Chapter Fifteen: The Mutant Zombie

After Qin Yu and her group parted ways with Li Mo and his companions, they continued toward S City. Any zombies they encountered were either incinerated to ashes by Zhao Meng’s invincible fireballs or cut down in a single stroke by Qin Yu. Watching these two women wreak havoc, Wang Bing and the others felt a chill in their hearts. Though they didn’t have to fight zombies themselves and even had free food, they couldn’t help but feel stifled! As soldiers—at least, former ones—being protected by two “delicate women” while they enjoyed the safety was truly uncomfortable for them. Yet, whenever they volunteered to help, the young girl Qin Yu would glare at them until they backed down. She was truly terrifying!

On the fourth day, they finally ran out of food, forcing them to halt their journey to seek provisions. However, there were no large supermarkets along the road to S City, so they had no choice but to leave some people to guard the vehicles while the rest went to search for supplies in the nearby villages.

After some discussion, it was decided that Zhao Meng would stay behind with a few others, while the rest followed Qin Yu to look for food. When Qin Yu reached the nearest village, she found it eerily quiet—not a single zombie in sight. Instinctively, she sensed danger, but she had no choice but to look for food. She turned to Wang Bing and the others, saying, “It’s dangerous. Defend yourselves.”

From the moment he’d entered the village, Wang Bing’s instincts as a soldier had put him on edge, but he couldn’t retreat—there was no food left. In this apocalypse, if you didn’t fight, you wouldn’t survive. Hearing Qin Yu’s warning only tightened the knot in his stomach. He told the others, “Watch your backs!”

Qin Yu knew they couldn’t linger, so they gathered supplies as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the village had an abundance of food stored away. Each person packed a large bag and they made a swift exit. It was strange that there hadn’t been any zombies, but for now, that could only be considered a blessing.

Busy with their escape, none of them noticed a bruised, purplish figure slowly emerging from an old, dilapidated house behind them. No, it could no longer be called a person—it was a zombie! The zombie stared in the direction Qin Yu had gone, then began shambling after her. Suddenly, a horde of zombies appeared all around, following the lead of the one at the front, drifting slowly in her wake…

Elsewhere, Zhao Meng had a persistent sense of impending doom—her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Just then, a group of unwelcome guests arrived: Li Mo and his companions!

Li Mo was feeling triumphant. He’d never imagined he would awaken a supernatural ability. One day, after he’d accidentally been scratched by a zombie, he’d kept it secret for fear of being abandoned. In his feverish confusion, he’d felt something invading his mind. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he’d thought of Qin Yu. He couldn’t accept turning into a zombie—he hadn’t lived enough yet!

When Li Mo woke the next day, he sensed something had changed inside him. His mind felt unusually clear. Remembering the psychic powers from novels, he’d tried attacking—and it worked. Now, even those who had previously disliked him started trying to curry favor with him. He was quite pleased with himself.

When Li Mo saw Zhao Meng again, he was filled with arrogance. He was certain that one day, this woman would beg at his feet. The thought made his smile even broader.

Zhao Meng glanced at Li Mo, who was beaming with smugness, and her already restless heart grew more agitated. Still, she kept her eyes fixed ahead, ignoring Li Mo’s presence beside her.

Just as Zhao Meng was debating whether to set out in search of Qin Yu, she saw Qin Yu and her group returning. Zhao Meng’s heart leapt with relief, and she hurried forward to meet them.

“Xiaoyu, are you alright? I was worried sick!” Zhao Meng called out to the returning Qin Yu.

“I’m fine. Let’s go!” Qin Yu, unsettled by a sense of impending trouble, wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Seeing the group ignore him, Li Mo’s face darkened. He stepped forward, blocking Qin Yu just as she was about to leave.

“Xiaoyu, why don’t you come with me? I can protect you now—I’m a supernatural too, you know. And not just any power, but a rare psychic ability! Come into my arms and let me keep you safe,” Li Mo said to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu frowned, saying nothing, and moved to step past Li Mo—only to find herself blocked again.

This time, a woman stood in her way. Despite her beauty and the hint of cleanliness she’d somehow kept in this apocalypse, her arrogant expression ruined her charm entirely.

“Miss, aren’t you being a bit rude?” the woman said. “Brother Li has offered to protect you. Shouldn’t you hand over your food to show your gratitude?” As she spoke, Wang Yan reached out her hand toward Qin Yu.

Zhao Meng was so furious she laughed—she’d seen brazen people before, but never anyone so shameless. Just as she was about to teach these ingrates a lesson—

Qin Yu tugged Zhao Meng’s sleeve, her voice urgent. “Let’s go!”

But it was too late. As Wang Bing looked on in shock, hundreds, even thousands, of zombies began to swarm toward them. Worst of all, at the front of the horde was a leader…

“A… a mutant zombie!”