Not long after, Bai Long and the others had cleaned up the corpse of the mutated rat. They somehow procured several plastic bags and swiftly encased the creature within them, doing their best to prevent the scent of blood and vital energy from leaking out.

"Bai Long, you carry the mutated rat corpse!" Ye Chen saw Yue Heng about to volunteer to take on the carcass and spoke up immediately.

"Huh?" Bai Long, who was bandaging a wound, couldn't help but look utterly bewildered when he heard that. "Why?"

Ye Chen walked over and glanced at Bai Long's injured shoulder. The blood showed signs of gradually drying up. Given Bai Long's constitution, this minor wound would likely scab over in no time.

Ye Chen patted the nearly dried wound, causing it to immediately split open again, the blood flowing uncontrollably. The pain brought tears close to Bai Long’s eyes, and he cried out, "What are you doing!"

Ye Chen said calmly, "Although the mutated rat's claws don't carry the virus, it lives in the sewers long-term, meaning its claws are covered in potent bacteria. Once the blood dries, the bacteria will seep into the skin. Within three days, your entire arm will fester!" Saying this, he took the mutated rat carcass from Yue Heng’s hands and tossed it to him.

Bai Long asked doubtfully, "Is that really true?"

"Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"What you said makes sense, but why do I feel like you're just trying to pick a fight with me?"

"You can see it that way."

"Fine!" Bai Long resignedly accepted the explanation. Looking at the mutated rat corpse in his hands, he forced a wry smile. "But why do I have to carry it?"

"I'm messing with you," Ye Chen stated coldly, then turned and walked away, leaving a stunned Bai Long behind.

"What a cold-blooded freak!" Bai Long muttered under his breath, then reluctantly hoisted the rat's corpse. Even though Ye Chen claimed he was picking on him, anyone with eyes could tell Ye Chen was simply too lazy to explain further.

Yue Heng and the other two accompanying them looked at Bai Long with sympathy but dared not say anything, inwardly making a solemn note: never question this demon, or the consequences will be severe! They mentally added: Bai Long is a living, bloody example of this!

"Let's go!"

Ye Chen took the lead, following the directions on the map into a secluded alley. He was intensely focused throughout the journey, pausing every few hundred meters to crouch down and press his ear to the ground, checking the surrounding movements.

Any zombies that occasionally rushed out were easily dispatched by him.

The team moved with him at the vanguard, followed closely by his sister, Ye Zhu. Further back was Bai Long, lugging the mutated rat corpse. Yue Heng and the remaining two brought up the rear—this was Ye Chen’s way of training them.

Based on his scouting, he typically dealt with a dozen zombies immediately. Only if one or two were inadvertently missed would they suddenly charge out from adjacent buildings to attack, testing the reaction capabilities of Yue Heng and the other two.

Fortunately, this street was in a bustling downtown area, meaning there weren't many animals, and consequently, mutated monsters were scarce. The most frequent encounters were with the mutated rats.

There were several strains of mutated rats, such as the Gale Rat, the Bloodthirsty Rat, and the Three-Eyed Rat.

The one Ye Chen had killed belonged to the Bloodthirsty Rat species, known for its extreme bloodlust and claws three times sharper than ordinary mutated rats!

Even the rodent family alone had numerous branches; naturally, there were even more varieties of other mutated monsters.

The group moved on and off. Although they didn't encounter any formidable monsters, there were still quite a few scattered zombies on the streets. If alerted, they could become a significant nuisance.

Time slipped by, and soon it was afternoon.

Ye Chen checked the time and, seeing the sun beginning to set, found an abandoned building and went inside. This building harbored many zombies, whom Ye Chen swiftly eliminated before they could summon more companions.

Afterward, the group settled into a room on the second floor.

"At night, the activity of zombies and monsters intensifies, and their strength increases considerably. During the day, a single zombie might possess the strength of three people; at night, that could escalate to four, or even five times as much!"

Ye Chen was keenly aware of how perilous it was to travel under the cover of darkness.

When night fell, Yue Heng and the others took out their food. Since they only brought snacks like potato chips, they didn't even need a stove and ate directly.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Ye Chen rose early and left the room alone, speeding to the rooftop of the building. He stood by a window, gazing out over the surrounding streets, taking in the area within a kilometer radius. Then, referencing the map, he selected a route with the fewest monsters.

The group set off fully equipped, continuing their journey.

Time rushed onward, and two days passed in a flash.

For these two days, the group had been constantly moving, but there were simply too many zombies on the streets—hundreds on every block. If any noise alerted one, all the others would charge over.

At their pace, if they were surrounded, even Ye Chen wouldn't be able to handle it, let alone having to look after his sister Ye Zhu and the others.

"We are two kilometers from the Research Institute, and there are only three days left until the end of this month!" Ye Chen calculated silently.

They had to reach the institute within these three days and extract the genes of the mutated ant. Otherwise, if the ant underwent further mutation under the virus's influence, its genes would become even more powerful, making fusion far more difficult!

Furthermore, if they failed to reach the institute within three days, their chances of survival on these zombie-infested streets would drop drastically, as the zombies in the second month of the apocalypse were far more terrifying than those in the first!

"Go!"

Ye Chen led the group, skirting around a cluster of zombies, all holding their breath and creeping towards the corner of the wall.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a zombie caught the scent of blood and roared, its eyes bloodthirsty as it stared at Ye Chen and the others' location, charging ferociously toward them.

"Run!" Ye Chen didn't hesitate. His body moved, but instead of fleeing, he positioned himself at the rear of the group and barked the order to Bai Long and the others.

Faced with this sudden emergency, Bai Long and the others did not panic, as similar encounters had occurred occasionally over the past two days. They immediately began running into the distance.

"Thwack!"

As the zombie charged in, Ye Chen cleaved it open with an axe, then coldly surveyed the surrounding zombies that had been alerted. He plunged directly into the horde. With the determined resolve of these zombies, once they encountered fresh blood, they would fight to the death until they secured it; thus, running away would only draw more of them.

"Kill!"

"Blood Wind Art!"

"Twin Blade Shred!"

Ye Chen weaved through the mass of zombies, wielding two fire axes, whipping up a whirlwind of gore. With every swing, a zombie fell to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, this group of over twenty zombies was swiftly eliminated, all meeting their end beneath the fire axes, lying sprawled on the ground, their black blood staining everything.

Ye Chen gasped lightly, his chest rising and falling, his dog-skin armor damp and slick with sweat.

"Go!"

Ye Chen didn't bother checking for genes within the corpses; his concern was for his sister Ye Zhu’s safety. Without another word, he turned to leave. However, after taking only a few steps, a fierce roar erupted from behind him, carrying an overwhelming surge of violent killing intent and bloodlust.

Ye Chen spun around, his pupils contracting sharply.

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