Ugh, staying up late to write this. It's too late; everyone should rest now and read it in the morning. Ten chapters is just brutal work; my brain feels like it’s about to explode, my forehead is hot, and the gears are spinning too fast... Worst of all, my recommendation votes and monthly tickets haven't spiked. Sigh.

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Bauer was on the verge of tears, suppressing his grievances as he pulled the bullets from his waist. He immediately saw Yue Heng rapidly pull the trigger—one shot, one kill. The anger in his eyes slowly turned into admiration. When he turned to look at Ye Chen, his eyeballs nearly popped out. Ye Chen’s firearm was spitting fire with incredible speed. Each pull of the trigger sent a zombie to the ground. Sometimes, a single bullet would strike a zombie's throat, piercing it, and then, without losing momentum, take down another zombie behind it.

With the rapid firing, the dozens of approaching zombies were quickly dispatched. Ye Chen couldn't even catch his breath before seeing even more zombies pouring in from the staircase landing, causing his expression to shift slightly.

"Kill!"

Ye Chen quickly grabbed more bullets, expertly reloading, and immediately aimed at the horde, pulling the trigger. Zombies fell one after another, piling up a meter-high mound of bodies by the doorway. But behind them, a continuous stream of zombies surged forward, relentlessly pressing on.

Bang, bang, bang...

Bullet after bullet streaked out. Ye Chen's arms trembled slightly, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger bruised and split open, his entire hand completely numb. After firing a few more shots, he looked back at Mo Feng and shouted, "Are you done yet?"

"Three more minutes," cold sweat beaded on Mo Feng's forehead.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, glanced at his remaining ammunition—thirteen rounds left. He immediately loaded ten, saving three for emergencies. As his firepower waned with the diminishing supply, the horde of zombies managed to flood the area outside the office.

Looking at the zombies, Ye Chen suddenly felt his vision swim. A bloodthirsty urge seemed to rise from the depths of his bones. The scent of gore filled his nostrils—it was like a chain-smoker catching the aroma of a fine cigarette; his eyes actually lit up.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, a low roar erupted nearby. Bai Long broke free from the others, his eyes glowing with a faint green light, his nails lengthening, teeth protruding, and his eye sockets darkening. He glared ferociously at Yue Heng, Zhuge Fan, and the others, roaring, "Get away from me! Don't mind me!" With that, he spun around, rushed to the storage room door, wrenched it open, and charged out with a furious shout.

"Wait for me!" Yue Heng’s eyes turned red. With a cry of grief and indignation, he threw his empty handgun to the ground, grabbed a chair in each hand, and charged after him.

"You guys..." Bauer and the muscular man stared in stunned silence.

Ye Chen’s heart sank. Watching Bai Long and Yue Heng charge into the zombie swarm, wildly smashing with chairs, he slowly lowered his hands. Then, his eyes snapped open, two brilliant beams of light shooting out. He flipped off the desk, tossed his handgun to Zhuge Fan, along with the three emergency bullets. "When we're surrounded, remember—kill us!" He didn't spare another glance at the youth's pale face and turned, resolutely rushing out of the storage room.

"Brother—" Ye Zhu cried out, her voice breaking.

Mo Feng looked anxious. He rarely showed such emotion in his life. He watched the small, blue mass slowly softening, his fists clenched, cold sweat pouring down his temples from the stress.

As Ye Chen stepped out of the storage room, he took a deep breath, then focused on the oncoming tide of zombies. Perhaps it was the impending onset of his transformation, or perhaps the bloodlust was always within him—his gaze was savage as he strode forward. With a sweep of his hand, he snatched a nearby chair and brought it down with crushing force onto the heads of the zombies charging him.

"Kill!"

Ye Chen’s face was a mask of ferocity as he swung the chair, knocking two zombies down. A zombie grabbed the leg of the chair from behind, so Ye Chen kicked it away, then swung the chair around in a wide arc.

"If I die, I’m taking a few with me!" Bai Long sneered. His eyes were now green. Knowing he would soon become a zombie himself, he didn't hesitate. He lifted his chair and plunged into the horde, snapping the necks of four or five zombies before being instantly swarmed...

Yue Heng swung his chair, panting heavily, his body swaying from side to side like a drunkard, and he too was quickly engulfed and surrounded by the surging mass.

Ye Chen felt waves of fatigue wash over his mind, as if he hadn't slept in ten years. The intense desire to sleep made him want to abandon everything and collapse immediately. But when he saw the zombies before him, he couldn't help but recall the figure inside the room...

You promised to protect her...

You promised to keep her safe...

You promised...

"Aaaaargh!!"

Ye Chen suddenly clamped his teeth shut, roaring like a trapped beast. He bit his tongue but felt no pain. Half his heart turned cold; he knew his zombie transformation was severe—he had lost sensation.

Staring at the swarming zombies, he charged forward in grim resignation.

"Die! Let's all die together!!" Ye Chen forced himself upright, chair raised, and charged into the fray, scattering four or five zombies. He then retreated a few steps, positioning himself at the storage room entrance, breathing heavily. Beneath his black hair, his eyes were fixed on the zombies. Any that dared approach had their skulls smashed by the chair.

Guard until the very last moment!

Bauer and the others, seeing Ye Chen’s back, were stunned, completely overwhelmed by his sheer momentum, frozen speechless.

After killing seven or eight more zombies, Ye Chen’s body lurched, and he was engulfed by the mass, dragged into the horde.

Inside the storage room, Zhuge Fan’s hand holding the pistol trembled; his face was ashen. Seeing Ye Chen surrounded by zombies, his heart felt sliced open, and tears streamed down his face. It was as if he had been transported back to those dark days hiding in the supermarket storage room.

He feared the darkness, feared the loneliness. Since meeting Ye Chen, his heart had been filled with warmth. But now, all of it was lost!

He bit his lip stubbornly, raising his head so the tears wouldn't fall. Just then, Mo Feng’s voice rang out in surprise: "It’s ready!"

The small, blue mass had transformed into a liquid, its efficacy restored. Mo Feng quickly drew it into a syringe, then turned, but Ye Chen and the others were nowhere in sight. His face changed instantly. "Where are they?"

"They were taken by the zombies..." Zhuge Fan’s eyes reddened.

Mo Feng’s hand shook; he almost dropped the syringe. Ye Zhu next to him swayed, nearly fainting. But having endured so much disaster, this girl had grown strong. She bit her lip, staring out at the dense mass of zombies, and asked Mo Feng, "How do we use this virus antidote?"

Mo Feng snapped back to attention. "It can be injected directly or taken orally."

Ye Zhu nodded slightly, then reached out and gripped the long spear beside her, holding the sharp small knife inverted near her lip. She then walked straight toward the outside.

Zhuge Fan was alarmed. "What are you doing?"

Ye Zhu’s expression was blank. "I’m going to find them. If they’re alive, I’ll bring them back; if they’re dead, I’ll bring back their bodies!"

"It’s all zombies out there! You can't go alone!" Zhuge Fan was frantic; he couldn't bear to lose another important person near him.

Bang, bang!

The glass windows of the storage room and the roof were covered with zombies, hammering violently against the glass. But the windows were bulletproof; they wouldn't break easily.

Suddenly, Bauer cried out, his face pale and tense, pointing at the window. "Look! It’s them!" Ye Zhu, Zhuge Fan, and Mo Feng looked up and instantly shuddered. Sticking to the window were three figures: Ye Chen, Bai Long, and Yue Heng.

At this moment, all three seemed transformed. Fangs were bared grotesquely, their claws dug into the bulletproof glass, and they slammed their heads against it, their eyes fixed on the people inside with greedy, bloodthirsty stares.

Ye Zhu’s body trembled slightly as she slowly walked over to the window. Looking at those familiar faces, her lips quivered.

She couldn't help but recall the back of the man who had spent a whole month working at a construction site, covered in mud, just to buy her a small purse...

That smiling, caring face...

That lazy face she woke up every morning...

They were so close!

Yet, this closeness felt like a vast chasm!

Tears welled up in Ye Zhu's eyes as she tremulously extended her hand, pressing her palm against the bulletproof glass, as if trying to touch that kind, smiling face from years past one last time...

Zombie Ye Chen, his hair a mess, fangs bared, covered in scratches, had lost consciousness when he was swarmed and had turned into a zombie. He roared and snarled at the beautiful face before him, seeing none of the smiles or care from the past...

Until...

A tear traced a path down her chin, and her hand, pressed against the window, seemed to yearn to feel his body heat once more...

That look seemed eternal!

His mind roared, buzzing loudly. The savagery on his face froze. Looking at the crying cheek, countless images and sounds seemed to erupt in his ears—fragments of laughter lost to the years. He slowly raised his hand and pressed his palm against the bulletproof glass window.

Palm to palm!

Their temperatures seemed to transfer, and an emotion as thick as blood began to form in the depths of his heart...

If you are no longer who you once were, will you still remember the people from before?

Something inside him felt as if it were tearing apart—a sharp, searing pain, like a faint flame burning in his entire chest!

"ROAR!!!" He threw his head back and roared.

A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

Then, clarity gradually returned to Ye Chen's eyes. He lowered his head, gazing softly at the face visible through the glass, then abruptly spun around, shoving the zombie Bai Long and zombie Yue Heng beside him away. He grabbed the chair and swung it violently at the zombies who were crashing against the bulletproof glass!

CRASH!

The force of that blow was astonishing!

Two zombies were smashed into paste. Fierce light flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes as he pulled down the zombies clinging to the window. It felt as if boundless power surged within him; the moment he grabbed a zombie, he flung it away effortlessly.

Ye Chen wielded the chair like a weapon, sweeping it wide, and charged into the zombie cluster, unleashing a frenzied slaughter.

The other zombies stared blankly at him, unable to comprehend why this 'comrade' had suddenly gone berserk and was attacking its "own kind."

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