Two striking figures stood on a writhing carpet of flesh.
Gu Yao had changed out of her maid outfit and into a black, French-style V-neck sweater.
Chu Muge, who seemed to have a fondness for dark colors, had chosen all her clothes in similar shades. The V-neck revealed her beautiful collarbones, with the neckline finely pointed, tight where it needed to be, and loose where it was supposed to be, showing its own unique charm.
Gu Yao was well-developed, and her beautiful figure’s curves were even more visible the moment she put it on.
Chu Muge wanted her to embody a blend of innocence and seduction, while she herself remained dressed in her usual loose, comfortable style. The newly changed Harajuku-style sweatshirt she wore was of excellent quality, a high-end piece she had "borrowed" from an upscale boutique.
Yes, "borrowed," with an indefinite return date.
Gu Yao looked at Chu Muge, who was carefully applying light pink lipstick on her. Her gaze lowered to the swaying crucifix around Chu Muge’s neck.
Noticing her gaze, Chu Muge finished applying the lipstick and capped it, smiling as she asked, "What's on your mind, Senior?"
Gu Yao shook her head.
Chu Muge put the lipstick back into her backpack and picked it up, "Are you ready to go?"
Gu Yao glanced toward the center of the floor below, where a mass of flesh lay, and nodded.
It had been two days since their trip to the arcade.
Chu Muge opened the door to the emergency exit and waved at her.
In those two days, something significant had happened.
Gu Yao received the signal and slowly followed her.
The people on the fifth floor had left.
Chu Muge smiled, waving the promotional leaflet she had picked up earlier.
Gu Yao glanced at it and saw a massive countdown.
The army is coming.
The final group of soldiers to rescue survivors would arrive tomorrow, passing through the bus station near the commercial city.
Two days ago, the sound of planes roared overhead, and these leaflets rained down from the sky like a heavy snowfall, covering the entire desolate city.
Wang Qiqi and the others had left this morning, rummaging through everything. A group of survivors had taken all the weapons they could find in the mall, from kitchen knives to frying pans, just to give themselves a bit of confidence on the perilous unknown roads ahead.
After they left, Gu Yao and Chu Muge, who had been hiding in the basement, also prepared to leave.
The reason was simple: staying there had no benefits.
Chu Muge was well aware that Gu Yao’s ability to control zombies meant she needed to be constantly on the move to grow stronger, and she herself needed to enhance her abilities by seizing opportunities from the memories she had acquired.
Moreover, if the survivors were to reunite with the army, there was no guarantee that the soldiers wouldn’t learn of this eerie place from their descriptions and come to investigate and study the basement.
Though the chances were slim, if they did, Gu Yao would undoubtedly be the first to be targeted.
Chu Muge glanced back at a corner of the writhing flesh and softly asked Gu Yao, "Uh... isn’t it leaving?"
Gu Yao shook her head.
It would leave, but not for a few more days.
The mutant inside the flesh was still absorbing nutrients, and it would likely mature in a day or two. It was currently in its most critical growth stage, and forcibly interrupting its development would be detrimental.
So, they were taking a gamble, hoping it would dig its way out before the army arrived.
Yes, "dig its way out."
This mutant seemed to operate underground.
Chu Muge wasn’t interested and didn’t ask further. She grabbed Gu Yao’s hand and squeezed her bandaged right hand.
No weapons.
Tsk.
As they walked, she softly outlined her plan:
"We’ll find a place nearby to stay for a few days. Once the army leaves, we’ll head to Xinjialuo."
The army’s destination was also Xinjialuo, but Chu Muge couldn’t exactly bring Gu Yao—who was clearly a zombie—into the group of survivors, could she? She wasn’t that dumb.
So, they’d have to take a long detour, give up on hitching a ride with the army, and set out on their own.
Xinjialuo was quite a distance from here. Chu Muge roughly calculated that it would take one or two days to drive there, and there could be unknown dangers along the way, further delaying them.
So the current plan was pretty clear:
Find a place to stay for a few days to recover → Find weapons and a car → Head to Xinjialuo.
The only thing she hadn’t figured out was how to get Gu Yao into Xinjialuo. Was she really going to leave her behind?
That was definitely not an option.
But…
Chu Muge shook the backpack on her back.
The capsules inside the medical kit rattled.
—She didn’t have much medicine left.
And… the first zombie reanimation drug should be out soon.
Moreover…
If… if what she had heard in the rumors before was true, that the initial version of the drug was actually developed during this time...
Chu Muge had no choice but to go.
Reaching the first floor, Chu Muge pushed open the doors of the commercial city and looked at the world outside.
The plaza was desolate, with a breeze blowing through, no sunlight, everything gray and dull.
It was an overcast day.
Chu Muge looked up at the sky.
Gray clouds filled the sky, blocking out the sunlight that had finally appeared a few days ago.
The sky had turned a pale silver again, as if foreshadowing the unknown journey ahead of them.
With no golden rays of sunlight shining down, the entire plaza fell into a stillness, becoming even more desolate and ruined.
Drip.
A faint coolness touched her skin.
Chu Muge touched her cheek and felt the dampness on her fingertips.
It was going to rain.
—
A gray sky.
"Shh, shh."
"Keep your voice down."
On a ruined road, a group of over twenty survivors carefully made their way forward.
Wang Qiqi carried a small shoulder bag with a cartoon strawberry on it, containing a few pieces of compressed biscuits.
She walked in the middle of the group, turning her head to stare blankly for a while.
"What’s wrong?"
Her mother’s voice was filled with concern and worry.
"Nothing." Wang Qiqi shook her head, continuing to walk while murmuring, "I was just thinking… about that sister…"
"You don’t need to worry about her." Wang Qiqi’s mother placed a hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair. "The soldiers will take us away soon, and then you can get a good night’s sleep."
Wang Qiqi silently nodded.
Drip.
A drop of rain fell on the dusty car window.
Wang Qiqi blinked, raising her small shoulder bag to shield her head.
It was raining.
—
Tall buildings have one advantage.
From their heights, you can overlook the entire city through transparent glass.
The gray sky brewed gray rain, and the mist blurred the distant scene.
"Squeak, squeak."
Large ears twitched, and it let out a soft sound, then was gently lifted to a higher place by a pair of pale hands.
Her mismatched eyes, one gray and one red, glimmered with amusement as she looked at it.
"Oh. You want to meet her too, don’t you?"
The girl’s clear voice rang out.
The mouse squeaked a few times in response.
"I really like something they say."
The mouse’s ears twitched, and it hopped onto her shoulder, joining her in gazing down at the gray, misty city below.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend (Friend...?)."
"Oh, hey!"
She enthusiastically chatted with the mouse:
"She’s the first of my kind I’ve met. You can’t imagine how weak she is!"
Her voice suddenly shifted from excitement to a lazy drawl, as if reciting poetry:
"Weak... so weak, like a flower in a greenhouse. She’s walking a completely different path from us."
Constrained, as if planted in a narrow bottle with no room to grow.
"She’s really special."
The girl took a small breath, almost in admiration:
"I don’t know what the others are like, but she feels almost human to me."
My God. (Human? Human!)
Her tone suddenly became melancholic, and she asked the mouse, "So, am I the odd one out?"
The mouse squeaked again.
"You’re right."
She nodded.
"No rush. We’ll find a chance to take a closer look at her."
—After all, she does look so delicious. (Tasty!)
Gazing down,
In the quiet rustling.
High above the clouds,
It began to rain.
–
Gray, desolate, and silent under the thick clouds.
Chu Muge opened a large umbrella, shielding them from the falling rain. She smiled slightly, looking at Gu Yao, who was standing in front of the mall’s entrance, and extended her hand.
"Shall we go, Senior?"
(End of Volume One)