Volume One, Chapter 10: The Cruel End of the World

Meanwhile.

The commotion at the Cloud Villa had drawn the attention of quite a few survivors.

In a high-rise building within the Morning Light residential complex, about a kilometer away:

"Bang!"

A pair of high-powered binoculars was slammed heavily onto the windowsill.

Hu Biao squinted his bloodshot, triangular eyes. The centipede-like scar stretching from his brow to the corner of his mouth twitched along with the muscles in his face.

"The military?" He licked his cracked lips, his voice raspy like sandpaper on wood. "No... why would the military be holed up in a villa practicing target shooting?"

Outside, through the curtain of rain, the silhouette of the Cloud Villa loomed in the distance. Minutes ago, he had witnessed the entire process of the "living dead" wandering outside the walls being precisely headshot. The gunfire was muffled—as someone who had spent years working as a mercenary, he was all too familiar with the sound of professional suppressors.

"Could it be private soldiers?" He dismissed the thought as soon as it occurred. Aside from the fact that his country did not permit the existence of private armies, what level of billionaire would have the resources to maintain such a high-caliber fighting force?

What alarmed him more was the tactical proficiency displayed by those soldiers. Alternating cover, interlocking fields of fire, precise marksmanship—this was absolutely special forces level!

Forget it, it was better not to provoke them.

"Boss Biao?" A cautious knock came from outside the door.

Hu Biao pulled himself out of his thoughts, his jowls trembling. "Come in!"

A tall, thin man in a black hoodie pushed the door open, wearing a sycophantic yet cruel smile. "Boss Biao, everything above the 14th floor is under our control. Except for the little chick in 1802, the whole building is under our management. You wouldn't believe it, Boss! The people living next door say that girl looks like a movie star, curvy in all the right places, and they say she’s still a virgin..." He gestured obscenely with his hands. "It’s a shame her door is that alloy type used in bank vaults; the boys have been trying to pry it open for ages with no luck..."

"Useless trash!" Hu Biao kicked over a chair, causing the man in the hoodie to shudder. "Don't you know how to use a gas cutter? What am I paying you for?"

"Don't be angry, Boss Biao!" the man quickly offered a fawning smile. "That girl goes out often, and her food supplies won't last more than three days! Once she's starving, she’ll have no choice but to come out and beg for your mercy..."

Hu Biao interrupted with a sinister grin. "Fine, let her starve for two more days. By the way, how did the task I gave you go?"

"Don't you worry!" The man stood up straight and made a throat-slitting gesture. "All the supplies in the building have been collected. Those who didn't cooperate... heh heh... have all been taken care of."

"Good." Hu Biao nodded in satisfaction and pulled a half-empty pack of crumpled cigarettes from his pocket. The man immediately scrambled to light one for him.

"Distribute one-tenth of the supplies among the brothers. Also..." He exhaled a ring of smoke, his eyes flashing with lecherous intent. "Go bring me that young woman surnamed Huang from the 16th floor. I’ve had my eye on her 'headlights' for a long time..."

"Understood!" The man smiled with a knowing look. As he turned to leave, he didn't forget to flatter him. "You’re brilliant, Boss! That woman is indeed something special. I heard her husband is..."

"Get out!" Hu Biao kicked him in the rear. "One more word and I’ll deal with you first!"

"Yes, yes, yes... I'm going right now!" Terrified, the man scurried out.

...

Five minutes later.

"Let me go! You animals!"

Amidst the screaming and struggling, two lackeys dragged a young woman wearing only a silk nightgown into the room.

Huang Wan's hair was disheveled, and one of the shoulder straps of her nightgown had been torn, exposing a large patch of pale skin. When she saw the scarred face sitting on the leather sofa, her pupils contracted sharply. "Hu Biao?! So it was you, you bastard! My husband won't let you get away with this! When the army..."

"Slap!" A heavy blow across her face cut her off.

Hu Biao gripped her chin, forcing her to look up, while his other hand unceremoniously reached into her nightgown. "The army? Hahaha... open your eyes and look outside! Those man-eating things are all over the streets! Who cares if your husband is the mayor's secretary?"

He leaned close to her ear, reeking of alcohol and bad breath. "In this world, whoever has the biggest fist makes the law! Whoever has the supplies is the boss!"

Huang Wan suddenly lashed out, trying to knee Hu Biao in the groin, but the scarred man was prepared and dodged easily. The two lackeys immediately twisted her arms behind her back and pinned her firmly onto the coffee table.

"If you have the guts, kill me!" the woman screamed hysterically, her tears mixing with her lipstick to form a smear across her face. "Even as a ghost, I won't..."

"Want to die?" Hu Biao slowly unbuckled his belt. "Wait until I've had my fill."

With a "rip," he tore the thin nightgown, exposing her snow-white body to the stagnant air. He took a greedy, deep breath and squinted in intoxication. "Fragrant... so damn fragrant... this apocalypse... I love it..."

Seeing this, the two lackeys tactfully walked out of the room.

Soon!

The shrill, miserable screams and the man's excited gasps quickly intertwined.

Outside the door, the two lackeys pressed their ears to the door crack, occasionally letting out lewd, mocking laughter.

"Heh heh... Boss Biao is having a great time, but I wonder if there will be anything left for us brothers after he's done..." one of the lackeys said, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

However, just as the other was about to speak, the door suddenly opened.

Hu Biao emerged, tightening his belt with a cigarette hanging from his lips, his face wearing an expression of extreme satisfaction. Beside the coffee table, Huang Wan lay motionless on the floor, her skin pale, her eyes hollow and devoid of light.

"Boss Biao... you're done?" the two lackeys asked, looking at him in confusion.

Hu Biao took a drag of his cigarette and said slowly, "She's yours."

With that, he walked out of the room and headed toward the stairwell.

He left behind two excited lackeys who had completely forgotten how long Hu Biao had been inside. One minute? Maybe. But it didn't matter.

The two exchanged a lewd, knowing smile, ran into the room, and closed the door.

Within thirty seconds, miserable screams echoed from the room once more.

This was the cruelty of the apocalypse.

This was the dark side of human nature.

...

Meanwhile, in the underground command room of the Cloud Villa, a 3D map of Donghai City was projected onto the wall.

Lin Ye and Chen Feng were studying the next phase of their advance. The red dots marking zombie-dense areas covered almost the entire city center.

"Commander, according to drone reconnaissance, we can first clear the Financial Center building a few miles east of the villa complex. This way, we won't have to worry about the rear of the Cloud Villa being invaded..."

Chen Feng used a laser pointer to circle an area, while the tactical tablet synchronously displayed the building's floor plans.

"Oh? Tell me why." Lin Ye raised an eyebrow.

Chen Feng pointed to the area inside the red circle and explained, "The Financial Center building on the east side backs onto the coast. Once we eliminate the zombies there, there will be very little that can threaten us. Strategically speaking, the Financial Center can serve as our second base—it can be defended or used as a staging point. It is territory we must seize next."

Lin Ye nodded to himself as he listened to Chen Feng's analysis.

However, given the current situation, the difficulty was still too high. The main issue was the lack of manpower. With the forces currently at Lin Ye's disposal, they simply weren't enough to fully control that area.

So, all of this would have to wait until tonight or tomorrow. Only then would his merit points be sufficient to exchange for an infantry squad to execute the plan.

Just as Lin Ye was about to respond, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He frowned. Who could be calling at a time like this? The network base stations should have been paralyzed long ago.

The name "Lin Xueqing" flickering on the screen made him pause for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he swiped to answer.

"Hello? Young Master Lin? Is... is that you?" A woman's trembling voice, heavy with sobbing, came from the other end. "Please... can you come and save me? The area around my house is full of those man-eating monsters... I'm so scared..."

The command room was so quiet that the static of the connection could be heard.

Lin Ye listened expressionlessly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tactical table. Chen Feng tactfully stepped aside to pull up surveillance footage.

"Young Master Lin? Say something..." Lin Xueqing's voice became more frantic. In the background, one could vaguely hear the muffled sound of heavy objects striking an iron door and incessant, overlapping roars.

On the top floor of a high-end apartment in the city center, Lin Xueqing was curled up in the innermost corner of her walk-in closet. She covered her mouth tightly to keep from crying out; her expensive silk nightgown was soaked with cold sweat, and her meticulously groomed hair was matted against her tear-stained face.

Outside the apartment door, there was a sound like a heavy hammer striking metal.

"Why should I save you?"

Lin Ye finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

The temperature in the command room seemed to drop a few degrees at his words. Chen Feng's fingers, which were operating the terminal, faltered imperceptibly.

A sharp intake of breath came from the other end of the line, followed by suppressed sobbing. "We... we were together just yesterday... You said you would protect me..."