Ye Chen paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No, you're still too weak right now. My power isn't enough to guarantee your complete safety."

Ye Zhu immediately lifted her head, looking directly into Ye Chen's eyes, her gaze firm. "I must go!"

Ye Chen managed a faint, wry smile. He knew his sister's stubborn nature well enough to realize further persuasion was useless. With a soft sigh, he relented. "If that’s the case, when we get out, you listen to my every word. No acting on your own initiative!"

Joy lit up Ye Zhu's eyes, and she quickly nodded, giggling. "I knew you'd agree. Come on, the food is ready."

Ye Chen let out another weary smile. He closed the door and went to the washroom to clean off the grime and bloodstains clinging to him. Only then did he walk into the living room and sit at the dining table. Looking at the few home-style stir-fried dishes on the glass tabletop, a pang of nostalgia struck him. Under Ye Zhu’s expectant gaze, he picked up a slice of potato and ate it.

"How does it taste?" Ye Zhu asked, a hint of apprehension and nervousness in her voice. Usually, Ye Chen did the cooking at home; this was, in fact, the first time she had ever cooked since she was a child.

Salty!

Ye Chen felt his entire tongue turn bitter, as if he had swallowed a lump of salt. But seeing Ye Zhu's expression, a mixture of anticipation and excitement, he couldn't bear to dampen her spirits. He forced himself to swallow a large bite and laughed. "This potato slice is quite good. I didn't expect you had such a talent for cooking."

Ye Zhu’s face flushed red, and she lowered her head, saying softly, "That... actually, those are... shredded potatoes..."

Ye Chen was stunned.

Ye Zhu’s face was scarlet. She picked up a piece and brought it to her cherry-small mouth, immediately spitting it out with a "Pfft!" She looked dejected. "It's so salty!"

Ye Chen chuckled, picked up a piece himself, and ate it. "It’s fine, we can make do. You eat something else."

Salty? In the late stages of the apocalypse, simply having food to eat was a blessing. Who could afford to be picky about taste?

Ye Zhu glanced at Ye Chen, then picked up the plate of potatoes and said quietly, "Don't eat any more. We can add some water later tonight and boil them."

Ye Chen considered this and nodded.

"Oh, right." Ye Chen suddenly remembered the Jihua in his bag and quickly retrieved it, handing it to his sister. "Eat this. It can boost your stamina!"

Ye Zhu looked at the black plastic bag with surprise. She took it and opened it, revealing a white chunk resembling the finest mutton fat. "What is this?"

"Jihua?" Ye Chen thought for a moment. "Simply put, it's a powerful food source, rich in energy."

Ye Zhu mumbled, "Oh," then handed it back to him. "You eat it. I haven't done much, so I won't need much strength. If you get stronger, you can protect me better."

Ye Chen smiled faintly. "I've already had some. This won't have much effect on me. If you take it, you should gain the strength of a young man. Then, if we need to run, you'll be able to keep up with me."

Ye Zhu thought it over and didn't refuse further. She picked up the piece, slowly put it in her mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed.

A moment later.

"My body does feel much lighter," Ye Zhu exclaimed, looking at herself in astonishment. She couldn't imagine that small chunk of matter possessed such miraculous effects!

"Alright, let's eat," Ye Chen said with a faint smile, beginning his meal.

Subsequently...

The two of them ate sparingly and then settled down to rest. They slept from 11:30 to 1:30. After Ye Chen woke up, he began preparing weapons. Ye Zhu, hearing the movement, also awoke. She glanced at the four machetes on the cabinet, picked one up, swung it a few times, looking rather excited.

Ye Chen spared her a helpless look. A newborn calf fears no tiger; once she witnessed the brutality and terror of the zombies, she wouldn't be so cheerful. For this outing, Ye Chen packed one Molotov cocktail to use as a last-resort weapon in critical moments.

Why not two?

The reason was simple: carrying two would impede his speed, and besides, with Ye Chen's current strength, he was safe unless confronted by seven or eight zombies attacking simultaneously.

Fully equipped, Ye Chen turned to look at his sister, who was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. "Go change into some coarse cloth clothes first. For the lower half, put on the camouflage pants—I bought them; they're in the cabinet."

Ye Zhu blinked, glanced at her current attire, and then obediently went into the bedroom to change into her combat gear: a black short-sleeved top and camouflage cargo pants. She looked quite hip; with a baseball cap, she’d look like a dancer.

"Take this," Ye Chen tossed her a machete for self-defense, then said sternly, "When we go out, stay right behind me. Don't let your guard down, and absolutely do not act without orders."

Ye Zhu nodded meekly.

Ye Chen still felt uneasy, but there was no alternative. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he said, "Let's go!" He walked to the door, checked outside to ensure no zombies were present, and then pulled the door open—

Ye Zhu followed close behind. With a soft click, the door closed.

The sudden quiet enveloped them. In the deserted hallway, an eerie sense of dread hung in the air. Ye Chen remained outwardly calm, leading Ye Zhu to scan the area. Finding no zombies ascending from downstairs, they headed straight for the stairwell, beginning their descent to the lower floors!

Passing the stairwell, Ye Zhu saw three reeking zombie corpses sprawled across the steps. Her pretty face immediately turned deathly pale, and she lurched against the wall, starting to vomit violently.

Ye Chen looked helpless. Anyone seeing such a gruesome scene for the first time would be overwhelmed. He went to her side, patted her back to soothe her, and said, "Maybe you should go back upstairs. We can try again next time."

Ye Zhu instantly stopped retching, wiped the residue from the corner of her mouth, and scoffed, sticking out her lower lip. "Don't even think about it! Hmph, it’s only a few corpses! What’s the big deal?" Saying this, she turned her head and glared fiercely at the few zombies on the ground, as if challenging them: Hmph, I’m not afraid of you.

But as soon as she looked, she saw the zombies’ split-open chests and the thick, black ichor oozing out...

"Ugh."

She immediately started vomiting again.

Ye Chen smiled ruefully. On this matter, she would only have to rely on herself.

A few minutes later, Ye Zhu had thrown up everything she’d eaten for lunch. Her face was ashen, but the stubbornness in her eyes had only intensified. As soon as she regained some composure, she looked back at the zombies. This time, although her brow was tightly furrowed, she managed to suppress the urge and didn't throw up again.

"Let's go!" Ye Zhu steadied her nerves and urged him on.

Ye Chen breathed in the pervasive stench hanging in the air—an odor he had long since grown accustomed to. In the late stages of the apocalypse, this scent permeated the air everywhere.

Immediately, the two descended the stairs.

As they passed the corpses, Ye Zhu’s face was pale, her body trembling slightly, tears almost glistening in her eyes. But she finally bit her lip and held them back.

I will never let you fight alone, never! Looking at her brother’s familiar back, fierce determination flared in Ye Zhu’s eyes.

The 17th-floor hallway.

Utter silence reigned. Ye Chen and his sister Ye Zhu stood at the entrance to the corridor, gazing down the long stretch of hallway; a suffocating atmosphere permeated the air. Ye Chen remained composed, carefully bypassing the room where the mutated ants had been contained. He moved to the third room on the left—the door to this room was locked.

Ye Chen tapped on the door.

"Roar!" A beast-like roar instantly erupted from the room, accompanied by the sound of something thudding heavily against the wood.

Ye Chen pressed his ear against the door, listening intently. He could distinguish three zombies inside, pounding against the barrier. Given the quality of this door, it should hold for about three minutes, considering that three zombies equaled the strength of nine normal men!

Ye Zhu stood behind him. Hearing the frantic roaring and recalling the gruesome faces of the zombies downstairs, she shivered uncontrollably. Now, she truly understood the kind of monsters her brother had been fighting that morning!

She gripped her machete tightly; her palms were slick with sweat from tension, and her hands trembled slightly. She recalled a method she’d seen on TV for calming down and began repeating it mentally: I am not afraid, I am not afraid...

At that moment, Ye Chen turned and entered the second room—the former dwelling of the eight zombies encountered earlier. It was now empty, completely safe.

Ye Chen closed the door and, using his old technique, propped the sofa against it, opening the door just a crack—barely enough space for half a body to squeeze through. After completing this, the adjacent room’s door finally splintered, and the three zombies, drawn by the scent of blood, rushed to the entrance, frantically crowding and struggling to break in.

Having expended some energy damaging the previous door, these three zombies were less ferocious than before.

Ye Zhu stood beside him. Through the gap, she saw half a zombie’s head squeeze in, its eyes bloodshot, fangs bared, looking at her with a horrifying expression. It stretched out its clawed hand, desperately trying to grab her, but the distance was too great, and no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't reach.

Her face was deathly pale, her body shaking constantly.

Slash!

Ye Chen, standing beside her, remained emotionless. With one swift movement, he brought his blade down, severing the zombie’s claw. As it shrieked in pain, he darted close, thrusting his machete forward, aiming for the skull. However, the tip and spine of the machete were equally dull, and it failed to penetrate the zombie’s head.

The tremendous impact forced the injured zombie backward. The other two saw their chance and surged forward. Ye Chen casually hacked off their grasping claws, then widened the gap in the door. One zombie immediately burst through, struggling. Ye Chen was already waiting, bringing his blade down in a single strike upon its skull. The zombie collapsed, dead.

The other two followed suit, both meeting their end under his blade.

Ye Chen closed the door, looking at the three limbless zombies and the scattered arms on the floor. With a calm expression, he walked over to one of the corpses, squatted down, and began to dissect its chest cavity.

"What are you doing?" Ye Zhu gasped, her hands clutching the knife trembling uncontrollably. Anyone witnessing this scene, resembling a living hell, would be chilled to the bone.

Ye Chen smiled faintly. "The Jihua I gave you to eat comes from inside these zombies' chests, so I need to find it."

Ye Zhu felt an involuntary shiver run through her entire body. A person could smile while dissecting a corpse and poking through its organs—it gave her goosebumps and made her scalp crawl. But the moment she heard that the Jihua she ate at noon was extracted from this very zombie, she nearly fainted, having to lean against the wall and retch dryly.

...

The first time I ate the cold medicine, it was so sweet, tsk tsk, what a shame I never got sick enough to try it before.

Recommend a ticket! (∩_∩) It's very, very important during a new book launch...