After confirming she had shaken off that mysterious and dangerous man, Ruan Ning hurried toward her off-road vehicle. She carefully checked her surroundings, making sure there were no ambushes or followers before smoothly unlocking, getting in, and starting the engine.
The off-road vehicle rumbled low and deep as it drove away from the perilous area. Her return route was even more cautious than before; she avoided any places where people or large groups of zombies might gather, instead choosing remote, broken paths to travel.
When the familiar apartment building, like a fortress, finally appeared in sight, Ruan Ning felt her taut nerves loosen just a bit.
She carefully parked the vehicle in a concealed corner of the underground garage, confirmed safety once again, then stored the car inside her spatial pocket. Dragging her exhausted body, she headed toward the stairs.
The heavy security door closed behind her with a reassuring click as it locked.
Finally… she was home.
The moment she stepped into the foyer, all the blood, violence, danger, and suspicion from the outside world seemed sealed off by that door. Though the faint scent of disinfectant still lingered in the air—a remnant from her earlier cleaning—this place was her den, her temporary refuge.
Ruan Ning didn’t immediately do anything else. Leaning against the cold security door, she slowly slid down to sit on the floor and exhaled a long, deep breath. The fatigue from a whole afternoon of intense fighting, combined with the mental stress from her brief encounter with that mysterious man, swept over her like a tide.
She sat quietly for several minutes, emptying her mind, simply savoring this rare, fragile peace.
Only when her legs began to tingle did she push herself up. First, she took off the blood- and sweat-stained combat jacket and pants, along with her gloves, tossing them into a large sealed bag she had prepared.
Then she went into the bathroom.
No electricity meant no hot water. But she was used to it. From her spatial pocket, she took out some lukewarm water that had been warmed in the sun and used a towel to carefully wipe her body. The cool water on her skin sent tiny shivers through her but also washed away stickiness and grime, refreshing her spirit.
Looking at her young yet exhausted and sharp face in the mirror, Ruan Ning gently patted her cheek. Thankfully, no injuries.
After washing up, she changed into clean, soft home clothes. The comfort of being wrapped in fabric made her almost sigh in satisfaction.
She walked to the living room and turned on a rechargeable desk lamp. From her spatial pocket, she took out a steaming beef rice meal and a chilled functional drink mixed with spring water from her space.
Sitting on the floor by the window, leaning against the wall, she ate the food in small but quick bites. Normally, rice and beef weren’t especially delicious to her, but when starving, it was the greatest delicacy.
The cold drink slid down her throat, soothing her thirst and slowly replenishing her depleted strength and energy.
After finishing, she disposed of the trash and pulled out a basic book on fluid mechanics she had previously tossed into her space. Hoping to find inspiration to develop her water elemental abilities, she slowly flipped through it under the dim, blood-colored moonlight filtering through the window.
No zombie growls, no human schemes—only the soft rustling of pages and her steady breathing.
This moment of relaxation and calm was priceless.
She knew such moments would be rare. Tomorrow, the day after… she would have to leave this safe house again, face the crueler apocalypse, chase power, and steadily carry out her plans.
But at least for now, she allowed herself to temporarily lay down all armor and defenses, just a weary survivor quietly enjoying this brief respite, letting her body and soul slowly recover in this island of peace.
The night was still long, and so was her journey.
The next day, when the blood-red dawn replaced the deep darkness, Ruan Ning was already prepared.
After a night’s rest and nourishment from the spring water, yesterday’s fatigue was completely gone, her elemental energy fully restored—she even felt her water energy was a bit more solid than before.
She clearly understood that fighting and exhaustion themselves were forms of cultivation.
Once again, she quietly drove out from the underground garage. The off-road vehicle moved like a silent beast weaving through the maze of ruins and abandoned vehicles.
Today, she chose a new direction—a district dominated by old residential buildings and low shops, with complex alleys and possibly high zombie density, but also potentially corners not yet looted, and… more hunting opportunities.
She stopped the car in a concealed spot some distance from her target area. Ruan Ning parked and proceeded on foot, blending into the shadows of the broken walls.
Compared to yesterday, the “life” on the streets seemed even sparser. Survivors scrambling for food were fewer, perhaps because nearby supplies had been exhausted or because many who ventured out never returned.
The air was thick with a stronger sense of despair.
She passed by a residential gate whose iron door hung twistedly open, with constant zombie growls and sporadic banging inside. Clearly, the humans there had either fled or… become part of it.
In front of a ransacked jewelry store, she saw two fresh bodies—living people, not zombies. One had a bitten-open throat; the other had a dagger stuck in their chest. Scattered gold and silver jewelry shimmered uselessly under the blood-colored sky.
Dying over things that couldn’t be eaten or drunk was so ironic in this apocalypse.
“Get lost! We found it first!”
A low shout came from a nearby alley.
Ruan Ning silently approached and saw a back door of a convenience store pried open. Five or six gaunt men blocked the entrance, holding sticks and kitchen knives, confronting another group inside.
Both sides had fierce looks like starving wolves fighting over territory, ready to tear each other apart for whatever food remained.
Ruan Ning passed the alley indifferently, not stopping. Such fights would only increase in the days ahead.
She pushed deeper, heading toward areas where zombie growls were louder.
At a crossroad, she spotted a large group of about twenty or thirty zombies surrounding an overturned bus, repeatedly battering the vehicle. Faint terrified cries and pleas came from inside.
Ruan Ning only glanced coldly and detoured. She was no savior, nor capable of rescuing strangers from a horde.
She chose a relatively quiet street, where shadows flickered behind balconies and windows of residential buildings. Scattered zombies roamed—perfect for her practice.
Spotting a zombie rummaging through trash, she didn’t immediately use her powers. Like a stalking leopard, she used an abandoned newsstand and vehicles as cover to sneak close.
When close enough, she burst out silently! Swift, soundless steps, machete drawing a deadly arc—
Thunk!
A precise decapitation, blood spraying. The zombie didn’t even have time to emit a full growl.
She skillfully searched for a crystal core—none. She immediately moved on, searching for her next target.
This time, she tried using her powers. When another zombie noticed her and charged with a roar, she stood still, raised her hand, and focused.
A more condensed, faster pale blue water arrow shot out than the day before!
Whoosh—thud!
The water arrow hit the zombie’s eye socket precisely, its strong penetration destroying the brain. The zombie’s forward movement stopped abruptly as it collapsed.
“Control has improved,” Ruan Ning thought with slight delight, feeling this strike consumed less energy but was more effective than yesterday.
She continuously shifted positions and attack methods, sometimes melee slashing, sometimes ranged water arrows, even attempting to handle two zombies from different directions simultaneously—using the water arrow to block one’s movement while finishing off the other up close, then turning back for the wounded one.
The battle was intense and efficient.
Just as she finished off a zombie in pajamas with a water arrow and prepared to rest briefly, a third-floor window of a nearby residential building suddenly flew open!
An elderly woman with gray hair and a haggard face leaned halfway out, clutching a small cloth bag tightly, and called out in a strained whisper:
“Miss! Miss! Please help me! I have food! I still have some rice!”
Desperation filled the woman’s eyes as she shook the bag—probably her last stash.
Ruan Ning looked up coldly.
Almost at the same moment, several nearby zombies were attracted, roaring and gathering at the building’s entrance, banging on doors and windows.
The old woman turned pale with fright, hurriedly pulled back inside and closed the window, though her pleading eyes still seemed to reach through the glass.
Without hesitation, Ruan Ning withdrew her gaze, turned sharply, and quickly disappeared into the shadows of a nearby alley.
She had no extra sympathy to waste, nor would she risk attacking a zombie-surrounded building for a bit of food.
In the apocalypse, everyone must take responsibility for their own survival.
Her training wasn’t over. The hunt continued.
On this brutal path of survival, she had to be as hard as iron, every step carefully planned.