Jin Xiao and Hong Zhengyuan entered the mall. Without needing to team up with others, the two of them could easily clear out all the zombies.
Hong Zhengyuan rubbed the flame at his fingertips and smiled lightly. "Not many high-level zombies either, just small fry."
Jin Xiao wiped the dust off the counter and narrowed his eyes.
Hong Zhengyuan paused. "I don’t think there’s much here. Even if we keep looking, we won’t find anything. Should we… head back first?"
Jin Xiao glanced sideways. "In the past, whenever you heard about scavenging, you’d be like a wild dog—no one could drag you back. Why are you so 'attached to the nest' today?"
Hong Zhengyuan’s expression shifted slightly, but he ignored Jin Xiao’s sarcasm. "I’m just a bit worried about the… ordinary people in the car. There are so many zombies outside, and we’ve never brought ordinary people on missions before."
"There are supernatural ability users protecting the car, so there’s no need to worry for now." Jin Xiao casually picked up a crushed medicine box and lowered his gaze. "But you won’t be able to go back anytime soon."
"Huh?"
"The dust here shows that someone scavenged this place not long ago. Their actions were professional, their targets clear—most likely a superpower user squad like ours. Judging by the state of the dust, they left no more than three days ago."
"Supernatural ability users?"
Hong Zhengyuan’s expression turned serious. In the apocalyptic world, supernatural ability users were never allies. They probed each other, wary and cautious. Teams fought to the death, especially now when resources were scarce. The fastest way to obtain supplies wasn’t scavenging—it was outright robbery.
Many superpower user squads didn’t join bases, surviving by plundering other teams’ supplies. Encountering them could spell trouble.
Jin Xiao nodded. "It’s best if we can guess their direction based on these traces. Otherwise, having an unknown superpower user squad nearby is a threat to us."
Hong Zhengyuan rubbed the flame at his fingertips. "What’s there to be afraid of? We’ll fight them one by one, two by two." After saying this, he coughed, as if remembering something. "But we still need to protect those ordinary people. We can’t get too caught up in fighting."
"Rare to see you using your brain."
Just as they were speaking, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside. Both men tensed and looked up—it was Chi Jing.
Hong Zhengyuan let out a sigh of relief. "I thought it was someone else… Chi Jing, it really doesn’t feel right going on missions without you."
Jin Xiao frowned, his pupils darkening for a moment. He tilted his chin up. "Why aren’t you staying in the car? The two of us are enough here."
Chi Jing lowered his head slightly and paused. "It’s stuffy in the car. I came to help."
Jin Xiao’s brow slowly furrowed.
Hong Zhengyuan suddenly realized something and coughed, asking vaguely, "So you left that woman alone there? What if something happens? Just to be clear, I’m not worried about her—I just don’t want trouble. If something happens, I won’t save her…"
Chi Jing adjusted his glasses, hiding his pupils. "It’s fine. I… locked the door."
The car was modified, and zombies couldn’t break through the door. Once locked, only they knew how to open it. Jin Xiao withdrew his gaze and tossed the medicine he’d found to Chi Jing. "Then stay. You’re meticulous. If we hurry…"
Before the words were finished, the walkie-talkies of several people suddenly emitted agitation, and a panicked voice came from the other end:
"Boss, Gu Qing said Meng Siyao got off the car at some unknown time!"
After everyone had set off, Wang Ya yawned boredly in the car, drowsily dozed off, and was awakened by the urge to urinate. So she asked Chen Hu, who was driving, if she could get off the car, or even let Gu Qing, sitting at the back, accompany her outside.
Chen Hu hesitated, and Gu Qing's calm voice came through the walkie-talkie, telling her to hold it until they were outside the city, as it was unsafe here.
Wang Ya sighed helplessly and casually looked forward. This glance made her suddenly sit upright.
She patted the driver's seat: "Hu-ge, look ahead, isn't there no one at all?"
Chen Hu wiped his tired face: "Chi-ge went down earlier. Don't worry, he won't have any problems."
"No, not that, it's—no—one—at—all!"
Before the words were finished, a slightly raised voice came through the walkie-talkie: "What did you say?"
Then, there was the sound of physical collision—"Gu Qing, you can't get off the car!"
A moment later, Gu Qing came over with a tense face. The supernatural ability user behind her tried to block her path with earth special ability, but she easily leaped over it. She stood before the lead car and looked around, facing everyone's astonished gazes, and said solemnly: "Tell Jin Xiao immediately."
Hearing the voice coming from the other end of the walkie-talkie, Chi Jing's pupils flickered, and his face momentarily went blank.
Hong Zhengyuan also opened his mouth, unable to react for a moment. He instinctively looked at Jin Xiao, whose brows furrowed: "Are you sure you locked the door properly?"
Chi Jing regained his composure, his voice noticeably unstable: "I'm sure I locked it."
In a place filled with zombies, what it means for an ordinary person to get off the car is self-evident.
"How could she possibly get off the car then?!?" Hong Zhengyuan glared and retorted.
Chi Jing was speechless.
Jin Xiao immediately spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Tell me the details carefully. Who discovered it first? Did anyone notice anything unusual before?"
The walkie-talkie on the other end seemed to have been snatched: "Jin Xiao, it's me, Gu Qing."
Gu Qing quickly explained the whole story. Hong Zhengyuan irritably scratched his head, "Damn, she must have gone looking for some cosmetics! How can she be so… so inconsiderate."
Chi Jing's face was also somewhat tense. Gu Qing paused and said: "Getting angry now is meaningless. All three of you should go look for her; it should still be timely. I know the way out of the city. If the zombie tide comes, I'll lead everyone safely away."
Jin Xiao turned off the walkie-talkie, pulled out a cigarette, but before lighting it, simply put it down and said: "You two lead everyone to evacuate first. I'll go look for her."
"No!" Hong Zhengyuan instinctively said, "I'll go too!"
Both looked at him, and he forced an expression, "I'm not that kind-hearted. But if the zombie tide comes, you alone definitely won't hold up. Besides, such a disobedient woman—once we find her, she must be properly disciplined first!"
Chi Jing hesitated and also said: "It was because I got off the car that she got the chance. It's my negligence; let me go too."
Jin Xiao glanced at the two, biting the cigarette tip between his teeth: "No need. Just leave me a car. If I don't return tonight, come pick me up the next day. What I'm worried about isn't just the zombies, but also people."
The two stared at each other. Jin Xiao gestured toward the walkie-talkie, and Chi Jing instantly understood—anyone who could immediately detect anomalies and seize the initiative like Gu Qing was definitely not simple. Without him and Hong Zhengyuan returning to hold the fort, their base might have been compromised.
Jin Xiao tightened the bandage around the wound on his arm, took the spear, and tucked a dagger into the back of his waist. "Be careful on the way out of the city. Keep an eye out for any other special ability squads."
Chi Jing’s face was pale, his eyes flickering slightly, his voice slightly hoarse. "I know. Don’t worry."
Seeing the two quickly reach an agreement, Hong Zhengyuan grew anxious. "Hey, what do you mean? You’re just letting Jin Xiao go alone to rescue her?"
Chi Jing turned to pull Hong Zhengyuan away, but Hong Zhengyuan grabbed his wrist instead, his eyes tinged with red. "Chi Jing, that’s a human life! You just left her in the car, giving her a chance to disappear, and now you’re going back like this? Besides… besides, if you don’t care about others, are you really okay with letting the boss go alone?"
Chi Jing took off his glasses and met Hong Zhengyuan’s gaze without flinching. "I know it was my carelessness, but only the boss can save her this time. Hong Zhengyuan, don’t forget what I told you!"
Hong Zhengyuan’s eyes flickered, and he slowly released Chi Jing’s hand.
The two left with grim expressions, gritting their teeth. Jin Xiao looked down from the window. In the distance, zombies, drawn by the noise, were already dragging their broken bodies toward them. The convoy had paused briefly but was forced to leave. If he didn’t find Meng Siyao before all the zombies arrived, he risked being trapped here.
He let out a breath, surveyed the entire commercial area, and quickly searched for places where Meng Siyao might be hiding.
Considering Meng Siyao’s unusual behavior in the car, she must have found a way to go out and look for feminine products. Logically, the most likely place was the mall closest to the convoy, but she would definitely avoid the convoy members. Aside from the nearest mall, the only other possibility was…
His gaze fixed on the opposite building.
However, zombies were already gathering downstairs. Going down now would waste time. His expression tense, he leaped from the broken window and landed on the corridor below with a light thud, startling not a single zombie. He shook his slightly numb arm, pressed his thin lips together, and entered the mall across the way.
Only a few zombies lingered at the entrance of the mall. The spacious first floor was filled with cosmetics and jewelry, but not a sound could be heard. Jin Xiao scanned the area, but as soon as he shifted his foot outward, his brow furrowed tightly.
He hurried inside and saw a shriveled zombie behind the counter. On the dusty floor was a trail of messy footprints. He crouched down and touched the ground.
A speck of crimson—blood, but without the smell of blood. A sweet fragrance drifted through the air, strong enough to mask all decay.
Jin Xiao’s breathing suddenly changed.
Outside the door, the zombie strained to push its tongue through the crack, exerting so much force it seemed as if it would tear its own tongue out. Tang Nai buried her face in her knees, desperately trying to control her breathing.
Bang! Like a beast seeing its prey just out of reach, the zombie began frantically slamming and scratching outside. One impact followed another. The door was too thin—it wouldn’t take long for the creature to break through.
The noise outside grew louder and louder, hanging over Tang Nai’s head like a sword, destined to fall sooner or later.
"Mr. Xi, if I die, does that count as a mission failure?"
Tang Nai raised her face, her eyes emitting a faint glow in the darkness.
[…Sort of.] The system fell silent for a moment, seemingly unwilling to elaborate, and could only helplessly await the descent of that "sword."
But Tang Nai didn’t want to give up. She felt that having finally gained a chance to choose a body, it would be a shame if she couldn’t even survive the first world.
In the darkness, she kept groping around until she suddenly touched a clothes hanger. The small hanger couldn’t do much, but Tang Nai said, "Mr. Xi, I think I might not have to die. If I use this to control its mouth, it won’t be able to bite me. As long as I’m not infected, I won’t die, right?"
"…", the system sighed softly, "Yes."
Tang Nai rubbed her eyes and smiled faintly. Mr. Xi had helped her so much and had never lied to her. So she was sure she could do it—as long as she didn’t die, no matter how severe her injuries were.
Thud! The wooden door was suddenly pierced by a large hole, and a foul stench and cold wind howled into the room.
Tang Nai’s pupils contracted. The zombie reached its hand inside, and when it couldn’t grab Tang Nai, it switched to sniffing frantically. Like a starving beast catching the scent of a delicacy, satisfaction and frustration collided in its throat, erupting into a howl. It lunged at the wooden door like a madman, and within ten seconds, the door was violently pushed open!
Tang Nai’s teeth chattered, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms as she gripped the clothes hanger.
The zombie opened its mouth wide and lunged at her. At the critical moment, a flash of purple light, like a bolt of heavenly thunder, struck the zombie’s chest, instantly blasting a large hole through it. With a resounding crash, it clawed at her in frustration, took half a step, and then collapsed to the ground.
Tang Nai slowly raised her eyes from behind her arms, still shaken as she looked ahead.
The air was filled with the scent of decay and burning. Behind the charred, shattered wooden door, a pair of dark, somber eyes appeared.