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…… “Then, who is your captain…?” Xi Xiang glanced toward Yue Heng by the wall, feeling he didn't quite fit, then turned to Zhuge Fan. She could tell from the boy’s slightly immature face that he lacked leadership qualities, so her gaze naturally drifted toward Mo Feng and Ye Chen in the rear, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to discern which one held command.

Bai Long pointed at Ye Chen. “He is our captain.” Xi Xiang scrutinized Ye Chen closely.

The man appeared to be around 23, his black hair loosely falling around him with a hint of wild, untamed spirit. His eyebrows were sharp as blades, his eyes deep, possessing a calm assurance and confidence.

His nose was high-bridged, his lips thin—strikingly handsome. He exuded a cold aura, like a solitary prince, solitary arrogance mingled with a touch of melancholy.

Even though Xi Xiang had encountered many handsome men, she found herself momentarily lost in thought. However, she quickly recovered; after all, she wasn't so superficial as to judge based on looks alone.

She offered a slight smile. “Hello.

Thank you all for stepping in to save us!” Ye Chen nodded slightly, glancing at the man whose arm had been clawed. The man’s complexion had paled slightly, and a faint greenish light was intensifying within his pupils.

Ye Chen frowned. “He is about to turn into a zombie.

You had best put him down quickly.” The group startled, all eyes turning toward the injured man. The man had short hair and an utterly unremarkable appearance.

He clutched his wound, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. Hearing Ye Chen’s words, he finally lifted his head.

Seeing everyone staring at him, the look that had previously seemed familiar and kind now appeared strangely distant. A heavy weight settled silently in his heart.

Isn’t the loneliest moment when you are utterly alone, abandoned by everyone? “A-Ling…” Xi Xiang whispered his name, a trace of sorrow in her eyes.

The man named A-Ling managed a bitter smile. “I know.

Do it while I still have some semblance of myself!” He closed his eyes with a tragic smile. What sorrow washes over a person when their fate is sealed?

“No, don’t kill him!” The woman weeping over the young man on the ground scrambled up immediately and rushed into A-Ling’s embrace, crying out to the others, “Please, don’t kill him! A-Ling won’t turn, he absolutely won’t!” Silence fell among the group.

A-Ling looked tenderly at the woman in his arms, his heart warmed. Gazing at the girl who had shared so many days with him through the years, memories flickered through his eyes like passing light: Skipping class together in school… Paper cranes delivered beneath her window in middle school… The first bouquet of wild roses he gave her on Valentine’s Day in high school… The laughter that once echoed in his ears, the smile etched into his memory—all flashed by like fleeting reflections.

A sharp pang of grief struck him. He let out a breath and then closed his eyes.

The entire world went dark. After a long moment, he slowly opened them again.

With resolute determination, he looked at the woman in his arms and whispered low, “Take care!” He shoved her away suddenly, stepped back, and the watermelon knife in his hand slashed swiftly across his neck. He collapsed, dead.

The onlookers watched this scene, silenced. Ye Chen remained expressionless.

Although he possessed the means to cleanse the virus from the man’s body, he lacked the auxiliary tools like boiling water or strong liquor, leaving him powerless to intervene. Tragedies like this were unfolding everywhere across the globe.

In his previous life, Ye Chen had lost his sister, Ye Zhu, and thus intimately understood the agony of losing one's closest kin. But this was the brutal reality of the apocalypse.

The delicate woman’s eyes darkened, and she fainted. Xi Xiang gasped in alarm and quickly caught her, checking her forehead.

Seeing she was unharmed, she finally sighed with relief. “It’s too much for her; losing her younger brother and her childhood sweetheart on the same day—the shock is immense.” Ye Chen glanced at them.

“In another month, the army will establish a base city in Beijing. You can head there; survival prospects are much higher if you rely on the base city.” Xi Xiang and the others paused, exchanging glances before letting out bitter smiles.

“The capital is so far from here; we’ll likely die along the way before we even arrive.” Ye Chen’s expression turned somewhat distant. “Inside the zombies, there is a white substance, like lard.

If you clean it, you can eat it raw; it can boost your strength. That’s all we can offer.

You must look out for yourselves.” Xi Xiang looked surprised. “Is it because you eat this stuff that you are so powerful?” Ye Chen nodded.

Nearby, Bai Long gaped. “Didn’t you say this was a secret, something we couldn't reveal?” Ye Chen stated calmly, “It was crucial to keep it secret during the first month.

That way, we could use this method to rapidly increase our power, far surpassing everyone else. But next month, once the base city is established, the military units will receive notices from research institutes about the 'Base Evolution' secret.

By then, it won't be a secret anymore, so telling them early changes nothing.” The only people worldwide aware of this secret, besides Ye Chen, were a handful of students and friends of the scientists who studied the virus. If only one person knew, they could leverage it to reach supreme power, never telling a soul.

However, if seven, eight, or even dozens of people knew the secret, maintaining secrecy becomes a foolish strategy! For instance… One could sell this secret to the military in exchange for rich rewards and elite status!

After all, just because you don’t speak doesn’t mean others won’t. If someone else is the first to crack the secret open, any leverage you maintain becomes worthless.

Moreover, Ye Chen had another reason for telling Xi Xiang and the others. In the later stages, once all zombies and monsters gained sentience and began forming their own factions, the conflict would shift from individual battles to the potential extinction of the entire human race!

Though Ye Chen didn't consider himself a kind person, he didn't want everyone around him wiped out, leaving only him, his sister Ye Zhu, and the rest of humanity surrounded by endless monsters. Ten or twenty years from now, when he grew old, would he still have to fight among the monsters?

The only way to truly survive and find peace in the apocalypse was— To conquer every monster! To make the Earth human territory once more!

This was precisely why Ye Chen planned to join the military. With the current strength of his crew, they ranked as 'Generals' in this apocalypse, while everyone else was 'Soldiers'!

The human race was a Great Nation! Human Great Nation!

Monster Great Nation! Dark Creature Great Nation!

When facing a war that threatens the existence of a Great Nation, how many enemies can one extraordinarily powerful General defeat? He must ensure his 'Soldiers' also grow strong!

Unity equals strength! Furthermore, Ye Chen, relying on his ten years of apocalyptic memories, had no fear that revealing the Base Evolution secret would lead to these people catching up and posing a threat.

To unite two people, use emotion! To unite ten people, use self-interest!

With over a billion survivors globally, self-interest could be used to unify them, turning them into weapons and power under his command—the very method every ancient emperor used to rule a state! Ordinary survivors like Xi Xiang could only cling to survival day-to-day in the apocalypse.

If they knew of any small advantage, they would hoard it selfishly, living days devoid of future or hope. Living one day at a time.

Perhaps they’d die at the hands of zombies tomorrow. But Ye Chen's team was exceptionally powerful; they could easily dispatch common zombies.

They didn't need to merely cling to life, aiming only to "live another day," but rather aimed to eradicate all monsters! After all, if the number of monsters on land remained constant, decades later, they too would grow old and die, albeit having lived a bit longer.

Setting aside the fate of all humanity, just for his own future, Ye Chen would never permit a scenario where he was killed by a monster as his physical body waned in old age. Therefore, all of humanity were his tools.

Tools to kill monsters! As long as they posed no threat to him, it was perfectly feasible to offer these people appropriate assistance.

“Monsters are coming this way. Let’s move!” Ye Chen suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly beneath his feet and frowned.

Xi Xiang and the others stiffened, their faces instantly paling, unconcealed panic flashing in their eyes. They knew that monsters were far more formidable than zombies and utterly beyond their ability to resist.

“What do we do?” “Where do we hide? These monsters have incredibly sharp noses; last time they almost…” The group huddled together, looking toward Ye Chen and his team for rescue.

Ye Chen, however, was not looking at them. His expression grave, he looked upward.

Just then, with a loud boom, the sound of a nearby building collapsing echoed. Immediately afterward, the ground outside vibrated faintly, and an enormously massive silhouette slowly stalked to the mouth of the alley, raising its savage eyes to fix coldly upon Ye Chen and his group.

This monster stood four zhang tall—as high as a three-story building. Its body was covered in dense, coarse fur, its claws razor-sharp, and its eyes blood-red.

Two pale tusks, three meters long, hung down from its upper jaw, making it terrifyingly monstrous. It was a Tiger-clan monster!