Two hours later.

The heavy truck, stained with black blood, emerged from the town once again.

Captain Zhu drove with a calm expression, having changed into clean, fresh clothes.

The bite wound on his arm, inflicted by Xiao Song, quickly healed after absorbing a crystal core.

Inside the heavy truck, only Captain Zhu appeared clean; everywhere else was covered in black blood.

The scorching weather caused the black blood to emit a stench, which wafted far away.

Captain Zhu took a deep breath, not smelling the stench, only the scent of flesh that drove him mad.

He touched the corner of his mouth, savoring the recent experience.

Despite an endless hunger, he could not eat any more; his stomach slightly bulged, suggesting a full meal.

While consuming flesh, zombies could never be satiated, never feeling full.

Captain Zhu, having tasted flesh, lost all reservations, unable to control himself.

He felt no disgust at devouring flesh but found it irresistible.

Zombies that have tasted flesh can never forsake it.

Flesh gives zombies a strong sense of satisfaction, the only remedy for their bloodthirsty urges.

Without it, they go mad.

Starting today, Captain Zhu was utterly consumed, controlled by the zombie virus in his body, becoming a true zombie.

The heavy truck sped down the road.

Zombies along the way lay on the ground, desperately licking at something.

Their teeth grinding against the pavement made a creaking sound, almost gnawing away parts of the road.

What drove them so mad could only be blood.

Droplets of fresh red blood dripped continuously from the seams of the truck, trailing along the road.

This was Captain Zhu’s reserve food.

...

On the other side.

The blue and white bus sped down the deserted highway.

Many out-of-control cars blocked the way ahead.

Bai Xiqin, already a Fourth Rank Superpower User, sat in the front passenger seat, fingers gesturing in the air toward the wrecked cars, clearing a path effortlessly.

The journey was relatively unobstructed.

By noon, the blue and white bus stopped at a service area on the highway.

At the service area, a few crashed cars were scattered, and some zombies wandered aimlessly.

"Roar――"

The bus noise quickly attracted nearby zombies.

They used their ears, eyes, and noses to detect the presence of prey.

"Music!"

Bai Xiqin looked at the approaching zombies, raising an eyebrow.

Every little bit counts, even if the crystal cores were few.

"The wind howls, the horse neighs, the Yellow River roars, the Yellow River roars..."

The powerful music emanated from the bus.

In such a situation, only music full of righteousness could give Bai Yifan a sense of safety.

Bai Yifan had already stored several "righteous" songs on the bus.

Broadcast gymnastics, news broadcasts, children’s songs, even popular songs loved by square dancers...

They were all there—music that made Bai Yifan feel unafraid.

Among them, Teletubbies’ voices were his favorite.

"Roar――"

The music lured out zombies hidden in houses, ordinary zombies unaware of any trap.

Hearing the noise made them rush toward the bus without hesitation.

"Guys, if you don’t calm down, you’ll commit assault — at least get free meals in prison for years. You’ll have the chance to regret, and everything you do will serve as evidence in court!"

Bai Anhai leaned against the window’s edge, lecturing the charging zombies.

Mr. Bai had a courtroom presence like a master debater, yet since the apocalypse, he hadn’t sat in court.

These months were unbearably stifling for him.

A hero with no place to use his skill.

"What are you babbling about?"

Wang Yiyun lifted a finger, frying the advancing zombies to a crisp.

Her mouth twitched as she shook her head lightly.

Clearly, her control over her abilities wasn’t perfect.

The ideal approach would spare their faces while destroying their brains.

As a funeral master, she cared most about a zombie’s appearance even in death.

"Nothing, just an occupational hazard." Bai Anhai glanced mournfully at the zombies lying on the ground, "I should have become a funeral mover instead of a lawyer — never out of work."

"Heh!"

Wang Yiyun glanced at the somewhat refined Bai Anhai, letting out a cold laugh.

Bai Anhai’s courage would never survive being her colleague!

He’d retire on the first day!

Bai Anhai touched his nose when he heard Wang Yiyun’s cold laugh and continued indignantly, "Actually, I was quite brave as a child."

Back then, he played with the mold specimen skeletons collected by Liu Jing at home like toys!

With little else for toys at home, the skeleton was his sole plaything.

Once he attended school and learned what skeletons were, he abandoned his only hobby.

Playing with the northwest wind felt safer than playing with a skeleton — it gave him peace of mind!

"Oh, so can you help extract the crystal cores from their brains?"

Wang Yiyun pointed at the zombies lying on the ground, handing Bai Anhai a dagger with an expressionless face.

Though Bai Anhai killed many zombies during the apocalypse, he had rarely extracted a crystal core.

That job was often snatched by Wang Yiyun and Liu Jing, who loved handling corpses.

Bai Anhai: ...

His beloved was getting more mischievous.

"Forget it, I’ll do it! After all, he’s my only son!"

Liu Jing’s words claimed it was for her son, but her eyes sparkled; meanwhile, she’d rolled up her sleeves.

Bai Anhai grinned, like an oversized child.

Unexpectedly, at over forty, he genuinely enjoyed being able to rely on his parents.

Liu Jing flicked her bangs, flung the car door open, and rushed out of the bus.

Fearing someone might snatch the job from her.

Extracting crystal cores is a joy only a forensic doctor can appreciate.

Zombies trickled out of the service area in droves, over twenty in total, all were ordinary zombies, easily subdued by the Bai Family, yielding crystal cores.

After spending much time on the bus, the Bai Family disembarked together.

They were greeted by a service area with a single small supermarket, its glass door shattered, littering the ground with shards.

Faint black handprints were visible on the glass shards.

As the apocalypse erupted, people here once struggled to survive.

Ultimately, they couldn’t withstand the zombies outside.

"There’s movement inside."

Bai Xiqin eyed the supermarket’s door, her expression sharp.

Inside the supermarket, its wide entrance yielded faint noises, barely audible without careful listening.

Predictably, there must be zombies inside.

"Maybe it’s even a High Rank Zombie!" Liu Jing instantly beamed with excitement, eager to go in.

After countless zombie sieges, she finally had a chance to bully them and wanted to enjoy every second.

"High Rank Zombie?"

Bai Yifan glanced at the excited Bai Family women, his face twitching fiercely, as he quietly squeezed between Bai Anhai and Bai Zhengxuan.

The trio was afraid but silent about it.