With strength at Ye Chen's level, he could unleash an axe swing every second, capable of obliterating over a dozen zombies in a single minute. Thus, within mere minutes of the battle commencing, it was swiftly concluded.

"Clear the bodies, leave quickly," Ye Chen commanded calmly.

Ye Zhu and Bai Long stared in stunned silence at the field littered with the fallen undead. Only when they heard Ye Chen's voice did they snap back to reality. Hastily suppressing the horror within, they swiftly began dissecting the zombie corpses to extract the Jihua.

Not long after, the pair finished their gruesome work. Bai Long was solely responsible for slicing open the chest cavities, while Ye Zhu focused on locating and retrieving the Jihua within—they worked in coordinated fashion.

Having finished the cleanup, Ye Chen glanced around, ensuring no more zombies were approaching. He then cautiously approached the wall, peering through the glass window. On the street nearby, hordes of zombies milled about, their heads tilted upwards in grotesque postures.

Ye Chen knew this posture allowed the zombies to better scent the blood mist lingering in the air.

A quick survey of the exterior revealed only parked vehicles and the wandering corpses. There was no cover whatsoever; stepping outside meant instant detection.

Based on Ye Chen’s knowledge, the vision of these first-form zombies was three times superior to that of a normal human. Furthermore, like infrared vision, any fresh blood appeared as a vivid crimson to them, while everything else—stones, vehicles—was rendered in shades of dull gray.

After observing for a moment and seeing no viable exit, Ye Chen frowned slightly. He turned back toward the elevator and swiftly informed Ye Zhu and Bai Long, "We're leaving through the back."

The two nodded. The trio headed toward the rear of the hotel. Unsure of the location of the back exit, they had to search hallway by hallway. Most of these corridors concealed lurking zombies, though none posed a significant threat.

Shortly, they discovered the rear exit in a basement. The door was locked, and an old security guard zombie was shuffling nearby. The instant it spotted Ye Chen and the others, it let out a roar and lunged.

Ye Chen smashed its skull with a single axe blow and retrieved a large keyring from its waist, unlocking the door.

This exit led directly to the street. Few zombies roamed the immediate vicinity—only seven or eight. Not far off, near the entrance of a small supermarket, a dozen or so more were loitering.

The moment the door opened, the nearby seven or eight zombies charged, but they quickly fell beneath Ye Chen's axe. Just as the three prepared to slip into a distant, deserted alley, three figures suddenly sprinted out of the supermarket ahead, pursued by a large swarm—twenty-odd zombies in total.

Yue Heng felt utterly cursed. After managing to sneak into the supermarket and steal some provisions, he hadn't even had time to eat before a wandering zombie spotted him. He bolted out of the store and fled toward the distance.

He hadn't run far when he spotted the rear door of the hotel ahead, where three figures stood—two men and one woman, all visibly armed. His eyes lit up, and he urgently yelled to the two younger brothers following him, "Follow me!"

The two youths, burdened with their stolen food, immediately nodded and hurried after him toward the hotel's back exit.

As they neared the door, Yue Heng noticed the three figures remained rooted to the spot, seemingly oblivious to the large group of zombies closing in behind him. Frustration flared, and he roared, "Run! The zombies are here!"

Yet, his shouts seemed to have no effect. The three stood motionless, staring blankly at the approaching horde.

"Damn it, have they been scared paralyzed?" Yue Heng cursed inwardly. He sprinted to Ye Chen’s side, urgently pleading, "Get inside, or we’re dead!"

After saying this, seeing that Ye Chen and the others still hadn't moved, he nearly erupted in profanities. But with the zombies right upon them, he couldn't afford niceties. He dove headfirst into the doorway and slammed the door shut, prioritizing immediate survival.

However, the instant the door clicked shut, Yue Heng heard sharp "thump-thump" sounds. He spun around in shock. What he saw made his eyeballs nearly pop out of his head. The leader of the three, a black-haired youth, brandished a fire axe, his eyes cold and merciless, as he charged directly into the zombie horde.

Those ferocious, brutal zombies proved fragile as straw before this youth. With every swing of his axe, two or three zombies were severed at the waist—it was pure slaughter!

"Holy hell! Is that even human?"

The three pursuers were dumbfounded and frozen.

One minute later, all twenty zombies lay dead. Ye Zhu and Bai Long immediately resumed their dissection work.

Yue Heng blinked, doubting his own vision.

Heavens!

That was over twenty zombies! Any one of them could kill him as easily as crushing an ant, yet this young man had dealt with them in mere swipes, like slicing watermelons.

Yue Heng swallowed hard, cautiously pulling the door open slightly. He stepped out with his two followers, surveying the corpses littering the ground. He stammered, his scalp tingling, "Y-you guys…"

Bai Long, still working on a corpse, chuckled. "You’re incredibly lucky to have run into us. Otherwise, with this many zombies, this back door would have been torn open in the blink of an eye, given its durability."

Yue Heng knew he wasn't lying. He swallowed again, then cautiously asked, "Are you sent by God?"

Bai Long paused, then burst into loud laughter. "That's right! I am the savior sent by God, known everywhere as the dashing, handsome, and suave Little Bai Long! Brother, do you have any older sisters, younger sisters, or distant cousins? Feel free to introduce one. I don't mind inner beauty, as long as she's gorgeous."

"Introduce your sister!" Yue Heng instantly realized he was being teased. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Seeing they weren't impossible to deal with, his tension eased, and his boldness grew. He asked curiously, "These zombies have such strength, how did you kill them? Are you not human? Or maybe legendary werewolves or vampires?"

Bai Long pursed his lips. "Have you ever seen a werewolf this handsome? Kid, you read too many novels, didn't you? Want me to turn into a Transformer or an Ultraman warrior next?"

Yue Heng nearly spat blood, staring speechlessly at Bai Long.

"Alright, let's move out," Ye Chen called out, seeing the collection was nearly complete. He turned and headed down a narrower side road. Bai Long and Ye Zhu rose and followed in his wake.

"Goodbye, brother," Bai Long waved his hand.

Yue Heng froze momentarily.

"Boss, let's go with them!" one of Yue Heng's subordinates urged immediately.

Yue Heng snapped back to reality and quickly chased after them. "Wait, where are you going? We'll come with you."

"Hm?" Ye Chen turned his head, glanced at him, and stated, "We don't take people who eat for free."

Yue Heng hastened to explain, "We absolutely won't touch your food, don't worry! We have our own provisions."

Ye Chen shook his head. "You are too weak. Following us will only slow us down."

Yue Heng was stunned, then his face crumpled in sudden distress. "We absolutely won't be a burden..."

"No," Ye Chen maintained his refusal.

Ye Zhu tugged at his sleeve. "Brother, you fear they'll hasten their deaths by following us, but staying here is also certain death for them. Traveling with us might offer some protection."

Ye Chen looked at her with resigned helplessness, then turned back to Yue Heng and his group. "We are heading somewhere very dangerous. If you aren't afraid to die, then follow."

Yue Heng