Jiang Nian’s family currently lives in an old-style residential community, a ground-floor unit shared by two households. There are approximately a dozen buildings in their community, and previously, they used to see many people coming and going. They were always in a hurry, either gathered in small groups discussing the current situation or forming teams to participate in tasks organized by the military to earn some supplies. Their faces were pale yet filled with hope, as staying alive was a precious thing to them, and no amount of difficulty could break their hope for life.

But now, the only ones roaming within the community are zombies, and not even the slightest sound can be heard.

Jiang Nian wondered about the well-being of the Qin Yue family. When they first arrived in the capital, the Qin Yue family was assigned to another community, and when she went to find her family, they lost contact. As for Captain Zhang and Ren Yuan, they knew her current address and went to find their families. She hoped that everything was fine.

Jiang Nian stopped thinking further and knocked on the door of the neighbor next door. She remembered that a family of five lived here—a young couple with their parents and daughter who had escaped. When they occasionally met, they would greet each other. Even though the little girl, Lulu, showed reluctance when giving her a lollipop, she did not stop her. It was clear that they still upheld a certain moral standard.

Jiang Nian accepted the lollipop and reciprocated by giving the little girl a piece of chocolate. After that, the couple’s smiles toward her became even more genuine.

Jiang Nian knocked on the door, and it was Zhang Wei who opened it. He first looked through the peephole, confirmed Jiang Nian’s identity, and then cautiously opened the door. He looked at Jiang Nian and then at Jiang’s father, who was carrying a shovel, and nervously asked, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Nian said, “Is everything okay at home? Is Lulu all right?”

Zhang Wei sighed in relief and said, “Our family is fine; no one has mutated. It’s just that outside… It’s too terrifying!” He spoke with a pale face, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Jiang’s father patted his shoulder and said, “The world has become like this. We have no other choice but to unite and become stronger, to rebuild our homeland!”

Zhang Wei nodded and asked, “Are you going out?”

Jiang Nian replied, “Yes, we are going to clear out the zombies.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang’s mother came out holding the little girl and exclaimed in shock, “Just the two of you? That’s too dangerous. Let’s wait for the military to send rescue teams. You shouldn’t go…”

Jiang Nian shook her head, pulled the little Lulu’s hand, and tickled her palm, making her giggle. Jiang Nian said, “Waiting for rescue might take who knows how long. The world is in chaos, and there could be unforeseen situations at any moment. We can’t rely on rescue every time. So, while we still have the capability to deal with it, we should try to save ourselves. Since you’re all safe, we’ll just go upstairs to check.”

“Jiang Nian, hold on a moment,” Zhang Wei thought for a moment and made up his mind, saying, “I’ll go with you. Also, I dropped a stone to observe the zombies downstairs, and I noticed they’re faster than before, and their ears seem more sensitive. I haven’t triggered any abilities, and I could barely deal with one or two before. Now I’ll be more cautious, but I should be able to handle one.”

Zhang’s mother immediately held her husband’s arm and disapproved, “You haven’t triggered any abilities; why are you pushing yourself? Do you not care about your family and daughter?”

Zhang Wei patted his wife’s hand, saying, “Uncle Jiang is going, so naturally, I can too. Don’t worry; I’m not leaving you all behind. I want to be your shield in this tough world. If we can resolve the issues caused by zombies within a year or two, we can return to a peaceful life. I can hide for a day or two, but if it remains like this for ten or twenty years, can I keep hiding? Besides, there are always people who must do these things.”

His reasoning was clear, and Zhang’s mother understood, but she was afraid of the dangers posed by zombies.

Zhang Wei went back to his room to get a large machete and said, “Let’s go!”

With red eyes, Zhang’s mother didn’t say a word. When she saw her husband go upstairs, she couldn’t help but wipe away her tears. She couldn’t afford to be weak. She went to the living room and picked up a nylon bag containing several large stones, which weighed about thirty to forty pounds. Every day, apart from teaching her daughter to read and do arithmetic, she carried the bag around the house. She was too weak.

Jiang Nian hadn’t expected Zhang Wei to choose to act with her for such noble reasons. Unlike her, who relied on her own strength, she dared to go out, hoping to do some good deeds to accumulate some good karma. She hoped her next life wouldn’t be so miserable. In her previous life, she had such good fortune, which was truly rare, and she must have used up all her luck. In this life, she could only expect to face more hardships.

Jiang Nian, with the two fathers, went into action as soon as they decided. They began clearing each floor, and their activities were quite noticeable. Especially after Jiang Yuan joined, a small fireball would occasionally be seen flying around, making it all look quite magical. Soon, the remaining survivors in the community knew about a few daring individuals who not only risked their lives but also brought people with them to clear zombies.

However, Jiang Nian and Jiang Yuan were very powerful, one with strength-based abilities and the other with fire-based abilities. They had no fear of fighting zombies. But beside them were an elderly man and a middle-aged man, neither of whom seemed to have any abilities. Nevertheless, they had not been killed by zombies, and they easily handled one zombie together.

After the second virus outbreak, some people had mutated, while others had triggered abilities. Upon seeing this, many people walked out of their homes, gathered people when they could, and began clearing zombies around them. The group continued to grow, and the once quiet community became lively again.

This change was certainly positive, and it lightened Jiang Nian’s workload. Moreover, she found vegetable seeds in a household, including cabbage, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, and green beans. She considered them precious and took them for herself after storing them in her space. She left with a satisfied feeling.

Thinking about planting vegetables soon, Jiang Nian was eager. However, for dinner, Jiang’s mother understood how hard they had worked in recent days, so she put in extra effort to prepare a meal. She cooked some bacon and boiled a few eggs, made noodles with a meat-based broth, and added a spoonful of beef sauce, making it incredibly delicious. Jiang Nian, Jiang’s father, and Jiang Yuan ate heartily and lounged on the couch, reluctant to move.

Jiang’s mother said, “I’ve noticed that more and more people are coming out these days. I heard that the zombies in buildings five and six have been cleared, but they’re having some trouble in the underground parking lot. It seems there’s a cat in there that can catch people. It injured a few, and now no one dares to go down.”

Jiang’s father said, “I didn’t expect even animals to evolve. Won’t human survival become more challenging in the future?”

Jiang Yuan replied, “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll become stronger, and we won’t be eliminated by nature.”

Jiang Nian thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go take a look tomorrow.”

After resting for a while, Jiang Nian quickly returned to her room and entered the jade pendant. She took out some plots of land, sowed the seeds, and began growing seedlings. She didn’t have plastic bags to create small shelters for the seedlings, so she had no idea how they would turn out. However, it was her space inside the jade pendant, rich in spiritual energy, and with her protagonist’s aura, the seedlings were bound to grow!

When Shen Ran and his team of five individuals arrived, they noticed that the Happiness Community was quite different from the others. They had encountered numerous gruesome scenes along the way, and it seemed that the only living beings on the streets were either zombies or nothing at all. They had assumed that the Happiness Community was no different. Shen Ran was extremely worried. While Jiang Nian was capable, dragging her parents and younger brother along with her meant that she was more likely to make mistakes.

Therefore, as soon as the military situation had stabilized, he hurriedly brought his team to the community.

To their surprise, it seemed that things were going pretty well here.

Upon inquiring, they learned that Jiang Nian had taken the initiative to clear out the zombies. When people saw that Jiang Nian and her group had not been attacked by the zombies, their confidence increased. More and more people began joining the effort. The strength of numbers was evident at this time, especially since there were survivors in every building. They were responsible for gathering the survivors in their respective buildings and working together to achieve their goals. Though there were injuries and losses, it was much better than waiting at home for death.

Shen Ran was deeply moved by this revelation. It was indeed the same old Jiang Nian, so kind and good. No matter where she went or what difficulties she faced, she never forgot to help those around her.

Even the several other strong individuals who had come with Shen Ran couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. Jiang Nian was truly a good person, and more than that, she was a great person who taught them how to cultivate their abilities. Calling her a master wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“Where is Jiang Nian now?”

“Jiang Nian is in the underground parking lot. There’s a cat down there, and it’s exceptionally fast. It injured several of us, and we couldn’t get inside. Jiang Nian said she would check it out.”

Shen Ran’s expression changed, and he didn’t waste any time. He quickly led his team to the scene. Even the other superpower individuals behind him looked worried.

Because the most dangerous threats now were not just the zombie superpowers but also zombie animals.

Previously, their team had encountered a zombie dog and struggled greatly to eliminate it, even sacrificing several team members. The horrific battle was etched in their memories, so when they encountered mutated animals, they were extremely cautious and needed to be fully prepared before engaging.

Jiang Nian, despite her strength, was only a superpower with strength and space-based abilities. Dealing with such threats was not likely to be straightforward.

Shen Jingguo held a high position and was well-informed. He knew a lot, and Shen Ran knew even more. Naturally, he was well aware of the dangers posed by evolved animals. He ran several steps and, at the moment, didn’t care about losing face. He called a speed-superpower individual to carry him there. In just a few moments, they reached the entrance of the underground parking lot, where several people were standing anxiously.

Shen Ran didn’t have time for a lengthy conversation. He quickly led his team into the parking lot.

The superpower individuals took extra precautions because, although this cat was smaller than a dog, it was anything but weak. It possessed incredible speed and jumping ability, making it challenging to catch, even more so now. Jiang Nian had been inside for half an hour, and they were afraid something might have happened. They were even prepared to give it their all to rescue Jiang Nian.

Then they quickly saw Jiang Nian. The underground parking lot wasn’t very large, and daylight could still penetrate to some extent. When they shone flashlights towards her, they saw Jiang Nian standing there.

She stood straight, holding a wooden stick in her hand. Suddenly, she raised it high, and there was a “meow” sound, as if something had fallen to the ground.

A few moments later, Jiang Nian swung it to the left, just like swinging a baseball bat. They heard another “howl” sound and a thud.

The people on the scene were dumbfounded.

What the heck? This girl is so powerful?

At this moment, Jiang Nian was especially thankful that she had finally triggered her healing superpower. Although it was called healing, it could naturally sense the breath of life. When the cat came close, she naturally felt its movements. This was when she realized that this wasn’t a zombie cat; it was an exceptionally powerful cat that had evolved.

Jiang Nian said, “Come home with me. I might not have fish for you right now, but in the future, I’ll take you out to catch fish to eat. Just give me a little bit.”

Shen Ran and the others were left speechless.

… Bullying a cat like this doesn’t seem right, does it? 🙂

…

At the moment Qin Yue fell down the stairs, he felt that he was as good as dead. In his despair, he also felt overwhelming hatred. He had imagined many ways he might die—being bitten by zombies, starving to death, or killed by other people. However, he had never thought he would die at the hands of his own brother.

While he had been wary of Wu Jiang due to the fear that he might be led astray by seduction, he had never contemplated actually killing him.

But as it turns out, when people act in their own interests, they can resort to anything.

Now he was truly facing death, and in that instant, his mind raced through various thoughts. He thought about his parents, and he thought about Jiang Nian. If he died in this chaotic world, how would his parents survive? If he died, how would he protect Jiang Nian? How would he repay her?

In that fleeting moment, he suddenly felt an intense unwillingness and a strong will to survive. He could not die. He absolutely could not die here. However, behind him was a ten-story building, and beneath it were countless zombies. He was about to meet a gruesome end—his body would be shattered and devoured by the zombies.

Unless… unless he could somehow stand there miraculously, unless he became so powerful that he didn’t fear the tall building, unless…

Suddenly! The moment he landed on the ground, he inexplicably disappeared. When he reappeared, he was actually inside a mall several meters away. He lay on the ground, took a deep breath, and coughed violently as he struggled to his feet.

He looked outside through the glass wall. The railing had crashed down with a loud “bang” and shattered into pieces.

Space? He had actually triggered space-based abilities?