Chapter 28: Breaking Out of the Residential Complex

“I'm looking, I'm looking.” Chang Xingwen anxiously scratched his head, his eyes darting around several times. “Damn it, where exactly is Fang Weiwen?”

Chang Yan and Meng Ran took the lead, while Chang Xingwen was responsible for locating Fang Weiwen's hiding place to prevent any sneak attacks.

Despite searching all around, they found no sign of Fang Weiwen.

Sweat poured down Chang Xingwen’s forehead in anxiety. Suddenly, a blood-red ice crystal dropped into his palm with a soft thud.

The scent of blood spread through his hand. When Chang Xingwen looked up, his legs weakened in fright.

“Damn! It's darkest under the lamp! Sister, save me—”

Chang Yan turned around, exerting gravitational pressure.

Fang Weiwen descended from above, blood droplets floating around him.

“The blood droplets will explode; keep your distance!” Meng Ran shouted, warning Chang Xingwen who was still too close to Fang Weiwen.

The moment Chang Yan subdued Fang Weiwen briefly, Chang Xingwen rolled and scrambled away.

Vines pulled Chang Xingwen toward Meng Ran and the others. Meng Ran stared at Fang Weiwen’s zombified form.

Since turning into a zombie, the blood droplets appeared even more potent.

“He’s tough. I can’t hold him for long; we must kill him quickly,” Chang Yan warned.

After all, they had only awakened their abilities for less than a month; their strength was limited.

Black thorns surged toward Fang Weiwen, each blood droplet bursting, shattering the thorns bit by bit.

Meanwhile, the remaining zombies emerged, surrounding the three of them.

Chang Xingwen held a snow shovel defensively before him. “Sister, six zombies!”

Chang Yan gritted her teeth. “Meng Ran, handle Fang Weiwen. I’ll deal with the others.”

Meng Ran nodded and faced Fang Weiwen. Now a mindless zombie, he didn’t recognize her.

They hadn’t been able to finish Fang Weiwen off before because he was already beyond death.

His limbs and head restlessly hung on his torso, emitting unintelligible growls.

Despite his ruined state, Meng Ran caught a glimpse of Wang Ruixiang and Shao Cheng nearby, both reduced to bloody fragments.

They were stuck together in a gruesome mass.

A blood droplet appeared beside Meng Ran. Prepared, she blocked it with thorns.

A hoarse growl erupted from Fang Weiwen’s throat. His body twisted as the number of blood droplets multiplied rapidly.

Meng Ran feigned a frontal attack to attract his attention. Clutching her knife, she sliced through vines and thorns toward him.

The icy ground beneath was slippery; Meng Ran moved cautiously to avoid slipping.

“Fang Weiwen, over here!”

Meng Ran called out. Fang Weiwen’s eyes rolled, filled with anger as he looked at her.

Seeing those blood droplets heading her way, Meng Ran charged forward.

Fang Weiwen’s focus was entirely on her. Meng Ran’s fingers flicked, and thorns sprouted from behind Fang Weiwen, stabbing toward his brain.

Compared to other parts, the brain was now the weakest spot of a zombie.

With full force, Meng Ran pierced through Fang Weiwen’s head.

The blood droplets turned to dust and dissipated without exploding.

Meng Ran landed on the snow, exhaling a cloud of foul breath.

Chang Yan dispatched the remaining zombies nearby, shaking blood off her blade. Gray blood dripped, emitting a rotten stench.

“There shouldn’t be any more zombies,” Chang Xingwen carefully checked. This time, there would be no mistakes.

Chang Yan nodded. “Then we can leave the complex to search for supplies.”

Meng Ran watched as the two picked up nearby backpacks. Judging by their posture, they intended to leave the complex and not return.

Curious, Meng Ran asked.

Chang Yan shrugged. “Staying here won’t help. We might as well try to get aid from the police station. Relying solely on ourselves is too weak.”

In such a massive disaster, outside help was still necessary.

Meng Ran understood. It was a viable plan, though with no guarantees.

The three shoveled snow and made their way outside the complex. Meng Ran glanced up—the snow had lessened significantly, but the temperature remained unchanged.

They walked and rested intermittently to conserve energy. Upon reaching the entrance, the snowy whiteness outside stunned them.

“Judging by all this snow, no one’s been here,” Chang Xingwen said, pressing his hand on the ground. There were no footprints besides theirs.

No one had left or entered.

They were the first to break out.

Meng Ran looked back once before resolutely stepping forward.

The fluffy snow was hard to clear, but leaving it meant uneven footing and difficulty walking.

Chang Yan gripped her shovel. “I remember there’s a supermarket nearby. Let’s get some food there first.”

Their limited supplies meant this was the priority.

Meng Ran didn’t refuse and followed.

They had spent considerable time since leaving. Before nightfall, they needed to find shelter and stay alert for zombies outside.

Chang Yan led the way. The supermarket wasn’t far from their complex under normal circumstances, but now, with waist-deep snow, it felt like an impassable chasm.

“Even if we spread salt now, it won’t melt anytime soon.”

Chang Xingwen sat in the snow, utterly exhausted.

Meng Ran hooked her fingers on vines, using their strength to push the shovel forward.

Seeing Meng Ran use her powers, Chang Yan scratched her head. “My gravitational crushing can only reduce the snow’s depth a bit.”

She couldn’t overuse it; zombies might appear, and they’d be hard to handle.

“There haven’t been any zombies nearby. Sister, why not use your ability? Otherwise, it’ll be dark before we finish digging.”

Chang Xingwen pressed his throbbing head, drained from mental exertion.

Chang Yan pondered before finally acting.

Meng Ran supported her weight with the shovel, watching as the snow level dropped significantly.

“Let’s go!” Chang Yan pulled her leg free from the snow.

The depth was now just below the calves, far easier to tread through.

Meng Ran leaned on her shovel toward the supermarket.

After nearly half an hour of effort, they arrived at the glass doors.

Lifting the door curtain, they stepped inside.

The glass door was locked. Chang Xingwen took out pliers from his backpack and cut the lock, planning to replace it after they entered.

The first floor was quiet, with light streaming from outside.

Chang Xingwen’s eyes widened. “Wow, no one’s been here!”

Though many goods had been bought during the disaster’s onset, restocking had left plenty behind.

Chang Yan grabbed the eager Chang Xingwen’s arm. “Don’t rush. Let’s see if anyone is inside first.”

If someone was trapped here and occupying the place, they wouldn’t welcome outsiders.

Chang Xingwen nodded. Meng Ran noticed the gleam in his eyes.

His ability resembled clairvoyance.