Chapter Forty-One: Struggling to Survive in the Cracks

The shop was in utter chaos.

Not only had humans come and gone, but zombies had visited as well, leaving behind a stench that stubbornly refused to dissipate.

Speed was of the essence!

Even now, as she entered the shop, Fan Li could picture what would happen—after the zombies' howls echoed, their kin would gather, faces twisted with ferocity and terror. As they drew nearer, the scent of fresh flesh would reach their noses, and their pace would quicken, one by one.

Zombies were born scouts, able to track the scent of blood.

Amid the rising wails, the zombies surrounded them, leaving Fan Li and Hu Huayao with precious little time. They had no choice but to complete their search as quickly as possible.

The two grabbed the bags they'd prepared, and as soon as they entered the shop, they began swiftly gathering supplies.

Instant noodles and dried noodles came first—these staples truly filled the belly, far more meaningful than anything else. Hu Huayao, meanwhile, packed some oatmeal and eight-treasure porridge; compared to adults, children were pickier about food.

Two minutes.

Their woven bags were filled, two hefty bundles of food in hand, adding a burdensome weight. They couldn't afford to be greedy any longer; the zombies' furious roars drew closer from outside. It was time to leave!

Fan Li shot Hu Huayao a look. They nodded in silent understanding, ready to dash for the door, when suddenly a commotion erupted outside.

"Wait..."

Fan Li waved her hand, took a deep breath, and pressed herself to the shattered glass window to peer outside. The street, thick with zombies, had become a slaughterhouse, flesh and blood flying everywhere!

At the forefront stood a rotting, four-legged beast—a large breed of dog. Its muscles bulged beneath a coat turned dark brown from too much blood, an iron chain thick as an infant's arm still wrapped around its neck, though the rest had long since been broken. Only one loop remained.

Judging from its size, it wasn't the golden retriever Fan Li had encountered before, but a pit bull!

In times of peace, as life improved, some people's hobbies grew more eccentric. Most ordinary families kept small dogs for companionship, but some disliked gentle pets and instead favored fierce breeds, lavishing affection on them.

Pit bulls, after all, were bred for fighting, a powerful and ferocious breed.

The pit bull before them bore numerous festering wounds, even its cheek had been gnawed by some unknown creature, exposing bone beneath the ravaged flesh. Its already robust frame had grown to nearly two and a half meters; muscles bulged, and it stood in the street like a wild beast, terrifying in the extreme.

Compared to the simply infected golden retriever, this zombie dog possessed far greater strength. Though it seemed unbelievable, Fan Li recognized its identity—

A mutant.

This fierce dog had completed the standard zombie transformation and was advancing toward a higher form.

Who would have thought that, as Fan Li searched the shop for food, such a thing would happen?

However—

The zombie dog's target wasn't the shop, but the other zombies. It leapt without hesitation at one, tearing open its chest with a swipe of its paw. Blood and intestines spilled out in torrents. Even with such grievous wounds, the zombie didn't die; it continued forward, but the zombie dog was ready. With another leap, it knocked the zombie down, pierced its skull with sharp teeth, then began licking at the viscous matter inside.

As it licked, fragments seeped out from its broken cheek and dripped onto the ground, while its bulging body writhed as if something were parasitic within.

Once finished, the zombie dog sniffed, turned its head toward the shop, and revealed a hideous face.

Fan Li drew a deep breath, and her misplaced hope crumbled—the zombie dog, previously lurking somewhere unseen, had clearly discovered her and Hu Huayao.

Hu Huayao, still clutching food, stiffened at the sight. It had attacked only ordinary zombies so far; this mutant was a first for him, and nothing in his memory had prepared him for such a horrifying creature.

The zombie dog had found them, but did not rush into the shop; instead, it continued attacking the zombies. It seemed strange, but Fan Li understood—this was not an act of protection, but a calculated move. The dog saw them as a delicacy, and was simply driving away rival scavengers.

On the plains, lions and hyenas are mortal enemies, often fighting over food. The zombie dog, excited by the scent of fresh flesh, grew possessive. The humans in the shop could no longer escape, and its goal was to drive the zombies away.

The zombies, attracted as ever by fresh flesh, pressed forward, but the zombie dog shifted its gaze and lunged again. One zombie was slammed into a lamppost, leaving a vivid trail of blood as it slid down.

The zombie dog, undeterred, continued to feast, the impact making the lamppost ring with tremors, the steel shuddering.

The head was torn open, the zombie dog devoured another zombie's essence. Its mutant aura spread outward, and the suppressed zombies finally snapped to awareness. Fear of their higher-ranked kin surged through them; some halted, others retreated.

This battle had undoubtedly granted the zombie dog dominance—and the right to the food.

Fan Li held her breath. Before her was a savage beast; she would not gamble with her life. In such circumstances, the best option was to wind the music box and summon Aili!

Thud, thud!

Heavy footsteps approached, the once silent earth shuddering with rhythmic tremors. At the end of the corner, a giant, sumo-like fat man slowly moved toward them.

Fan Li lowered her head and held her breath. In the past, she had slain the weeping titan, one of three zombies—two men and a woman. The weeper was gone, and this fat man was one of the remaining males.

They seemed to have separate domains. When the weeper was present, Fan Li hadn't seen this one.

Moreover—

Compared to the previous encounter, the fat man now bore a grotesque body—over three hundred pounds, his belly looked ready to burst, forming a round mass. He wobbled forward as if overstuffed, occasionally vomiting black blood, which, when it hit the ground, released white smoke.

Sulfuric acid?

Fan Li had never seen ordinary vomit or saliva react this way.

Like the weeper, after devouring the titan's remains, the fat man had undergone an unusual transformation, different from typical zombies.