“Be careful.” Wei Xicheng took a few quick steps, caught up with the Lin siblings, and reminded them. Though he wasn’t exactly the enthusiastic citizen, the Lin siblings had no enmity with him, and there was no reason not to give a simple reminder.
Lin Lei glanced at him, then quickly swept his gaze over the towering figure of Yu Beiyan behind him before answering in a low voice, “Alright, you too.” After speaking, he pulled Lin Huan toward the town, clearly not wanting to be with them.
Though Yu Beiyan was extremely strong, Lin Lei wasn’t someone who would accept help without effort. Moreover, if they traveled together, the issue of dividing supplies after finding them would be a problem. It was better to avoid such trouble from the start, even if it meant facing more danger.
Wei Xicheng turned to Yu Beiyan and said, “Do I look really weak? Are they all so afraid to team up with me?”
“No, you’re fine.” Yu Beiyan imitated Lin Lei, pulling Wei Xicheng’s hand, “Let’s go.”
Although he knew he wouldn’t get much of an answer, Wei Xicheng had to admit that Yu Beiyan’s response made him feel much better.
The town was shrouded in a thin mist. Anything beyond ten meters seemed distant, like a veil was between them, giving a hazy and unclear view. It was eerily quiet. The sound of their footsteps seemed unusually loud, as if they had entered a dead city.
At this point, they could still make out two figures ahead—Lin Lei and Lin Huan, who were walking into the town. The others had not yet split up. Not far behind Wei Xicheng were Lin Jianbai and Da Lei.
Unlike the careful approach of the other four, Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan seemed relaxed in the strange town, strolling as if on a leisurely walk after breakfast, speaking in normal tones without trying to keep their voices low.
Lin Jianbai snorted disdainfully, causing Wei Xicheng to look back. He was tugged by Da Lei, which made him suppress his expression.
Wei Xicheng squinted his eyes, looking at the tall and muscular Yu Beiyan beside him. Yes, he was living off his big partner—so what?
It was clear that this was a fairly developed town, almost on the scale of a small city. They wouldn’t be able to finish exploring in a day, and would have to stay here for two or three days.
In towns like these, the central areas are usually packed with people, while the outskirts are much quieter. The central area is the most dangerous but also the richest in supplies.
Lin Lei and Lin Huan went east first, while Lin Jianbai and Da Lei quickly passed by Wei Xicheng and chose the western side. Wei Xicheng clicked his tongue, pointing to the middle, “Let’s go this way.”
According to the system’s display, the central area of the town indeed had many zombies, and the dense dots on the map were quite alarming. What was even more terrifying was that there wasn’t a single living person left in the city.
The main street wasn’t crowded with zombies as they had expected; instead, it was empty. The few zombies were wandering about ten meters away from them, and the figures in the mist looked more like the early hours of the morning before any changes had occurred.
Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan strolled down the street, not in a hurry to gather supplies, but more like they were on a casual walk after breakfast.
“There’s a clothing store,” Wei Xicheng said, immediately intrigued. He pulled Yu Beiyan inside. Two zombies were slowly making their way into the corner of the shop. Their clothes were still intact, clearly indicating that they had been salespeople here in life.
When the two living humans entered the store, the zombies didn’t seem to notice at all, not even casting a glance their way.
“What’s going on? Can’t they sense us?” Wei Xicheng tugged at Yu Beiyan’s sleeve and asked in a low voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, the two zombies that had been walking away suddenly turned around and started staggering toward them. Their heads drooped and shook, turning the formerly horrifying scene into something oddly amusing.
…This was the first time Wei Xicheng realized that zombies didn’t have bad hearing.
But it was better to take care of them. Then he could focus on helping Yu Beiyan pick out new clothes. Just as Yu Beiyan was about to step forward, Wei Xicheng stopped him, “I’ll do it.”
For some reason, the two zombies in front shook their heads more vigorously, moving more slowly. In just two steps, Wei Xicheng kicked them over, and they didn’t get up again.
“What’s going on?” Wei Xicheng looked at his feet. Had absorbing that crystal core unknowingly boosted his strength to this level?
“Just two low-level zombies, let’s go,” Yu Beiyan said.
Though Wei Xicheng was still a bit puzzled, he didn’t dwell on it. What he didn’t see was that, after they passed, the two zombies on the ground slightly moved before returning to their “death.”
Unlike the leisurely pace of Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan, the other four were facing more pressing problems.
Contrary to their expectations of an empty street, the main road was packed with zombies. In just a couple of hours since their arrival, it was as if all the zombies had been summoned, pouring into the eastern and western suburbs, their numbers continually increasing.
The Lin siblings were trapped on the roof of a two-story building. They hadn’t found any supplies and were surrounded by zombies. Lin Lei kicked one of the zombies trying to climb up. His body was already covered in blood and bits of flesh, and Lin Huan stood beside him, anxious.
“Bro! Be careful! Don’t get hurt!” she shouted.
“I know, you be careful too!” Lin Lei responded.
Looking at the endless stream of zombies approaching in the distance, the Lin siblings felt a sense of despair, wondering if anyone would notice them. If this continued, they feared they might die here.
After Lin Lei kicked the zombie down, all the others below seemed to have received some kind of order. They only wandered around, no longer trying to climb up. The zombies further away stared at them, their hollow eyes fixed on their position.
“What’s going on, bro?” Lin Huan gripped her now-dull axe, her hands bloodstained. Her mind was tense, and the strain was starting to wear her down.
“I don’t know either. You sit down and rest for a while, I’ll keep watch.” Lin Lei looked around, leading Lin Huan to the highest point of the roof, where they could clearly see their surroundings. No zombies seemed to be trying to breach the last line of defense, which gave them a little peace of mind.
“I wonder what’s happening with them.” Lin Lei sighed deeply and wiped the blood from his hands. He was a bit worried about the others, including Yu Sheng and Mei Zi, who were guarding the off-road vehicle.
“Bro, they’ll be fine. This town doesn’t have that many zombies left,” Lin Huan said, grabbing his hand, “Wait, bro, your hand has the virus. Be careful.”
“Yeah.”
No one knew exactly how many zombies were in this town, but Da Lei and Lin Jianbai were also cornered in a warehouse in the western suburb. Countless zombies were wandering outside, with many having evolved into higher-level zombies.
They were still only surrounding the humans but hadn’t attacked.
Inside the warehouse, Lin Jianbai was sweating from his forehead and nose. He placed his head against the door, listening to the sounds outside.
“Da Lei, think of a way to contact the others.”
Da Lei, looking just as desperate, replied anxiously, “How can we contact them? There’s no power or signal. Who knows where they are? By the time they find us, we’ll already starve to death!”
Wei Xicheng was unaware that the others were undergoing such intense pressure. He was too stunned by the sight of Yu Beiyan, who showed no attempt to hide his exposed skin.
There were various small scars scattered across his skin, but they didn’t detract from the smooth lines of his back, which were beautifully sculpted. His broad shoulders and narrow waist made him look like a statue crafted by the gods.
Yu Beiyan, with his back to him, was fastening a newly found pair of pants. The crisp sound of the belt buckle brought Wei Xicheng back to his senses.
When the person changing clothes turned around, the low waistline revealed the edge of his underwear, and his well-defined abdominal muscles were clearly visible. The distinct lines of his abs and his obvious “V” shape led to more provocative thoughts.
Wei Xicheng felt his nose itch slightly. He tilted his head back and saw the man’s beautiful chest muscles, graceful collarbones, prominent Adam’s apple, and sharp jawline…
Yu Beiyan looked at the person who had suddenly walked up to him. His hand was still holding the belt buckle, not yet able to pull it back. The person in front of him had already reached out and placed a palm on his chest.
“What are you doing?” Yu Beiyan’s voice was a bit hoarse. He felt a cold sensation on his chest that slowly moved down to his abdomen. At the same time, a fiery feeling rose inside him, quickly spreading to his lower abdomen with a tingling sensation.
“How did you get these scars?”
“It’s nothing.” Yu Beiyan quickly grabbed Wei Xicheng’s hand, stopping it from moving any further.
“What’s wrong?” Even though he could tell from the sound of Yu Beiyan’s voice that he was not feeling well, Wei Xicheng couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, asking with a mischievous tone. Though he felt sympathy for the scars on Yu Beiyan’s body, he didn’t want to press the issue further. He also stopped questioning.
As a man, sometimes the scars on one’s body aren’t as important. Yu Beiyan’s strength definitely wasn’t gained through a system upgrade like his own, but from his own efforts, and some of these scars were perhaps the best proof of that.
Yu Beiyan coughed lightly, suppressing his voice as he replied, “Nothing.”
His hands shifted countless times, simply because Wei Xicheng’s head had already moved to his neck. Yu Beiyan found this action a bit strange, but he didn’t resist in his heart, in fact, he somewhat looked forward to him continuing.
A warm feeling rose from his neck to Yu Beiyan’s heart, causing an intense itch, but he couldn’t pinpoint where the itch was. Unable to figure it out, he pressed Wei Xicheng’s head firmly into his chest, rubbing his long hair.
Wei Xicheng squinted his eyes. Lover in this world really are adorably silly, and it made him suddenly develop a lot of mischievous thoughts.
He extended a finger and traced a small protrusion on Yu Beiyan’s body, drawing circles gently. He could clearly feel the body under him tremble slightly, and the hand on his head grew heavier.
“Don’t touch.” After just a short while, Yu Beiyan’s voice had become deeper and sexier, filled with the laziness of someone just waking up, yet hiding a sense of aggression and possessiveness.
“Okay, okay, I won’t touch.” After saying this, Wei Xicheng pushed the man holding him away and turned to leave. For once, he could walk away smugly, finally feeling a bit triumphant.
The door to the clothing store was right ahead, just two steps away from freedom. But suddenly, his waist tightened, and he was almost dragged back.
Unseen by him, the zombies surrounding the Lin siblings and Yu Sheng seemed to have received some kind of call, and they all started to move toward the central area.
__________________________________________________________________
Author’s note: Tomorrow is the start of school, and I’m really feeling heavy-hearted.
The time I promised to spend collecting supplies… I guess I’ll use it to talk about love instead.
