It was only the second day since the apocalypse began.
Yet it already felt unbearably heavy.
Having experienced life-and-death separations and witnessed bloodshed and carnage, the psychological toll on Lu Jiang and Feng Ran—who had lived in peaceful times—was immense.
Of course, Yao Zuizui and the blackened, monstrous “Big Boss” were exceptions, having seen far worse.
With fewer people left, Lu Jiang was now the sole remaining fighter.
His supernatural ability was visibly growing stronger.
What had once been a small bolt of lightning had now transformed into a massive, crackling orb of electricity, its explosive energy palpable even from meters away.
He Si, however, never lifted a finger, leisurely trailing behind Yao Zuizui.
Whenever danger arose, he would simply hide behind her and let her handle it.
Strangely, Lu Jiang’s gaze toward Yao Zuizui held a newfound appreciation.
Who would have thought such a petite girl could possess such strength?
Even without supernatural abilities, she could hold her own against hordes of zombies.
The way Yao Zuizui pursed her lips while fighting, the stubborn glint in her bright eyes—it all fascinated Lu Jiang.
He liked watching her refuse to back down.
It made him want to protect her.
The safe zone wasn’t far.
They arrived by dusk on the second day.
But from a distance, the place looked utterly deserted.
There was no sign of construction or life.
Lu Jiang wanted to drive closer, but Yao Zuizui stopped him. “It’s almost dark, and we can’t see what’s over there. Let’s wait until morning.”
“Yeah, Qiqi’s right. Better safe than sorry,” Feng Ran agreed with a nod.
So they found a nearby house and took turns keeping watch through the night.
It was a quiet night—no one disappeared.
When Yao Zuizui woke up the next morning and saw everyone still there, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.
With daylight, they could finally see the state of the safe zone.
Yao Zuizui asked He Si to retrieve a telescope from his spatial storage. Peering through it, she gasped.
The entire base—
Not a single living soul.
Only zombies.
The base didn’t even seem fully constructed, with half of the surrounding iron fence collapsed on the ground.
The zombies wandered aimlessly inside, as if searching for survivors.
Lu Jiang and Feng Ran were devastated.
They sat on the couch in silence.
Only He Si remained unshaken, his usual faint smile still in place as he said nothing.
The safe zone must have fallen just hours before their arrival.
Otherwise, the zombies wouldn’t be this densely packed.
Yao Zuizui sighed. It seemed their only option now was to head for the largest safe zone in the country—
The one established in the capital, City B.
It had been mentioned in broadcasts before.
When she proposed the idea, the other three agreed.
But City B was still far away—a month’s drive at least.
Feng Ran patted her ample chest in relief. “Thank goodness we have He Si. His spatial storage is huge, and we have more than enough food.”
Lu Jiang nodded, his sharp eyes turning toward He Si.
But for the first time, He Si’s ever-present smile faltered with a hint of apology.
“Sorry, but the food stored in my space… will only last the four of us half a month.”
“What?!” The other three exclaimed in unison.
Especially Yao Zuizui—she had stuffed so much food into He Si’s storage.
And now he was saying it would only last half a month?!
“It’s like this,” He Si explained calmly. “For some reason, most of the things I put inside can’t be retrieved—as if they’re locked away. I might need to upgrade my ability first.”
He dipped his head slightly. “I should’ve told you sooner. My apologies.”
Lu Jiang understood. As an ability user himself, he knew abilities required constant upgrading.
He’d actually been unnerved by how effortlessly He Si had been storing things before.
If He Si had truly been that powerful from the start, something would’ve been off…
Now, Yao Zuizui was the one troubled.
Food was the most crucial resource in the apocalypse.
Other items being inaccessible was one thing—
But without food, they’d starve!
He Si seemed to sense her worry and gently reassured her, “We’ll find more food along the way. Don’t worry.”
Yao Zuizui nodded, though she wasn’t entirely convinced.
As she did, He Si handed her a soft red bean cake. “Eat up. You’ll need energy to fight zombies.”
Faced with such a treat, Yao Zuizui didn’t hesitate.
She took it and ate it immediately.
In the apocalypse, food was the only comfort left.
Though she couldn’t shake the strange feeling of being… fed like this.
And so, the four of them set off toward City B’s safe zone.
Along the way, they killed countless zombies.
Lu Jiang’s ability also advanced rapidly.
His single-target lightning orbs had evolved into chain lightning capable of wiping out entire groups.
He could now protect all four of them single-handedly.
Yao Zuizui would bet anything that Lu Jiang’s ability ranked among the top three in the world—his talent was extraordinary.
Based on all the apocalyptic novels she’d read, Lu Jiang had the potential to one day defeat the Zombie King and save humanity!
…Assuming they didn’t starve to death first.
Strangely, despite traveling for a week, they hadn’t found a single scrap of food.
It wasn’t for lack of trying—there just wasn’t any to be found.
Abandoned cars along the road had fuel and small items, but no food.
When they reached cities and searched supermarkets—
Either the large ones were overrun by zombies, making entry impossible,
Or the smaller ones had already been looted clean.
Residential buildings were the same.
Either packed with zombies, making it too risky to enter,
Or stripped bare by previous scavengers.
Yao Zuizui wanted to scream—was fate really out to get them?!
“Don’t worry. Have some chocolate for energy,” He Si said, offering her a bar.
The smooth, rich taste made it impossible to refuse.
She tore open the wrapper and devoured it without hesitation.
Free food was free food—especially when it came from He Si.
His hands were clean and slender, untouched by grime, a stark contrast to her own blood-and-dirt-covered ones.
Yet he never showed any disgust, even taking the wrapper from her and tossing it aside.
Feng Ran had finally had enough. “Qiqi, this is the fifth time you’ve eaten today! We’re running low on food—you need to ration it!”
Yao Zuizui stuck out her tongue. “Not my fault! He Si’s the one giving it to me!”
“I’m just making sure she has energy to fight,” He Si replied with a light chuckle, his demeanor effortlessly elegant.
Yao Zuizui eyed him suspiciously.
Lately, He Si had been feeding her nonstop.
Just today alone—
First, he’d given her instant noodles for breakfast, boiled with water from a residential building. The warmth had revitalized her exhausted body.
Then, mid-morning, he’d handed her a pack of soda crackers.
Crispy and delicious—she couldn’t resist.
At noon, he’d somehow produced sushi.
Rice! Seaweed! She hadn’t had either in ages, so she wolfed it down.
In the afternoon, he’d given her a bag of chips.
How could she say no to something so tasty?
And now, chocolate.
This bizarre yet blissful routine had been going on for a week.
She was starting to wonder if she’d been transported back to her first world—where she’d been a pig raised by a black wolf, fattened up to be eaten!
But in the apocalypse, having food at all was a luxury.
Having delicious food? Unthinkable.
Yao Zuizui loved indulging, so she accepted everything without complaint.
Feng Ran could only watch enviously.
He Si’s excuse was always “she needs energy to fight.”
Since Feng Ran had no combat skills, she got nothing.
As for Lu Jiang—he was just as strange as He Si.
He Si offered him treats too, but Lu Jiang always refused, passing them to Yao Zuizui instead.
His reasoning? “I don’t like this girly stuff.”
He’d rather chew on bland military rations.
…Yao Zuizui accepted it all silently, baffled by Lu Jiang’s idiocy.
Thus, the group often found themselves in this surreal dynamic:
“Qiqi, eat this.”
“Qiqi, want this?”
“Qiqi, do you like this?”
Yao Zuizui’s answer was always: “Yes! Gimme gimme gimme!”
He Si would watch her with that same faint smile.
Lu Jiang occasionally looked on with fond amusement.
Only Feng Ran was displeased.
“Have you all forgotten we’re running out of food?”
Yao Zuizui: “Nope.”
Lu Jiang: “I’ll try harder to find more.”
He Si: “…” (Silently smiling like a refined villain.)
Feng Ran felt like these three had lost their minds.
She pouted. “Honestly, Qiqi doesn’t need to eat so much. We don’t rely on her to kill zombies. By the time she takes down one, Lu Jiang’s already killed twenty.”
Yao Zuizui scratched her head sheepishly—it was true.
No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t compare to a prodigious ability user.
Lu Jiang also scratched his head before grinning. “Simple. Since I don’t like that stuff anyway, Qiqi can have my share.”
Yao Zuizui shot him a grateful smile and a discreet thumbs-up where Feng Ran couldn’t see.
The two shared a knowing look, as if reaching an unspoken agreement.
He Si stepped forward smoothly, blocking their line of sight.
“If you’re not eating it, don’t waste it on her. I agree with Feng Ran—from now on, Qiqi eats less. No more squandering resources.”
His tone, no longer light and airy, carried a weight like stones dropped on a chessboard—cold and dismissive.
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