Night had fallen, and the world plunged into darkness. The surrounding environment became shadowy and oppressive, like stepping into a black forest where the path ahead was impossible to discern. Fortunately, there was a flicker of light in the distance, a beacon, like a lighthouse, marking the direction of a survivor camp. Shadows moved within the camp, cast by the dancing firelight, their twisted forms resembling phantoms and ghouls.
To Chu Muge, this place was less a survivor camp and more of a bandit’s den. The people who lived here survived by preying on others, ambushing, stealing, and sometimes killing. Based on the overheard conversation earlier, most of them had blood on their hands, either directly or indirectly.
Gu Yao followed quietly behind her, holding a small notepad in one hand. The zombie dog that usually accompanied them was missing.
The dog was still feeding, seriously, methodically devouring a corpse, as if extracting some kind of sustenance from it. Even Gu Yao could sense there was something valuable about the remains, so she left the dog behind, trusting it to catch up later.
Chu Muge suddenly raised a hand to stop Gu Yao, signaling her to wait as she glanced ahead.
They had arrived.
The firelight was not just a campfire but part of an operational electric setup that illuminated the area. Under its glow, three men stood talking, their silhouettes sharp in the otherwise dim surroundings.
“They’re not back yet?” one of them asked.
“Think something happened to them?” another replied with a hint of worry. A few seconds later, he added, “Look, it’s already dark. They’ve never been this late before.”
“And Sister Xu went with them. There’s no way they wouldn’t have returned by now...”
The first man, sensing the unease spreading, tried to take control of the conversation.
“Enough of that. There’s no way something happened. Sister Xu has powers, remember? Other than Yu Han, who in this area could beat her? You remember what happened to that
guy who dared to defy her at the start? Didn’t end well for him.”
“Powers or not, she’s like a monster,” the second man muttered hesitantly. “And the way she carries herself—so arrogant...”
No one corrected him.
People with abilities were indeed stronger, and in this survival-of-the-fittest world, their power guaranteed a higher status.
The first man broke the silence. “Alright, it’s late. If they didn’t make it back, it’s not our fault, right? What do you think, Monkey?”
The two turned toward the third man, nicknamed Monkey.
Monkey opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, a dull thud sounded. Blood and flesh burst from his back as he crumpled forward.
A fire axe had embedded itself deep into his spine, blood gushing from the wound.
A ghostly figure moved through the shadows, indistinct in the flickering light, closing the distance between the remaining two men in the blink of an eye.
One of them tried to scream but found his voice silenced as a hand clamped around his throat, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
The other man doubled over in pain as a brutal kick sent him sprawling several feet away, where he curled up, groaning.
Chu Muge held the first man aloft with one hand, her expression cold and impassive, her eyes devoid of emotion.
With a sharp crack, his neck snapped, his body going limp. She let go, and the lifeless corpse fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Turning to the last man writhing on the ground, she retrieved the fire axe from Monkey’s corpse and approached him.
Whimpers of terror escaped the man, but Chu Muge said nothing. Silent and methodical, she swung the axe down, embedding it into his chest.
The camp wasn’t large, just two buildings and a clearing. The three men had been standing near the trees, making it easy for Chu Muge to dispatch them without alerting anyone inside.
Her expression remained calm, though she carefully avoided stepping into the spreading pools of blood. Her shoes had been stained plenty before, she’d stomped on enough skulls to know how hard it was to clean them afterward.
She watched as Gu Yao approached the corpses. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Chu Muge said nothing.
Gu Yao crouched down, hesitating for a moment before extending her hand. She grabbed one blood- and dirt-covered arm from the nearest body. Using her fingernail, she began scraping away at it with deliberate force.
A faint sensation, was it an illusion, or had Gu Yao’s nails grown sharper? At some point, her fingernails sliced through the skin of the corpse, completing whatever she had intended to do. She stood up, satisfied, and waited to see if her experiment would succeed.
Moments later, the corpse began to spasm.
Its limbs flailed erratically, and its eyes opened wide, revealing a pale, lifeless gray.
White threads began forming, twisting and floating toward Gu Yao.
It worked.
Under Chu Muge’s watchful gaze, Gu Yao hesitated briefly before raising a triumphant thumb, her face proud of her own cleverness.
Using the same method twice more, they now had three zombie helpers, and a still-evolving zombie dog.
The stench of alcohol and tobacco permeated the dimly lit room.
A bald, muscular man sat in a black tank top, a cigarette between his lips. He looked down at a young man curled on the floor, his face bruised and swollen from repeated beatings.
The bald man exhaled a plume of smoke and sneered.
“Come on, keep going,” he taunted.
“Please, stop! Don’t hit him anymore!”
A short-haired girl nearby cried as she begged. Her school uniform was disheveled, and tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful and young, probably a high schooler.
The girl threw herself forward, clutching the man’s arm to stop him from landing another kick. Her voice trembled, filled with desperation. “I’m sorry! Please don’t hit my brother anymore. I was wrong. Please stop!”
The man paused, intrigued by her plea. He lowered his leg and tilted his head, amusement flashing in his eyes.
“Wrong? What did you do wrong?”
Seeing that he had stopped beating her brother, the girl tried to calm herself. She sobbed quietly, her gaze locking onto his. Slowly, she said, “I was wrong. I won’t fight back anymore. I’m sorry. Just don’t hurt my brother.”
She was clever, smart enough not to panic or freeze. Instead, she softened her voice, allowing her reddened, teary eyes to meet his. The vulnerability in her expression made her look all the more pitiable, stirring a hint of sympathy.
The bald man smirked. Pleased by her submission, he reached out, intending to stroke her face.
“There, that’s a good girl. Don’t worry. As long as you behave, your brother will stay alive...”
Bang!
A loud crash interrupted him. Something heavy had collided with metal outside, followed by the shrill blaring of a car alarm.
The man froze, retracting his hand. He shot the girl a cold glance and muttered, “Stay here.” Without another word, he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
The moment the door closed, the girl rushed to her brother’s side. Her hands trembled as she gently helped him sit upright, worry evident in her voice.
“Brother, brother...”
The young man coughed weakly, wincing as he opened one swollen eye to look at her. He clenched his jaw briefly before waving her off and fumbling for his broken glasses on the floor. After placing the cracked frames on his nose, he squinted at her tear-streaked face.
“Are you hurt?” he asked softly.
Her eyes widened at the question, and despite herself, she broke into a teary laugh.
“You’re asking about me? Look at you!” she exclaimed, her voice choking. Then, almost immediately, her concern turned into a scolding. “You look like a pig’s head!”
“Hey, hey! Don’t cry,” he said, gingerly touching his battered face. He winced but grinned through the pain. “Your brother’s fine.”
“Remember when you told Mom I had dirty magazines hidden under my bed, and she chased me around for three blocks? Your brother might be bad at a lot of things, but he’s tough as nails!” He thumped his chest confidently.
“That’s different!” she countered, pouting. “I made up for it later, didn’t I? And Mom was just pretending to be mad. That bald guy isn’t pretending!”
She fell silent, her voice trembling. “Brother... I’m scared.”
“Don’t be,” he said, standing up and adjusting her disheveled clothes with careful hands.
Despite his injuries, he smiled warmly at her.
“I’m here.”
The girl looked up at him, eyes still wet with tears.
“I know what his ability is,” he continued, his voice steady. “When he comes back, I’ll take care of him. Don’t worry.”