Three figures left the research institute and set off toward the hospital, following the route marked on the map.

"Don't turn on the lights!" Ye Chen quickly stopped Bailong as he reached for his flashlight. "Zombies are highly sensitive to light; turning one on will attract every single one of them."

Bailong paused, then hastily pocketed the flashlight and proceeded into the pitch-dark night, walking along the street into the distance.

The sky was utterly black, choked with heavy clouds, offering no moonlight whatsoever. Only the sound of the howling wind remained, rustling the trees along the roadside, sounding like ghostly laughter.

"There's someone over there." Suddenly, Bailong spotted a woman crouching by a wall not far ahead. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, suggesting she was crying.

Ye Chen frowned and sharply commanded, "Ignore her and keep moving!"

"How can we do that?" Bailong objected immediately. "She’s a weak woman. If she runs into a zombie, she’ll be eaten."

Ye Chen fixed him with a cold gaze. "What idiot squats by the roadside in the dead of night?"

Bailong startled, a cold sweat immediately breaking out. He glanced back at the distant figure, finally realizing she wasn't weeping, but chewing on something...

"Hurry up!" Ye Chen hissed and sprinted forward, his speed astonishing. Bailong strained every muscle just to keep pace, and to their surprise, Mo Feng, usually silent and reserved, easily matched Ye Chen's stride.

Ye Chen gave the man a deep look but said nothing more. As the group rounded a corner, a primal sense of danger made Ye Chen halt abruptly.

"What is it?" Bailong asked, surprised.

Ye Chen shook his head and peered through the gap in the wall ahead. His pupils contracted instantly. In a wide-open area in the distance, hundreds of zombies were gathered, standing loosely. Central to this horde stood one exceptionally tall zombie, possessing elongated claws, eyes glowing green in the darkness, and protruding fangs—a truly terrifying sight.

Noticing that the surrounding zombies seemed implicitly led by this central figure, Ye Chen felt a chill in his heart.

"Zombie King!"

Some zombies, by devouring the blood of powerful monsters, underwent physical evolution, much like humans taking enhancement drugs. These leading zombies, far surpassing the ordinary kind, were termed Zombie Kings.

"Roar!"

The Zombie King, standing amidst its mass, raised a claw and let out a powerful roar. The surrounding zombies echoed the sound.

Ye Chen swiftly crouched low, holding his breath.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The Zombie King appeared to be issuing commands; the surrounding zombies responded with loud shrieks. Then, the Zombie King stepped to the side of the street, raised a hand, and pointed forward. The horde responded with renewed bellows, surging forward to invade the various buildings lining the street in a systematic search.

"Aaaah—"

A piercing scream tore through the silent night from within one of the buildings, instantly followed by the sickening sound of bone being crushed—a truly spine-chilling auditory horror.

"These zombies have thoughts too?" Bailong was aghast.

Ye Chen remained silent. In reality, these zombies were nothing like those depicted in films. In later stages, the Dark Creatures became the most powerful of the three major factions, especially the City of Darkness. Even the world's top ten supreme beings dared not trespass there, rumored to be ruled by an unimaginably terrifying Dark Creature whose power no one could match.

"Let's go."

Not long after, under the direction of the Zombie King, the horde swept off down another street, scouring every building for survivors. During this sweep, they encountered an Iron Hound, a monster possessing the strength of thirty men. However, under the relentless, continuous assault of several hundred zombies, it was eventually killed.

After the kill, several zombies lunged forward to tear at the carcass, but the Zombie King lifted them up and threw them aside. It then roared at the entire group. The zombies, eager for the fresh blood, immediately quieted down, none daring to compete for the food.

The trio stealthily moved into an adjacent street. Perhaps because the local zombie population had been mobilized by the King, they encountered no resistance along the way.

Soon, a towering structure loomed into their sight.

Under the night sky, the building resembled a massive, crouching beast, exuding a constant, eerie aura.

Ye Chen took the lead and rushed inside, ascending the stairs into the hospital proper.

Bailong and Mo Feng followed. Inside, it was pitch black, visibility was zero, and a cold wind swept through, giving the sensation of being watched by unseen, coldly smiling eyes.

Bailong switched on his flashlight, sweeping it around. The floor was littered everywhere with white paper, mostly patient records. The only oddity was the cleanliness; there wasn't a single trace of blood anywhere.

Ye Chen frowned slowly, paused in silence, and then instructed Bailong and Mo Feng, "You two search the left side together; I'll take the right. If you encounter anything monstrous, shout loudly."

Mo Feng nodded in acknowledgment.

Bang!

Suddenly, the main door of the hospital slammed shut, followed by the sound of wind howling outside and the swaying shadows of trees.

Bailong jumped, nearly dropping his flashlight. He swallowed hard. "Is someone out there?"

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He strode to the entrance and kicked out with tremendous force, splintering the heavy door off its hinges. He stepped out and scanned the dim night, but there wasn't a single shadow in sight.

"Must have been the wind," Ye Chen said, turning back inside.

Bailong let out a sigh of relief. "That scared the life out of me. I thought we ran into a ghost."

Ye Chen shook his head resignedly. After a few final instructions, the three separated onto their respective paths to locate the serum vault.

Moments after the trio had left the main area, a white shape drifted past the entrance. Immediately after, the heavy door, which Ye Chen had forcefully broken open, quietly closed again. Inside the silent room, a sinister, mocking chuckle seemed to linger.

Ye Chen had never visited a hospital this large before; he usually tolerated minor ailments or sought treatment at private clinics, given the exorbitant costs of major medical centers.

A faint, damp, water-like scent permeated the quiet corridor. Rooms lined both sides; though most appeared to be wards, Ye Chen opened and checked every single one to avoid missing anything.

Strangely, after checking seven or eight rooms—all wards—he found no patients, nor even any zombies.

Ye Chen spotted a switch on the wall and flipped it.

Thump!

The entire area lit up, fluorescent tubes humming overhead.

Ye Chen inwardly praised the development; electric lighting would greatly improve their efficiency. He began a thorough sweep. The surroundings remained eerily silent, broken only by the sound of his own shoes.

After circling the area, Ye Chen had still encountered zero zombies, as if everyone in the hospital had vanished. There wasn't even a single bloodstain on the floor.

Ye Chen found an office. On the desk lay numerous files. He randomly picked up a few, flipping through them, hoping to find the location of the serum vault. Unfortunately, the documents only contained patient case histories.

"Zhang Fangting, condition: late-stage lung cancer, resuscitation unsuccessful." One file displayed a young woman’s close-up photograph, accompanied by notes detailing her treatment history.

Ye Chen glanced at it for a moment, lost interest, and turned to leave the room, retracing his steps.

A few steps later, a wave of cold washed over Ye Chen's back, like someone breathing cold air directly onto his neck. His heart leaped, and he spun around instantly. Nothing was behind him, only the slightly chilling white light.

"Hm?" Passing a patient room, Ye Chen cast a casual glance inside and suddenly noticed that the light in that room was off. He paused, struck by surprise; he distinctly remembered turning that light on himself.

Could Bailong or Mo Feng have come through here?

Ye Chen frowned but dismissed the thought and continued walking until he reached a stairwell. Sitting on a chair there was a figure in a red dress, her long hair hanging down, obscuring her face.

Ye Chen checked her fingernails—they hadn't elongated—and let out a breath of relief. "Do you know where the serum vault is?"

The woman in red slowly lifted her head. Her hair veiled half her face, but the visible half was exquisitely delicate, suggesting she must be a beauty. She smiled faintly upon hearing him, a strange glint in her eyes, and her voice held an almost magical quality. "I do!"

"Where is it?" Ye Chen asked eagerly, suddenly hopeful.

"Follow me." The woman’s voice was incredibly sweet as she turned and headed downstairs.

Ye Chen followed closely.

Before long, they reached the first basement level—a long corridor lined with many rooms. In the very center room, three characters were clearly displayed: Morgue!

Ye Chen felt the surrounding air drop several degrees colder.

At that moment, a woman in white, hair disheveled and hanging low, shambled slowly from the far end of the corridor toward them.

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed. He grabbed the woman in red and bolted toward the lower level.

"Why are we running?" the woman in red asked, surprised.

Ye Chen pulled her to the second basement level, which was completely dark, filled with numerous rooms of unknown purpose. He stopped, turning to the woman in red. "The woman back there—she was wearing the gown from one of the bodies in the morgue. She definitely isn't human!"

"Oh," the woman in red replied, smiling.

Looking at her smile, a sudden, chilling cold enveloped Ye Chen. A piece of information flashed across his mind, causing him to gasp aloud, "You... you are that Zhang Fangting!!"

...

It's getting late. I was spooked by those wicked kids in the group chat, keeping up with ghost stories... fittingly, I’ve been reading a lot of horror lately. A real tragedy... Today's recommendation votes are extremely weak, down by 100 votes from usual!!! Next week will feature a major burst of chapters, so I hope everyone's recommendation votes don't wither away then, or I'll be truly demoralized.