Her mother’s breathing trembled again. "I understand, I locked it already. I checked it twice. The television keeps saying not to go outside. I closed the balcony windows too. LiLi asked why she cannot even go near the corridor."

"Good," Yan Cijin said softly. "Keep her inside. Let her play in the living room, give her snacks, cartoons, anything. Don’t let her go near the entrance if someone knocks. And if you hear noise outside, pretend you hear nothing."

Yan Laojin gave a weak sound of agreement, but tears were still obvious in her voice. "Yanyan... if things are really bad there, don’t think about home first. Find somewhere safe and hide. Staying alive is the most important thing. If you cannot come back immediately, then don’t force yourself. We are inside, we will listen to you, but you must not take risks because of us."

Yan Cijin’s eyes softened slightly at those words. Even after so many timelines, hearing her mother speak like this still made something inside her chest tighten in a way she never fully got used to. In earlier lives, there had been times when those words became regrets she could never answer in time. This time she would not allow that again. "Mom," she said, her tone gentler now, "I know. Nothing will happen to me. I said I will come back, so I will come back. You trust me, right?"

On the other side, Yan Laojin immediately answered without hesitation despite still crying. "Of course I trust you. Since you were young, whenever you say something in that voice, you always do it."

That made the faintest smile touch Yan Cijin’s eyes. "Then keep trusting me now too. Stay inside. Don’t panic. There may be noise outside later, maybe shouting, maybe someone running in the corridor, but no matter what happens, don’t open the door."

"Alright," her mother whispered, this time calmer than before. "I will do exactly that."

For a brief moment, the call fell quiet, and just as Yan Cijin was about to end it and conserve time, a small familiar voice suddenly pushed through from the other side, bright, energetic, and completely untouched by the fear that adults carried.

"Mommy! Mommy, LiLi misses you~"

The moment that voice reached her ear, the calm line of Yan Cijin’s mouth changed visibly. A smile appeared almost without her noticing. In previous lives, especially the first time this happened, she had often ended calls too quickly, afraid her own unstable breathing or fear would frighten the child, afraid hearing LiLi cry would weaken her own focus while trapped in danger. But now everything inside her remained steady enough that hearing that little voice only softened her further.

"LiLi," she said, and for the first time since the outbreak began, laughter could clearly be heard in her voice, warm and light enough that even the frightened people in the room unconsciously glanced toward her. "My baby, be good for Grandma, alright? Mommy misses you too."

On the other side came immediate cheerful movement, probably the child climbing closer to the phone. "Mommy, why are there so many sirens outside? Grandma says I can’t go to school. Did school break?"

Yan Cijin almost laughed softly. Even now, the child’s mind naturally searched for simple explanations. "Mm, think of it like school is taking a break today. So you stay home and play nicely. Stay with Grandma, don’t run around, and be good until Mommy comes back."

"Will Mommy come back soon?" LiLi asked in the same innocent tone.

"Yes," Yan Cijin answered without hesitation, and this time even she noticed how much certainty there was in her own voice. "Very soon. Mommy has something to finish here first, then I’ll come back and play with you."

"Then I’ll wait," LiLi said proudly, then added in a little secretive tone, "Grandma gave me strawberry biscuits."

That finally drew a small laugh from Yan Cijin, soft but real. "Then save some for Mommy."

"Okay!"

For a second she almost wanted to keep listening longer, almost wanted to throw every future calculation aside and simply leave immediately, return home now, sit with that little one and her mother, and let the world outside collapse however it wished. But that thought passed as quickly as it came. She knew very well that certain things still had to be handled now while the early stage remained manageable.

"Mommy has work now," she said gently. "Goodbye, LiLi."

"Goodbye, Mommy," the child answered brightly.

After the call ended, the room fell quiet again. Only two other people inside still held phones, speaking in hurried whispers to their own families, trying to sound brave while clearly afraid themselves. Neither spoke for long. Both quickly ended the calls as if even speaking too much might somehow invite danger closer. Then silence returned fully, broken only by distant screams, heavy dragging footsteps outside, low rough growls, and the occasional desperate cry for help echoing through the hospital corridor like something from a world that had already stopped belonging to ordinary people.

At around noon, after several hours of observing the outside situation, Bai Li finally left the control room and went into the kitchen. The apartment remained quiet around her, almost too quiet compared to the chaos visible through every camera feed and window outside. From time to time faint sounds still rose from below, distant screams, hurried footsteps somewhere in the building, doors opening and shutting in panic, but inside her duplex everything remained orderly, clean, and strangely calm. That contrast only made the reality outside feel sharper. She opened one of the cabinets where part of the easily accessible food had already been arranged after the renovation and took out a can of self heating hot pot food she had deliberately kept nearby for convenience. She did not use the self heating pack itself and instead emptied the contents into a pot, adding a little water before placing it on the stove. Soon the kitchen filled with the familiar rich spicy smell of hot oil, chili, preserved vegetables, and seasoning. While that heated, she washed rice and placed half a pot into the electric cooker. Steam gradually rose, carrying warmth through the otherwise silent kitchen.

She was not in a hurry while preparing lunch because she knew that the next few hours mattered more if her body remained properly fed and stable. Going outside on an empty stomach would be foolish. The first time killing zombies in this world was not something she wanted to do while distracted by hunger. More importantly, she had already waited through the most sensitive early morning hours for a reason. From nine in the morning until now, the police system of Jinghua City had already been pushed close to its first real limit. At the beginning, patrol units still responded quickly, emergency teams still moved, and scattered police presence could still be seen trying to suppress violent infected individuals. But now the city had already crossed that fragile early line where manpower began collapsing under numbers. Too many outbreak points had appeared simultaneously, too many emergency calls overlapped, and too many officers themselves had already become victims. By noon, ordinary law enforcement would no longer have time to pay attention to a single person moving carefully through one district.

The rice finished steaming just as the hot pot food thickened properly. Bai Li served herself a generous portion into a bowl and sat down at the dining table, eating while it was still steaming hot. The spicy heat spread quickly through her mouth and throat, but the warmth steadied her mind more than she expected. Outside, the world had already begun collapsing, yet she still ate slowly and thoroughly, making sure not to waste energy or leave herself half prepared. She knew very clearly that once she stepped outside, the day would stop being theory. Watching through binoculars and cameras was one thing. The first actual kill, the first close smell of infected blood, the first moment of standing within arm’s reach of a zombie trying to tear flesh, that was entirely different.

More than that, today’s purpose was not simply testing herself.

She needed crystal cores.

A huge amount of them.

The system had already made it clear that everything truly important ahead depended on crystal cores. Weapons needed them to grow. Her own future abilities would need them. And most importantly, the mythical RV system required an absurd amount just to activate.

One thousand crystal cores.

Even thinking of that number made her pause briefly while eating.

One thousand meant one thousand zombies.

At minimum.

And that was only for activation, not even upgrades.

That alone showed how important the RV truly was if even the gods tied such a cost to it. Compared to ordinary shelter, that RV represented future movement, defense, long range survival, emergency retreat, and perhaps later far more than the system had fully explained. If she failed to secure it early, many later routes would become much harder.

So today was not simply practice.

Today was the first step toward that thousand.

After finishing the meal, she washed the dishes immediately instead of leaving anything behind. The habit came naturally. Even now she disliked leaving disorder around when she knew she would return tired later. Once everything was clean again, she dried her hands, walked directly to the supply room, and began preparing without delay.

The room still smelled faintly of cardboard, sealed plastic, and stored food. Shelves and stacked supplies lined the walls neatly. She crouched briefly near one section and pulled out a waterproof backpack she had bought earlier when purchasing outdoor survival equipment. She had bought several kinds of bags then, tactical bags, hiking packs, smaller utility packs, larger framed carriers, but after looking through them again this morning she felt this one suited today’s purpose best.

It was not too large.

Not too small.

Around thirty liters in capacity, enough for essentials without becoming bulky during movement.

The material was dark, durable, and water resistant, with tight zippers and reinforced shoulder straps. If she needed to run, climb, or fight, it would not shift too much on her back.

She placed it on the table and began choosing items carefully.

First came the compound crossbow.

Not the soul weapon revolver. Not yet.

For ordinary early stage zombies, the crossbow was quieter and practical. Ammunition could be reused when possible, and noise discipline still mattered because gunfire at this stage would attract unnecessary attention.

She secured the crossbow properly, then added ten bolts first, packed in a side compartment where they could be drawn quickly. She considered taking more, but for a first short trip outside ten was enough if used efficiently, especially since she also had other weapons.

Next came food.

Several energy bars.

A few high calorie biscuits.

Two sealed bottles of water.

One electrolyte drink.

She was not planning to stay out for very long, but dehydration and sudden exhaustion in this heat were still things she would not ignore.

Then came practical tools.

A high powered telescope.

Compact rope.

A folding torch.

A small medical pouch.

A pair of gloves.

A light cloth she could use if blood splatter became troublesome.

She also placed one spare kukri inside, though the main blade she planned to carry separately.

When the bag was packed, she tested the weight once on her shoulder.

Balanced.

Light enough.

Then she went to dress properly.

Even though the weather outside remained hot and humid, she deliberately did not dress lightly. Scratches now carried too much risk, and while her current body was far stronger than ordinary humans, there was no reason to expose skin unnecessarily.

She chose dark fitted pants first, easy for movement.

Then a plain inner shirt.

Over that she wore a denim jacket, not because it was ideal armor, but because the thicker material gave at least some protection against accidental scratches or shallow bites from slow early stage zombies.

She tied her hair back neatly, checked her sleeves, tightened the backpack straps again, and finally stood before the mirror for a brief second.

.

.

.

To be continued.