malicious intent on their part, we could forcefully take charge and become the locals ourselves. In the apocalypse, there are rarely explanations or reasons—only the law of the jungle!”

Yang Mu marveled again, almost unable to restrain himself from applauding Hu Die.

What has this woman truly experienced? She has essentially gained complete insight into her own thoughts.

Chu Hong and Ye Lianali are undoubtedly intelligent, yet their perspectives lack the darkness of Hu Die and Yang Mu, leading them to overlook potential negative outcomes.

Upon hearing Hu Die’s analysis, both young ladies felt a faint blush creep across their cheeks.

They found Hu Die’s insights profoundly compelling, igniting a sense of shame within them. Why was it that Hu Die could so easily discern Yang Mu's thoughts?

Yang Mu rose and approached Hu Die, locking eyes with her before smiling, "Please, don’t call me 'boss'; it makes me feel old."

With those words, Yang Mu departed, moving towards the trembling little dog, his expression growing cold.

“Did you hear that? Now tell me why you lied, and why you led us here. Be clear, or I’ll just confine you. If you’re vague, I’ll throw you out to feed the zombies! You’ve accompanied me this far; you should know my methods are far from kind.”

“Boss...”

“Smack!”

Yang Mu raised his hand and struck the little dog across the face.

“Utter another word of nonsense, and I’ll throw you out.”

The little dog trembled, his face paling further, yet he dared not speak.

At that moment, the bound and battered warm-hearted Liu Yang spoke up:

“I’ll take this one! Guandong messaged me earlier, secretly taking photos of these three women in your group. None of us here have seen such beauty, so we just wanted to bring them for a little fun, nothing more.”

Chu Hong and Ye Lianali were both outraged and filled with apprehension.

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Fun?

If they fell into their hands, who could know what kind of 'fun' that would entail?

Yang Mu furrowed his brow, glancing at Liu Yang and then at the anxious little dog.

Liu Yang seemed relatively composed; why was the little dog so frightened?

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Mu took out Liu Yang’s and the little dog’s phones to check their WeChat chat history.

Deleted?

Both had deleted their messages. Was this necessary caution?

Yang Mu resolved to uncover the truth on his own. He swiftly struck the little dog unconscious, bound him, and then proceeded to incapacitate the others.

“Hu Die, you’re in charge here. Keep a close watch on them,” he instructed.

While speaking, Yang Mu quickly scanned the other bedrooms in the apartment; finding no issues, he searched Liu Yang again and discovered two sets of keys.

This studio apartment featured three rooms on each floor: two small units and one larger one.

Liu Yang and the others occupied the larger unit, 403, while the other two were the smaller rooms.

These two sets of keys likely unlocked the other two rooms, each labeled accordingly.

Yang Mu then ventured out alone to try his luck, and indeed, one set of keys opened the door to room 401.

As the door swung open, Yang Mu pinched his nose.

The stench was overwhelming.

He merely stood at the threshold, peering inside, where he beheld a dozen young women bound and appearing quite haggard.

Unwilling to delve into what had transpired, he gently closed the door and proceeded to the next room.

Upon opening the door to 402, an even more pungent odor assaulted him.

Unlike the hormonal scent of 401, this room reeked of blood and decay.

Yang Mu’s focus intensified, his eyes widening as he peered within, revealing a small giant seated in the living room.

Even while sitting, the giant's upper body approached nearly two meters in height, and his thick legs exceeded two meters in length.

The room was splattered with blood, the floor littered with severed limbs and bones, while the giant gnawed on a blood-soaked thigh. The sound of the door opening startled him, prompting him to turn his head.

His enormous head was more than twice the size of an average human’s.

His flesh appeared to have rapidly grown within a short span, though his skin had not kept pace, causing the muscle tissue to burst through, giving his body a grotesque sheen of blood and flesh.

Even for someone as seasoned as Yang Mu, this sight was terrifying.

Locking eyes with the creature revealed that its gaze, unlike that of ordinary zombies, bore a closer resemblance to humanity.

Due to its oversized head, its rows of teeth were fearfully exaggerated, sharp like those of a beast.

Was this also a zombie?

In the midst of his confusion, the small giant unexpectedly spoke, its voice hoarse and hollow, akin to a beast’s growl.

“Food... food...”

His expression lacked clarity, and his speech was far from coherent.

Yang Mu began to awaken to the possibility that this creature, much like the little demon, was also a form of half-dead being.

However, it appeared more violent than the little demon, displaying a similar interest in human flesh as a zombie would.

Could it be that Liu Yang and the others were effectively raising these half-dead beings?

The little dog might be aware of this situation, realizing that the intention behind bringing them was not merely to toy with a few women but also to offer these men as sustenance for the half-dead giant!

“Da Kui! Eliminate him!”

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the stairwell above, shouting down.

Yang Mu looked up to see the individual fleeing upward.

He must have been an accomplice of Liu Yang, previously hidden away, aware that Liu Yang and the others were now under his control. Having opened the door to the half-dead giant, he seized the opportunity to provoke it against Yang Mu!

Damn it!

Yang Mu swiftly closed the door, inserting the key to lock it.

Just as he secured the lock, a tremendous crash erupted, splintering wood flying in all directions as the door was shattered from within!

Yang Mu could scarcely fathom the strength of the half-dead giant.

He turned and dashed toward room 403, his mind racing with the newfound information.

The emergence of the little demon was a mere coincidence, yet it was not the sole anomaly; there existed other human-turned creatures, possessing rudimentary intelligence yet exhibiting zombie-like traits.

They too seemed to belong to a different category, each exhibiting distinct forms.

So far, the hunter zombies and the giant-headed zombies represented the complete zombie variants.

The little demon and Da Kui classified as half-dead beings.

The little demon leaned towards humanity, while Da Kui inclined towards the undead, yet both could be trained to comprehend basic commands in human language.

Bursting through the door of room 403, Yang Mu exclaimed:

“This place is unsafe; we must leave!”

“What about them?”

Hu Die inquired.

Yang Mu furrowed his brows, glancing at the unconscious figures sprawled before him.

He understood that the optimal choice was to eliminate these individuals.

However, for someone raised in a society governed by the rule of law, taking a life was far from a simple task. He had not personally dealt with Liu Dan's gang of thugs or Fang Zhongzheng; rather, he had employed alternative methods.

Given time, Yang Mu would devise a way to neutralize Liu Yang and his cohorts, ensuring they could no longer pose a threat to him. But now, time was of the essence.

“Forget them, let’s go!”

As the group rushed downstairs, the half-dead giant had already smashed through a wall, roaring as it charged forth.

Everyone sprinted frantically, yet Yang Mu turned to see that only the little demon remained, audaciously shouting at the half-dead giant.

Frustrated, Yang Mu rolled his eyes, turned back, and hoisted the little demon onto his shoulder.

“Look at that behemoth! With a mere flick of its hand, it could tear you apart. Do you really think you belong to the same species?”

The little demon continued to scream, displaying a greater cunning than the half-dead giant, yet lacking the ability to articulate words.

Bursting out of the youth apartment, Yang Mu surveyed the area; the streets teemed with zombies, necessitating a hasty retreat from this vicinity.

Just as he formed this intention, a roar erupted from a nearby rooftop.

Yang Mu turned his head, nearly losing his composure.

It was that zombie dog! After plummeting from above and sustaining a harsh fall, it appeared to have fully recovered, exuding vigor and strength.

It seemed truly indomitable.

The wall at the entrance of the youth apartment crumbled with a thunderous crash as the half-dead giant, Da Kui, burst forth, letting out a deafening roar that stirred the nearby zombies into a frenzied chorus of howls, causing them to converge toward this direction.

Yang Mu felt a wave of despair wash over him; the exit lay with the zombie dog, yet now it was blocked, rendering this a death trap. What was he to do?

“Da-da-da, da-da-da!”

A series of gunshots rang out, forcing the oncoming zombie dog to retreat.

From the nearby fruit market emerged seven individuals—one woman and six men—dressed in black camouflage.

Yang Mu's eyes lit up. Could it be the Battle Tiger Special Forces?