In the corridor, Ye Zhu and Bai Long waited in silence. The stillness was absolute until Bai Long couldn't help but break it, "Is that person really your brother?"

Ye Zhu shot him a strange look. "Of course, he is."

Bai Long gasped with theatrical exaggeration. "But you look nothing alike! He seems like a block of ice, completely devoid of emotion. He saw how pitiful I was and wouldn't even offer aid. You're far kinder than he is."

Ye Zhu laughed. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell him what you said?"

Bai Long calmly shook his head and drawled, "A girl as lovely, beautiful, and kind-hearted as you would never do something so base and shameless."

Ye Zhu glared at him, annoyed. "Stop trying to trick me with pretty words. You simply don't understand my brother."

Just as Bai Long was about to reply, a zombie shuffled out of a nearby room, slightly ajar, apparently drawn by the sound of their voices. It let out a guttural roar and charged toward them.

Bai Long jumped back in alarm. He knew precisely how ferocious these zombies were; encountering one meant certain death. He instinctively started to turn and flee, but as he recoiled, he caught a faint, delicate fragrance beside him, suddenly remembering the fragile girl standing right behind him...

He glanced back at Ye Zhu. The beautiful, endearing girl had her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, though her expression held little panic. The contour of her cheekbones seemed vaguely familiar, echoing the image of a woman once deeply engraved in his heart...

Yi'er...

His jaw clenched tight. He lifted his head, staring fiercely at the charging zombie, and with a sudden, desperate surge, snatched the watermelon knife from Ye Zhu's hand. He stepped forward, shielding her. "I'll hold it off—you run!"

A light breeze brushed against his face.

It stirred the strands of her hair resting on her shoulders.

Ye Zhu watched the man's retreating back, momentarily stunned, her eyes gradually softening, a gentle smile playing in their depths.

"Roar!"

The zombie lunged, its claws aiming for Bai Long’s shoulder, its fang-lined maw snapping toward his throat.

There was only one knife; if he blocked the claw, he couldn't stop the bite!

Bai Long’s eyes blazed with furious fire, as if every drop of his blood and the core of his soul were incinerating. With a great shout, like a tragic knight, he swung the blade down toward the zombie's head!

He brought it down viciously!

This single strike channeled all the strength in his body, fueled by an absolute, reckless resolve!

Kill!

Slash!

The zombie's skull split open, but its claw simultaneously tore into Bai Long’s shoulder, ripping away a large portion of flesh and exposing the white bone beneath.

Bai Long weakly dropped his arm. The knife clattered to the ground with a clang. His face was ashen. He glanced at his mangled arm with a bitter, self-mocking smile, sat down heavily, and gasped for breath, sweat pouring from him.

Ye Zhu's pretty face changed hue, and she cried out in alarm as she looked at his injury, "You're hurt!"

Bai Long turned his head toward the girl and managed a smile. "Just a scratch, it's fine."

"You could be infected with the virus! You’ll turn into a zombie!" Ye Zhu hurried to say.

Bai Long's lips turned paper-white, and his skin gradually took on a dark, bluish tint. The wound on his shoulder began to darken, and the blood flowing from it slowly shifted from bright red to black, growing darker and darker... Especially his eyes—they looked as if he hadn't slept in ten days, bloodshot and circled by deep shadows. His canines were visibly elongating...

These were the undeniable precursors to zombification!

Bai Long looked at the girl before him, trying to inject some life into the sorrowful atmosphere. He forced a smile. "When I'm about to turn, just kill me, alright?"

Ye Zhu felt a piercing stab in her heart, tears welling in her eyes. "You don't have to do that! Actually... I can kill zombies too."

Bai Long’s gaze held a spark of pride. "In front of me? How could I let a girl face such an ugly monster? Besides, your cold-blooded brother entrusted you to me. If anything happened to you, I’d have to be buried with you."

...

Tear!

The claw of a mutated hound ripped across Ye Chen’s back, tearing through his coarse cloth shirt and embedding itself in his flesh, leaving four deep, bloody scratch marks.

Ye Chen's expression was grave. Despite the severe wound, he didn't even grunt. He spun around and bolted into the bedroom of a nearby room. The mutated hound would not let him go and chased swiftly after him.

Once inside, Ye Chen instantly dodged behind the door. As the hound rushed in, he shoved the door shut, simultaneously moving behind the creature. He stamped his foot, twisted his body, and swung the axe in an incredibly bizarre arc, striking the hound’s flank and tearing a deep gash.

"Blood Wind Technique, First Form: Back Receiving Strike!"

The fire axe in Ye Chen's hands moved like a sculptor's chisel, whipping up gusts of wind. Though he stood behind the mutated hound, the axe tore open its belly, carving a gaping wound.

This was a blade technique Ye Chen had devised in his past life, designed specifically for attacks aimed at a monster’s back. The inspiration for this move came from a time he hunted a Blood-Eyed Hedgehog.

Hedgehogs have hard, dense spines on their backs, but the skin on their chest is very soft. This technique was a natural counter to hedgehog-type monsters! Since this mutated hound’s back hide was tougher than its chest, this technique was perfect for it.

"Too bad my strength isn't enough right now. Otherwise, with the Demon God Technique, this mutated hound would be dead in one strike," Ye Chen sighed inwardly. In his previous life, everyone who knew him called him the Cold-Faced Blade Demon!

He was just an ordinary person, but through repeated battles, he had honed an exquisite set of blade skills!

A martial artist could become a master by practicing on a wooden post for ten years; how much more so Ye Chen, who faced terrifying monsters daily? His combat skills had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

"Roar!"

The injured mutated hound grew even more frenzied. With a single movement, it leaped onto the bed, spun around, and fixed its savage, fanged gaze on Ye Chen. This human had actually managed to wound it. From its limited intellect, Ye Chen was immediately categorized as a threat! But this did not diminish its thirst for the blood Ye Chen carried!

Whoosh!

Its form flashed like lightning as the hound sprang from the mattress, hurtling toward Ye Chen. The force of this charge dramatically increased its power; if Ye Chen had met it head-on, he would surely have been sent flying!

But this was also an opportunity!

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. Veins bulged on his arm as he channeled all his strength. He threw his body backward, bracing his hands on the floor, and executed a backflip, kicking the bottom half of the hound’s body upward and making it tilt significantly.

Then, Ye Chen sprang back to his feet. A light flashed from his hand as the fire axe swung out, slicing into the hound's belly!

The sharpest part of an axe is not the blade edge, but the tip!

The axe tip pierced the hound’s abdomen. Ye Chen gave a hard tug, and the hound's belly split open like a zipper, spilling its intestines and internal organs onto the floor.

"Ugh..."

The mutated hound collapsed, howling in pain. With its stomach ripped open, even with its robust physique, it had lost all fighting capability.

Ye Chen quickly moved over, smashed the creature’s skull, then hoisted the heavy beast onto his shoulders and walked out. This hound was as large as a lion, weighing three to four hundred pounds, and its hide could be peeled off to make clothing and protective gear.

Emerging from the room, Ye Chen swiftly returned to the corridor. He immediately saw his sister, Ye Zhu, sitting on the ground with swollen, red eyes. Beside her, Bai Long was entirely dark-blue, and two of his teeth visibly protruded further than the others...

Zombification!

Ye Chen’s heart lurched. He took a stride, arriving beside Bai Long, his fire axe already raised, ready to strike. At that moment, his sister Ye Zhu cried out urgently, "Don't—"

Ye Chen paused, frowning. "How did he get scratched by a zombie? Judging by his appearance, he’ll turn soon."

Ye Zhu sobbed, "It’s all my fault. He was scratched by that zombie while trying to protect me."

Ye Chen glanced at the downed zombie, then at Bai Long, his brow furrowed. He stepped over Bai Long's body and said quickly, "Carry him into a room first!"

Ye Zhu paused, then her face lit up with overwhelming joy. "You have a way to save him, don't you?"

Ye Chen was silent for a moment. "I can only try."

On the ground, Bai Long felt his head swimming in a fog. Intense drowsiness and fatigue washed over him. He knew he couldn't relax, or once he "fell asleep," he would become a bloodthirsty zombie!

In his hazy state, he vaguely felt someone lifting him. A flicker of confusion crossed his mind. It seemed only a short while later that he was placed on a soft sofa. Simultaneously, a cold voice sounded near his ear: "Go boil some hot water to clean the wound, and bring some strong liquor. Clean the infected areas too."

Bai Long recognized the cold man's voice. His heart filled with bewilderment; he couldn't fathom what was happening.

...

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