Chen Yuan's voice echoed from Tieqiong's speaker.
Although Jiang Nan had been mentally prepared, she still felt a surge of emotion. She knelt, looking at the robot dog, knowing that Chen Yuan was watching her from the other side.
"The Fenghuo Squad… they killed someone."
Her voice was soft, but it carried a profound sense of fear. The image was one she would never be able to forget for the rest of her life.
Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback. So, they were infected after all. He didn't care much about other matters, but this was an exception.
"Tell me everything."
Jiang Nan bit her lip, then glanced fearfully behind her. Her voice was timid. "Can we… can we talk face-to-face?"
On the other end, Chen Yuan rubbed his chin. She was right; it wasn't safe outside. If he wanted to know what happened to the Fenghuo Squad, a face-to-face meeting was necessary.
"Fine. Follow the robot dog."
Jiang Nan nodded forcefully and hurried to keep up with the machine. The snow crunched under her feet. The closer she got to the residential building, the more complex her feelings became. Just a few days ago, she had been here inviting him to join them. She never thought that after such a short time, she would be the one returning in disgrace.
She followed the robot dog up to the fifth floor. Before she could even knock, the security door swung open from the inside. A current of warm air washed over her, and she felt a wave of comfort spread through her entire body. It felt like an eternity since she had last felt such warmth.
"Come in," Chen Yuan said flatly.
Jiang Nan was startled, finally getting a clear look at the man before her. She never thought that the man with such a blunt way of speaking would be so clean-cut and handsome. Judging by his age, wasn't she a little older than him?
"What are you standing there for? Is it too hot inside?" Chen Yuan frowned, seeing her frozen at the doorway.
"Oh, no, no!" Jiang Nan waved her hands frantically and, with a head full of questions, stepped into the apartment.
Seeing the stove in the center of the living room, the feeling returned to her limbs, which had been stiff with cold.
"Sit wherever. Tell me what happened," Chen Yuan said, seating himself grandly in the middle of the sofa, leaving only a small space at the end.
For his own safety, however, he had Tiedan remain by his side, its mechanical eyes fixed on the woman like a hawk.
Being stared at by Tiedan, Jiang Nan felt that this was no mere robot dog; it was more like a wild beast from a zoo. But she was truly exhausted. She sank into the sofa with a long sigh. After organizing her thoughts for a long moment, she finally began to speak.
"Last night, a figure rushed into our camp and bit one of our teammates on patrol. Everyone else was resting, so by the time we realized what was happening, the person had already run off. But our teammate… he started to get strange."
Chen Yuan nodded slightly. The woman wasn't lying; her account matched what he had seen. But he was more concerned with what happened after the man was bitten. What changes occurred? Did his appearance change?
He asked curiously, "And then?"
Jiang Nan swallowed hard, as if trying to digest something terrible. After a long pause, she continued, "There were four large holes bitten into his neck. And then… he changed. I think," she stammered, her voice still laced with residual fear, "he was infected. He started to lose consciousness. His original teeth fell out, and fangs grew in their place."
Hearing this, Chen Yuan's brow furrowed tightly. It was just as he had suspected. The infected had become something like zombies.
"And how did you deal with him?"
At this question, a look of pain crossed Jiang Nan's face. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "The captain… he chopped off his head. But… but we didn't have to kill him! We could have just tied him up…"
As she finished speaking, she couldn't help it. She leaned over on the sofa and began to dry heave.
Chen Yuan watched her quietly, his own mind a raging storm.
If this was just an ice age, he could have survived perfectly well with the Apocalypse Store. His robot dog had already become his greatest asset. But if there were zombies… that changed the entire game.
Even if he hid at home, as time went on, the number of zombies would inevitably increase. When that happened, he would be facing a zombie siege.
An apocalypse frenzy-killing robot dog? No. You could deal with three or five zombies, but you couldn't deal with a horde that covered the mountains and plains.
And, based on his predictions, once everyone in the self-made camps had turned into zombies, they would be drawn by scent to attack the shelters. There were countless people in those shelters. If even one or two were breached, the entire world would face a new apocalyptic crisis.
Frustration. Chen Yuan was now deeply frustrated. He rubbed his temples fiercely and leaned his head back against the sofa.
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Jiang Nan obediently kept her mouth shut. The stove was working well; she was even beginning to feel a little too warm.
Time passed slowly. Chen Yuan lay quietly on the sofa for half an hour. At a certain moment, his eyes snapped open. He had made a decision.
If he wanted to avert this new crisis, if he wanted to survive this ice age in peace, he had to eradicate the zombies.
Rely on others? No. He couldn't trust them. Especially with the shortage of supplies and weapons, the combat effectiveness of zombies was clearly far greater than that of humans.
Although Chen Yuan had lived two lives, he had never done anything too out of line. But this time, he had no choice.
Only through slaughter could he truly survive.
Fortunately, those zombies were no longer human. That lessened the guilt in his heart, at least a little.
He looked again at the woman beside him, and an unconscious trace of killing intent leaked from his eyes.
Jiang Nan looked at the man's handsome face and, for no reason, felt goosebumps rise on her skin. It was the feeling of being watched by a hunter.
"You… what are you thinking of doing?"
Chen Yuan shook his head, casting aside the complex and chaotic thoughts. His eyes became clear again. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something." He paused, then continued, "What are your plans now?"
Jiang Nan lowered her head slightly. "I was hoping I could stay here for one night. When it's light tomorrow, I'll go look for other squads." Though she was at a dead end, she wasn't so thick-skinned as to try and freeload here indefinitely.
Chen Yuan nodded slightly and stood up. "Fine. You can sleep on the sofa."
"What about you? Do you have a place to sleep?" Jiang Nan asked with concern, noticing that both bedroom doors were shut.
"I'll also sleep in the living room. There's only one stove; it can't heat the whole apartment."
With that, he walked straight to the warehouse. He turned the handle, opened the door just a crack, and squeezed his body inside.
In truth, the stove was more than enough to heat the entire apartment. But he couldn't reveal his cheat device. He had made some preparations before Jiang Nan arrived. At the very least, he had turned the stove's temperature down to sixteen degrees and closed both bedroom doors.
But even at sixteen degrees, to Jiang Nan, it felt as warm as spring.