Ye Chen didn't stop, continuing forward. Ye Zhu glanced at him, seeing his expression was cold, her eyes subtly shifting, constantly scanning their surroundings to guard against any sudden emergence of the undead. Seeing that he showed no intention of slowing, she couldn't help but look back at the black-haired youth, whom she saw sprinting quickly toward them.

Ye Zhu silently withdrew her gaze and followed quietly by Ye Chen's side.

"Hey, don't walk so fast!" The youth finally caught up, drawing abreast of Ye Chen and Ye Zhu, and reached out to stop them. His eyes swept across Ye Zhu's delicate, lovely face before settling on Ye Chen, a forced smile spreading across his features as he chuckled, "Buddy, no, brother—no, wait, Boss! You are so wise and mighty, handsome and dashing, enchanting countless young women and driving the heavenly prodigies wild..."

Ye Chen frowned slightly, waving a hand to cut off the flattery. "You want me to take you in?"

The youth paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. "As expected of a man so dashing, handsome, charming, and overwhelmingly attractive—a magnet for thousands of maidens... your insight is sharp and profound; you see right through a person's heart! You are practically the savior of this apocalypse, the role model for every man alive..."

Ye Chen coughed lightly. "I'm sorry. While I understand that without someone to look after you, you're likely to die—just like moments ago, if you hadn't met us, you’d have been torn to pieces. However, we don't take on dead weight. I apologize."

The youth instantly burst into tears, wailing internally, He won't take me in, but did he have to be so utterly heartless about it...

Ye Zhu was inherently softer-hearted. Seeing the youth's pitiful state, she tugged at Ye Chen's sleeve. "Brother, please take him in. It's rare to see another living person."

"Yes, yes!" The youth nodded vehemently, feeling that Ye Zhu was exquisitely beautiful and adorable, truly a living Bodhisattva. He quickly pleaded with Ye Chen, "I am not useless! I know dozens of things."

"Oh?" Ye Chen looked at him apathetically. "Tell me about them."

The youth paused to think, counting on his fingers. "My university major was in humanities; I'm great with languages, and I know a bit about computers. Plus, I was a unit commander in a state-owned enterprise, and I've also worked as a..."

Ye Chen turned to his sister, Ye Zhu. "Let's stir-fry some potatoes tonight when we get back."

"Okay!" Ye Zhu nodded obediently.

"Add some chili peppers; that'll whet the appetite," Ye Chen instructed.

"Mm-hmm!"

The youth nearby was stunned, then tears welled up again. Did he have to deliver such a devastating blow? He had been completely ignored...

Ye Chen led Ye Zhu around the youth and continued walking forward, acting as if he had never seen such a person. The youth stood in the corridor, head bowed, his fingers digging deeply into his own palms. After a long moment, he suddenly lifted his head, turned to face Ye Chen’s retreating form, and shouted loudly, "If you just agree to take me, I’ll do absolutely anything you ask!"

He had no other recourse.

Having witnessed Ye Chen's terrifying strength, he knew that in this world overrun by the undead, he would inevitably be ripped apart by them sooner or later. Even hiding in a room constantly would only lead to starvation.

His only path was to find a powerhouse and hide from the disaster under that person’s protection.

And Ye Chen was undoubtedly an excellent choice—at least for the moment, he was his only choice.

Hearing this near-hysterical shout, Ye Chen paused. Ye Zhu stood beside him, turning her head to look, but she couldn't discern any expression on the man's face.

After a significant silence, Ye Chen walked into a nearby room, retrieved a kitchen knife, tossed it to the youth, and then turned to leave.

The youth stared blankly at the knife in his hand, utterly bewildered. Just then, he heard Ye Zhu’s cheerful voice, "Hurry up and follow! Be careful the zombies behind us catch up."

The word 'zombie' was synonymous with nightmare. The youth quickly snapped back to reality, overwhelmed with unexpected joy. He eagerly chased after them, falling in line behind Ye Chen. He glanced at the tall, imposing man's back, feeling as if an icy wall separated them. Usually quick with words, he found himself at a loss for how to greet this man.

Ye Zhu, sensing his awkwardness, giggled softly. "Don't mind him; that's just my brother's temperament."

The youth managed a wry smile.

Ye Zhu blinked her exceptionally bright, lively eyes and looked at him curiously. "What's your name?"

The youth seemed to have recovered from the blow, his smile returning. He chuckled, "My surname is Bai, and my given name is Long—people call me Little White Dragon! The modern version of the romantic hero Little White Dragon circulating at Tsinghua University? That’s me! Hmm, this location isn't suitable; I’ll give you an autograph next time. Hey, don't walk so fast; wait up for me..."

...

Rounding a corner, Ye Chen suddenly stopped, raising a hand to signal for silence.

Ye Zhu obediently quieted down, knowing that Ye Chen only gave commands when they encountered real trouble; he never bothered restricting her otherwise.

Bai Long looked confused and walked closer. "What is it?"

Ye Chen frowned deeply.

Bai Long flinched, immediately closing his mouth. For some reason, a profound sense of dread welled up in him toward this man—perhaps due to the formidable power the man had displayed earlier, or perhaps because of that cold, ruthless rejection...

Ye Chen glanced at Bai Long, whose heart immediately tightened. He thought his outburst had displeased Ye Chen, and he was about to be abandoned. He instantly looked at Ye Chen with a pitiable, pleading expression.

Ye Chen rolled his eyes at him with slight exasperation and murmured, "You two wait here. I’ll check it out. If we run into zombies later, Bai Long, make sure you protect my sister!"

A massive weight lifted from Bai Long's chest; he sighed in relief, then straightened up proudly. "Of course! Don't you worry. As long as I'm here, your sister will not suffer the slightest harm!"

Ye Chen nodded, giving Ye Zhu a look that conveyed "Be careful," then gripped his fire axe and stepped forward. The corridor ahead was smeared with blood, and a door stood slightly ajar, the interior so silent that the fall of a pin could be heard.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and kicked the door open. He instantly saw the scene inside: a monster the size of a lion, completely shrouded in dark, ghostly luminescence, hunkered down on all fours, its claws wickedly sharp.

"It really is a mutant hound!" Ye Chen’s eyes grew grave. From the sour, acrid stench permeating the air, he knew a mutated canine was nearby; it was an odor unique to this type of mutated animal.

"Roar!" The mutant hound sensed Ye Chen as well, whipping its head around to glare at him ferociously, its fangs bared, scraps of intestine and other viscera still clinging to its molars.

Ye Chen frowned, wondering which owner had brought their pet dog along, only for the once-lovable pup to transform into this savage giant dog with strength comparable to twenty men when the apocalypse struck.

A dog's greatest asset is its nose!

Evolved under the virus, their sense of smell was sharper, but their raw strength was far inferior to that of an ant. In fact, in the later stages of the apocalypse, it was truly rare to find a monster globally stronger than an ant...

If a lion and an ant were the same size, the lion would absolutely lose a fight.

Therefore, this mutant dog wasn't as terrifying as that rumored mutant ant, but for the current Ye Chen, it was still a formidable adversary. Even though their strengths were equal, the gap between them was still immense!

Because a dog's speed and neural reaction time far exceeded that of other animals—including humans—of equivalent strength!

Moreover, a dog's teeth and claws were deadly weapons. Under equal physical power, it was truly difficult for a human to defeat a dog!

But Ye Chen had no other choice.

At that moment, the mutant dog lunged, covering the distance to Ye Chen in less than a blink of an eye. Its speed was definitely around 100 meters in two seconds, easily two seconds faster than Ye Chen!

What did running a hundred meters in two seconds mean?

It was gone in the time it took to blink—whoosh!

Cold sweat trickled down Ye Chen's forehead. He gripped the fire axe tightly and, as the mutant dog closed the distance, swung the axe head forward in a sweeping motion, stirring up a sharp "whoosh" of air.

Swish!

The mutant dog shifted its body low to the ground, easily evading the strike, and instantly appeared behind Ye Chen, slashing out with a paw.

...

A bit late, but I managed to post before midnight. Please collect, give recommendation votes, click, and even adopt, folks! Robots need maintenance too.