The mutated ants, while not terribly powerful in the early stages, become beings of absolute terror later on; even the mutated lions and tigers pale in comparison to the late-stage ants!

According to scientific estimates, an ant can exert four hundred times its own body weight.

Just how terrifying would an ant the size of a wild boar be?

"This one is small, only about the size of a fist, possessing the strength of maybe ten zombies combined. Next month, when the virus mutates further, it will grow to the size of a soccer ball, making it even more terrifying—it could match the full force of a hundred zombies striking at once."

Ye Chen’s eyes gleamed. "If I can capture it and extract its genes, integrating them into my body, I can become a Gene Super Soldier!"

This was an incredibly powerful class in the later period.

Ye Chen recalled that in his previous life, there were ten most powerful Gene Soldiers, each possessing terrifying strength; a casual punch could level a building, utterly beyond normal human comprehension—they were truly the apex of the new humanity!

"Catching this ant is my ticket to becoming a Gene Soldier," Ye Chen felt a surge of excitement. Although the conditions for becoming a Gene Soldier were incredibly harsh, only one in every thousand survivors might successfully overcome the monster’s genes to achieve the transformation! These survivors were all uninfected, possessing remarkable resistance, yet the ratio remained one in a thousand, illustrating the sheer difficulty of becoming a Gene Soldier.

However, Ye Chen possessed deep confidence in himself.

In his past life, he had been a Gene Soldier. While he couldn't compare to those ten peak masters, he had certainly made a name for himself in various regions.

With this thought, Ye Chen slowly closed the door, sealing the room into an isolated space, trapping the mutated ant inside. He decided to capture it only when his strength was sufficient.

After closing that door, Ye Chen bypassed the room and moved to the next, finding its door slightly ajar, the interior silent.

Ye Chen remained cautious. He smelled a thick scent of blood hanging in the air. If he wasn't mistaken, this room definitely held zombies, and quite a few of them...

A thread of tension tightened in Ye Chen's chest. He braced his foot against the door. The heavy wood felt as immutable as Mount Tai. He took a slow breath before pushing with effort. In that single instant, it felt as if even time held its breath.

It opened slowly.

Inside, seven or eight figures stood motionless, like carved statues. As the door swung open, these seven or eight figures simultaneously turned their heads and looked his way.

Ye Chen’s heart lurched violently. Without a moment's hesitation, he spun around and bolted, his steps swift and powerful, shooting toward the staircase in the blink of an eye. Just then, a string of savage roars erupted from that room. The seven or eight figures agilely surged out and chased after Ye Chen.

"Damn it!" Ye Chen’s face was grim. He had estimated three or four zombies at most in that room; finding seven or eight meant certain death given his current condition!

Even the single Molotov cocktail he carried had already been used; now, all he had left was the large watermelon knife.

Reaching the stairs, Ye Chen scrambled into the room where he had previously taken shelter, slammed the door shut, and quickly locked it. Seconds later, he heard the roars approaching, followed by a series of frantic thuds against the wood.

Thankfully, this room wasn't very large, capable of holding only four zombies hammering simultaneously, so it could hold out for a while.

Calm! Stay calm!

Ye Chen repeated the mantra in his mind, rapidly regaining his composure. Panic now meant death was near. Sweat streamed down his body as he frowned, deep in thought. After a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned, moving into the bedroom.

Inside the bedroom stood a large white bed with neatly folded bedding. Ye Chen walked over and shoved the bed with all his might. It moved with a satisfying grind. A flicker of delight crossed his face as he pushed the entire bed structure right up against the main door to the living area. This time, Ye Chen didn't use the bed to barricade the door but placed it three feet away from the entryway.

Then, Ye Chen entered another bedroom and dragged out an equally large bed. He stacked it right on top of the one in the master bedroom. The combined height of the two beds reached about one meter, effectively blocking the path into the living room. Although the zombies’ jumping abilities were astonishing, they would still require several seconds to clear the stacked beds and enter the main space.

Those few seconds of hesitation were exactly what Ye Chen needed!

He went into the kitchen and, just as he expected, found two gas canisters under the stove cabinet. He quickly retrieved one and placed it near the stacked beds. Then, he opened the valve. A distinct hissing sound filled the air as the pungent smell of gas immediately permeated the living room.

Ye Chen closed the door to one of the bedrooms, intending to slightly limit the gas escaping into that space. Afterward, he moved to the light switch and flipped it. Since the apocalypse had only just begun, the hotel still had residual power.

Ye Chen pried open the socket cover and slightly modified the contacts to ensure a faulty connection. He then reinstalled the cover. Since this particular light switch was of decent quality, Ye Chen had to fetch a stool. He placed the stool upright, set the remaining flat-bottomed frying pan on top, and balanced the mop—which he had broken in two—on a point where a slight nudge would move it.

Furthermore, he found a drying rack in the room and angled it so it was tethered between the frying pan and the mop handle.

Having completed his setup, Ye Chen glanced back at the main door. It was shaking violently; chunks of white plaster were falling from the walls under the impact. It wouldn't be long before they broke through.

Ye Chen grabbed a wet wipe from the kitchen to cover his nose and slipped into the closed bedroom. Less than a minute after he entered, he heard a loud thud as the door was battered open, immediately followed by a deafening BOOM. The glass in the surrounding windows shattered, and scorching heat blasted through the gaps in the doorway.

A flicker of satisfaction lit Ye Chen's eyes; his plan had succeeded. Once the door was breached, it would strike the mop handle, causing the drying rack to slip, which in turn would strike the frying pan. The pan would then dip downward, pressing the faulty light switch. With the deliberately poor connection in the socket, sparks would fly.

In a room saturated with rich, dense gas, a single spark was all it took to trigger an explosion!

After everything settled down, Ye Chen slowly opened the door, gripping his watermelon knife as he stepped out. The living room was a scene of utter devastation. The glass table was reduced to shards, and the sofa and beds were scorched black, still smoldering.

Ye Chen offered a faint, wry smile. If eight more zombies had been present, the current state of the room wouldn't have been enough to stop them. However, he didn't dwell on it; after all, the hotel offered an abundance of rooms.

He walked over. Beside the large bed, all eight zombies lay dead. Two of them, positioned close to the gas canister, were reduced to small, charred husks resembling skeletons. The others also emitted the foul stench of cooked flesh...

Ye Chen stepped out, briefly surveying the surroundings to ensure no other zombies had been alerted. He returned and began the dissection process.

Ultimately, from the bodies of the eight zombies, Ye Chen miraculously found two lumps of Gene Essence—such luck was almost unbelievable. One piece of Gene Essence was only the size of a fingertip, while the other was as large as a fist!

Ye Chen was ecstatic. Since the Gene Essence was hidden near the zombie's heart, and he had only used half a canister of gas, the explosion's force hadn't been enough to completely incinerate the zombies; otherwise, the Essence would have been destroyed.

He took the Essence to the washroom to clean them. Then, he carefully bagged the fingertip-sized piece, planning to give it to his sister, Ye Zhu, later. As for the fist-sized piece, he sliced it into inch-long segments and slowly ingested them.

"This fist-sized portion of Gene Essence is enough to double my strength!" Ye Chen’s eyes glowed. After his stomach began processing the Essence, he immediately felt his power surge. His entire body felt tens of pounds lighter; he could support himself with one hand and execute a perfect backflip.

Now, in terms of raw power, Ye Chen was comparable to an ordinary zombie.

"Now, I can take on two or three zombies without needing gasoline," Ye Chen felt a deep sense of relief. Increased strength meant an enhanced ability to protect those around him.

This was why he had consumed the Essence himself rather than saving it for his sister, Ye Zhu. After all, he was the one hunting zombies daily; only if he was strong enough could he guarantee his sister’s safety!

Ye Chen checked the time and decided it was about right. He put away his watermelon knife and returned to his room.

Knock, knock!

"Brother." Ye Zhu heard the tapping and glanced through the peephole. Seeing Ye Chen, she let out a sigh of relief before opening the door. She instantly saw Ye Chen entirely covered in zombie blood. A subtle weariness flashed across his eyes, and the skin across his chest was completely soaked with sweat, clinging to his body.

Ye Zhu stared at him blankly—at the brother who had protected her since childhood. Her eyes instantly welled up. Completely ignoring his filthy clothes, she threw herself into his embrace.

Ye Chen stroked Ye Zhu’s soft hair and chuckled, "Alright, you’re grown up now, stop making a fuss."

Ye Zhu slowly pulled back, her head lowered. After a long moment, she suddenly whispered, "Brother, this afternoon... I want to go with you."

...

A new book launch, and so many friends who disappeared during the early days of the Storm have come to offer congratulations. I am deeply moved...

Recommendation votes—only 40 more until we hit 300! Keep pushing, brothers!!