Qin Yue and his group went up to the fourth floor. Currently, there are only eleven ordinary survivors and four teammates resting in the room. They were relieved to have made it to this point, but they also regarded Qin Yue with some fear. Li Ming was still unconscious on the ground. Qin Yue found a coffee table and chairs in the room and placed them on the stairs to temporarily block the approach of the zombies downstairs. In just a moment, more than half of their group of over forty people had sacrificed themselves. Lao Xiong and Shuanzi were still downstairs, and the situation did not look promising.

Qin Yue leaned wearily against the corridor wall, took a crumpled cigarette from his bag, and lit it after a long pause.

Wu Jiang reassured the frightened survivors and saw that his teammates had each found a corner to sit in, wearing heavy expressions and low spirits. It was extremely quiet for a while. He glanced at Qin Yue, who hadn’t entered the room, and followed him outside.

Copying Qin Yue’s posture, he sat against the wall and said, “Brother Yue, don’t blame yourself. We all know you had no choice earlier. If you hadn’t done that, it would have been us who died.”

Qin Yue managed a bitter smile.

He still remembered a year when he visited Li Ming’s hometown. They had arrived late, and Li Ming’s mother hastily prepared a bowl of egg noodles for each of them, along with some sliced cured meat. She piled the bowls so high that they almost couldn’t fit everything, and she kept urging them to eat quickly. There was even more food left in the pot.

Li Ming’s family wasn’t well-off. His father had passed away from illness a long time ago, and it was Li Ming’s mother’s earnings from her cleaning job that raised Li Ming and left her with a slew of health problems. Li Ming hadn’t continued his education beyond middle school and had started working early. After Qin Yue finished college and started his own business, he brought Li Ming back to work together. They had known each other for several years and had faced all kinds of hardships together. After finally enjoying a few good years, they never expected something like this to happen today.

Wu Jiang patted Qin Yue’s shoulder and said, “Li Ming will understand.”

Even if he understood, Qin Yue feared he might not be able to get over this emotional hurdle.

Wu Jiang got up to look at the staircase and could still hear the sounds of people banging on sofas and chairs and the hungry “groaning” sounds from the throats of the zombies. Wu Jiang thought about how he had almost been eaten earlier and felt a shiver of fear. He also grew worried because their current location wasn’t safe; they needed to find another way out. Since the path downstairs was blocked, they could only go up.

While he was contemplating, a sudden sound of fighting erupted nearby. He turned to see that Li Ming had awakened and punched Qin Yue, knocking him to the ground. Simultaneously, he sent a water blade flying from his palm, cutting Qin Yue’s face.

Wu Jiang exclaimed, “Li Zi, you’ve activated your water elemental ability?”

Li Ming had never displayed any supernatural abilities before due to his long-standing depression, but he had suddenly and unexpectedly triggered his water elemental ability. At the same time, two other people who had asked to leave the city with them also manifested abilities: one with wind manipulation and the other with strength enhancement. They were overwhelmed with excitement, crying, and laughing.

Qin Yue got up from the ground, touched his injured face, and looked at Li Ming, whose eyes were now bloodshot. He didn’t say a word and didn’t offer any explanation.

While they were facing off, they suddenly heard Lao Xiong’s panicked voice from downstairs: “Brother Yue, Brother Jiang, move the chairs quickly! I need to come up!”

Qin Yue and Li Ming forgot their confrontation and rushed to the staircase to help. Wu Jiang also called his friends to assist in moving the chairs and coffee table. Several other non-empowered individuals huddled together at the back, trembling and worried.

“What if the zombies from below catch up to us?”

“Yeah, he refused to leave with us earlier. Did something happen to make him change his mind?”

“Wasn’t there another guy called Shuanzi? Why haven’t we heard his voice?”

They peeked from behind, curious but afraid to step forward.

The chairs and coffee table had been moved, and Lao Xiong leaped up, only to realize that half of his forearm was missing and he was bleeding profusely, presenting a horrifying sight!

They dragged him upstairs, and several people with abilities pushed back the zombies. The coffee table and chairs were thrown back to block the zombies’ path.

Qin Yue took a step forward, removed his jacket, and quickly tied up Lao Xiong’s half-arm, asking, “What happened? How did you get injured? Where’s Shuanzi?”

Lao Xiong’s face was pale, and he said in pain, “Wasn’t it said that we, empowered individuals, have antibodies in our bodies? Even if we get bitten, we shouldn’t turn into zombies.”

They had decided to stay behind with the intention of tying up their parents. However, at that time, there were over thirty zombies, and some of them had been their teammates before. They couldn’t bring themselves to harm their own, and the enemy was exceptionally powerful. They were running low on their abilities, and during the confrontation, they got injured. Thankfully, both of them possessed speed-related abilities, so they managed to find a room to hide in, with the initial plan to think of a strategy once they had recovered some of their abilities. But in a matter of moments, Lao Xiong saw Shuanzi’s wounds turn black, and his face became ashen. Shuanzi lunged at him with a bite.

Lao Xiong was surrounded, and he lost half of his arm in the chaos.

He continued, “Shuanzi turned into a zombie, but he can still use his ability. He’s incredibly fast, and I can’t even see where he is! He’s too fast!” He spoke with a sense of terror.

Qin Yue, Wu Jiang, Li Ming, and Xiao Chen all looked gravely concerned. The others who had been previously injured were now filled with fear, wishing they could cut off their own injured limbs.

Wu Jiang said, “This doesn’t make sense. We have people here who are injured, but they haven’t turned into zombies. Could it be that you did something?”

Lao Xiong shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe his injuries were too severe, and the infection ran too deep?”

Lao Xiong’s news weighed heavily on everyone’s minds. They had already expended a significant amount of their abilities and were at their weakest. Now, they had a few ordinary people with no means of fighting alongside them against Shuanzi and the others. It seemed like they were in a precarious situation.

Qin Yue made a quick decision. “Let’s go. We have to leave this place immediately. If what they say is true, we can’t stay here any longer.” Lao Xiong’s arm was severely injured, and if they didn’t stop the bleeding and treat the wound quickly, he might not make it.

Going downstairs was not an option anymore, so they had to go up and see if they could find a way to reach another building.

Xiao Chen, who possessed strength-related abilities, carried Lao Xiong with one hand and followed behind Qin Yue, Wu Jiang, and the others as they climbed upstairs. They were in a ten-story office building, and the elevators had long stopped working due to the power outage. They made their way up the staircase swiftly, not daring to stop. Xiao Chen checked on Lao Xiong’s condition and said, “Brother Yue, on the way here, I saw what looks like a pharmacy on the left and a shopping mall. We should check out the pharmacy first. Otherwise, I’m afraid Lao Xiong won’t last much longer.”

Qin Yue nodded.

When they reached the rooftop, Qin Yue noticed that the area was surrounded by tall buildings. The street on the opposite side was too far away, and there were several zombies wandering the streets. They seemed to have detected the scent of blood and were all looking up, extending their arms, and howling. The only building nearby that matched their height was a residential building, but it was a bit further away, and they needed something as a bridge to get there.

“Let’s see if we can find a ladder in the storage room to cross over to the opposite building.”

They didn’t have much knowledge of the building’s layout, and it took them some time to find a wooden ladder in a storage room. They extended it and found that it was just long enough to reach the opposite building. Wu Jiang went over first, and once he confirmed it was safe, the elderly man and the woman followed. They were timid and extremely nervous, causing their progress to slow even further. Moreover, the wooden ladder was fragile, allowing only one person to pass at a time. To get everyone across, it would take quite a while.

After a while, a man who was keeping watch in the hallway suddenly came over and said, “Brother Yue, what should we do? I feel like zombies are coming up. I can hear them getting closer!”

Qin Yue’s heart sank. “I’ll go check.”

Li Ming said, “I’m going too.”

The two of them reached the staircase and found that the obstacles they had set up earlier hadn’t been very effective. The zombies were slowly making their way up, and what’s worse, it seemed like the scent of blood from Lao Xiong was attracting them. Even the zombies on the ground were trying desperately to climb up.

The scene was chilling, sending shivers down their spines.

Qin Yue said, “They need to move faster. Don’t look down; if we delay any longer, we’ll all die here.”

But just as Qin Yue’s words fell, a sudden scream pierced the air. It was one of the men who had leaned over to look down, and something had grabbed him from below. They didn’t even see who the attacker was, and when they rushed over to look, there was no trace of him.

Lao Xiong, who was sitting on the ground, weakly said, “It’s Shuanzi, for sure.”

Could he not only move at a lightning pace but also scale walls?

This statement sent waves of fear through everyone. Even those who were slowly crawling on the wooden ladder sped up their movements. Once the elderly man and the woman had crossed over, only two men without abilities remained. As soon as they climbed the stairs, the zombie that had disappeared suddenly reappeared. It was covered in blood, looking gruesome and terrifying, emitting a putrid smell. From its pale, bluish face, they could vaguely make out Shuanzi’s shadow.

Lao Xiong’s face was filled with pain, and he cried, “I was wrong. If I turn into a zombie, please kill me. You have to kill me. I don’t want to become a monster that preys on my own kind!” Thinking of their parents, who were among the crowd, he regretted it even more. He should have killed them with his own hands; that was the only way to let them rest. He didn’t want to become a man-eating monster, and he was sure their parents wouldn’t want to become the culprits responsible for killing their loved ones!

With this thought in mind, he suddenly rushed towards Shuanzi! Qin Yue, Li Ming, Xiao Chen, and the others naturally joined the fray. However, apart from Shuanzi, another zombie suddenly appeared from an unknown location, powerful and even more formidable than Shuanzi. After a few back-and-forth exchanges, Qin Yue and the others found themselves at a disadvantage. Zhao Ke was caught by the throat with a single mistake and had his life taken away. Once it got what it wanted, the zombie turned its attention to Hou Jin…

Qin Yue urged, “Li Ming, take Lao Xiong and retreat quickly!”

Lao Xiong looked at his blackening blood and smiled sadly. “Brother Yue, thank you. I haven’t met you for nothing in this lifetime.”

Qin Yue realized that something was amiss. Sure enough, Lao Xiong took the opportunity and, with all his remaining strength, rushed towards another power-based zombie, grabbing it tightly, and charged forward. He yelled as he moved, and they both fell from the ten-story-high building!

“Lao Xiong!”

Silence.

…

Bang, bang, bang—the iron door on the rooftop was fiercely pounded. The zombies have come back!

Tears welled up in Qin Yue’s eyes, and Li Ming’s face was filled with sorrow. Wu Jiang stood on the opposite building, shaking his head and sighing.

But they couldn’t afford to dwell on it any longer. Their enemies were still unresolved.

Qin Yue said, “Li Ming, you and Xiao Chen go first.”

Li Ming looked at Qin Yue and said firmly, “Brother Yue, I know your abilities are running out. I haven’t contributed much before. Let me take the rear. You go first!”

Xiao Chen had already climbed up the wooden ladder, heading swiftly to the building opposite.

Qin Yue and Li Ming stood back-to-back, alert for Shuanzi’s sudden attack. Shuanzi was incredibly fast, even faster than when he was still human, and had depleted almost all of Qin Yue’s abilities. While Li Ming still had some power, his water blades couldn’t keep up with Shuanzi. They had to work together several times to push Shuanzi back.

Xiao Chen had already crossed over, and Qin Yue was the first to climb the wooden ladder. He moved swiftly and, at the same time, released a lightning strike to ease the pressure on Li Ming. Li Ming remained vigilant. However, in just a moment, Shuanzi jumped onto the wooden ladder. At this point, Qin Yue had only just reached the center of the ladder. The wooden ladder swung back and forth, and screams from the people on the opposite building could be heard. Some of them couldn’t take it anymore and ran downstairs in a panic.

Qin Yue couldn’t leave his back exposed to Shuanzi. He immediately turned around and guarded against him, while Li Ming used his water blades and shouted, “Wu Jiang, attack Shuanzi quickly!”

Among their group, only Wu Jiang and another girl who had just unlocked her abilities were Elemental abilities users. The others were all physical ability users, so only they could effectively attack Shuanzi, who was standing on the wooden ladder. However, the girl had just awakened her abilities and didn’t know how to use them properly. After releasing a few water blades haphazardly, she was drenched in sweat.

Wu Jiang, dripping with sweat, replied loudly, “I’ve run out of abilities!”

Qin Yue pulled out a wooden stick from his waist, remaining vigilant.

They were facing a formidable opponent. The zombies were relentless, felt no pain, and had no fear. They only craved flesh and blood. They had to be completely killed; otherwise, they would never stop. Qin Yue held the wooden stick, Li Ming unleashed two water columns towards Shuanzi, and Qin Yue gathered his lightning abilities to strike. However, Shuanzi stomped heavily on the wooden ladder and lunged at Qin Yue. Qin Yue turned to run, but suddenly, he felt the ground give way, and the wooden ladder dropped! He lost his balance, and when he looked up, he saw Wu Jiang’s hand letting go of the wooden ladder. In his shock, he saw the fear and determination in Wu Jiang’s eyes…

I’m sorry…

At the same time, Shuanzi had nowhere to land and let out a howl as he fell.

From a height of ten stories, no matter how powerful you were, you’d be shattered to pieces!

Li Ming shouted, “Brother Yue!”

In fact, Li Ming had never really hated Qin Yue; he hated the world they were living in and, more importantly, himself.

Bang! The rooftop’s iron door was thrown open.

…

Since the second outbreak of the virus, Jiang Nian has never gone out again. The previously safe survivor’s zone had turned into a living hell once again. There were many zombies wandering around the streets, and the military had yet to take any action. They had only occasionally issued warnings through loudspeakers, advising survivors to be careful and claiming that the military was organizing rescue operations. They urged survivors to unite. It seemed that even the military had suffered heavy losses.

She looked at the sky, feeling the desolation of the world, helpless in the face of her circumstances.

Ah, destiny.

In their previous lives, they hadn’t found a solution to the zombie virus, even after ten years. People had no choice but to become stronger. She didn’t know how things would turn out in this life.

Jiang Yuan walked over, his voice heavy. “Sis, I seem to have activated an ability.”

Jiang Nian asked, “What ability did you activate?”

Jiang Yuan’s palm emitted a few sparks, and he said firmly, “It’s a fire-based ability, sis. When I get better at using it, I’ll join the army!”

Jiang Nian ruffled Jiang Yuan’s hair and nodded. “You practiced hard for these few days. I’ll go and deal with the zombies in our community. Otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll become increasingly dangerous, and the zombies are evolving. Soon, we won’t be able to leave our community.” She took out a small notebook from her clothes. “This is a martial art technique I got from the Jinjiang Main God System’s shop. I’ve been practicing and studying it these past few days. It’s incredibly powerful, and if you practice it to the extreme, one punch can shatter a boulder! When combined with your fire-based ability, it will be even more formidable.”

Jiang Yuan felt like he had found a treasure and said earnestly, “Sis, don’t worry. I’ll practice hard!”

“Okay.”

Jiang’s father and mother were terrified when they heard that Jiang Nian was going out to clear zombies. Jiang’s mother started crying again, while her father found the shovel he had brought all the way from City B and said, “Don’t be afraid, daughter. I’ll go with you!”

Jiang Yuan also said, “I want to go too!”

Jiang’s mother looked around, grabbed a kitchen knife, and wanted to go with them as well.

Jiang Nian said, “Mom, you stay behind. You’re not strong enough, and the zombies that emerged after this virus outbreak are several times more powerful than before. You can’t handle them. Dad, come with me. Jiang Yuan, stay at home and get familiar with your abilities. After you’ve mastered them, you can join us. Otherwise, if you’re panicking, I’ll have to take care of you too. Do you have a day to get ready?”

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and nodded. “That should be enough!”

Jiang Nian, carrying a wooden stick, and her father with a shovel left while Jiang’s mother watched tearfully, trying to appear strong.

Onlookers might have thought that this father-daughter duo was foolish, wondering why they were showing off their heroics at such a time. But those who were courageous and spirited understood—calling others foolish—were you not equally foolish sitting at home waiting for death?

Jiang Yuan clenched his fist, his determination to become stronger growing. He wanted to protect his parents and his sister. In the future, he would join the army. In times of human crisis, he was no longer the child who had lived sheltered in an ivory tower!