Soon, Yun Huo and Yun Shan had gathered enough food and came forward to declare, "We also want to follow Brother Bai!"
Yun Duo glanced at Yan Jiang and noticed her close friend had also chosen to leave with Bai Wen. This made Yun Duo extremely awkward. She forced a laugh and said, "I—I was just making a suggestion, not trying to abandon Brother Bai! Since everyone disagrees, of course I can't stay behind alone!"
Bai Wen helplessly tilted his head. Were these people clinging to him? No matter how hard he tried to shake them off, they wouldn't leave. This place was great—so much food that it could last them a lifetime. Why wouldn't they stay here and enjoy themselves instead of following him?
"What should we do with these people?" Yun Fei Wu asked.
"Ah—please, sirs and ladies, spare us! We haven't done anything evil! We beg you—" the survivors immediately cried out.
Bai Wen snorted coldly. "Just because you haven't done anything now doesn't mean you won't in the future. It's better to kill you all and be done with it!"
"Ah—don't kill us! We're good people, we won't do anything bad! We just want to survive—"
"Brother Bai, they pose no threat to us. Let's leave them here to fend for themselves," Yun Fei Wu persuaded.
Bai Wen had only been trying to scare them. Hearing Yun Fei Wu plead for mercy, he nodded and coldly warned, "If any of you dare to commit evil deeds, I'll appear instantly and slaughter every last one of you!"
"Ah—we're good people, we won't do anything bad—"
"I hope you mean what you say!" With a wave of his hand, Bai Wen called everyone onto the RV and continued their journey.
The survivors didn't dare to stand up until the RV had completely disappeared from sight. Several men rushed to close the warehouse doors, and one of them panted with laughter, "Now that the tiger's dead and those demons are gone, doesn't this warehouse belong to us now?"
A young man chuckled darkly. "Yeah, everything here is ours. We can do whatever we want, hahaha—"
"But what if those demons come back?" someone worried.
"Scaredy-cat! It's the apocalypse now—you really think they'll come back? He was just trying to scare us. Heh—if you're too scared, step aside and watch us have fun!" the young man sneered.
"Come on, I can't hold back anymore—let's go!" Several men burst into laughter as they charged into the office. Soon, women's screams and their unrestrained lewd laughter echoed from inside.
None of them noticed that, just a few hours after Bai Wen left, two shadowy figures appeared where Wang Ya had wreaked havoc earlier. When they saw the ground littered with mutilated corpses, they both gulped audibly.
"So ruthless—killing so many people in one go!" one muttered grimly.
"If he could take down a Sang Ji that big, what chance do humans stand? What do we do now?"
"First, report back to the Second Boss. I heard there's a large warehouse here—we never had the chance to check it out before. This time, we have to haul all the food back—"
"Got it—"
The two quickly left, completely unaware that not far behind them, a pair of sinister eyes was watching them intently.
The armored RV moved steadily along the highway, once again heading toward their destination. Under the surprised gazes of the others, Bai Wen called Wang Ya into the only private room inside.
They sat facing each other. Wang Ya tilted her head slightly, looking at Bai Wen as if asking why he had called her in. Her deliberately cute expression nearly shattered the stern demeanor Bai Wen was trying to maintain.
"Ahem—" He cleared his throat, composed himself, and fixed Wang Ya with a penetrating gaze. "Stop pretending. I know you've awakened. What I want to know is—are you still Wang Ya?"
Instantly, Wang Ya's entire demeanor changed. It turned dark and menacing, her pitch-black eyes flashing with a hint of crimson. She gave a chilling smile. "What do you think?"
Bai Wen remained expressionless. "I think I should eliminate you right here."
"You won't." Wang Ya spoke with absolute certainty.
"How do you know?" Bai Wen's hand had already moved to the gun at his thigh, ready to act. If this had been the old Wang Ya, he might have given her some trust. But the person sitting before him now was a complete stranger—and a highly dangerous Zombie at that.
"If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it back when I killed those people. I don't know what made you spare me, but I'll remember your kindness. From now on, we're partners. Can you at least give me a little trust?" Wang Ya spoke earnestly.
Bai Wen stared at her. "Give me a reason."
"The reason is that I can protect you while you're still weak. You saw it yourself—those Ability Users are incredibly strong. Ordinary people are no match for them. I know you're not ordinary either, but until you fully grow into your power, I can be your shield. Why wouldn't you want that?"
"And what's in it for you?" Bai Wen asked.
"Ugh—I don't want to follow you, but the Wang Ya before I awakened was too attached to you. If I try to leave, she reacts violently. So I have no choice but to stay." Wang Ya's tone was half-truthful, half-deceptive.
Bai Wen fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Fine. You can stay for now. But don't expect me to trust you." With that, he stood and left the room.
Wang Ya watched his retreating figure, her delicate lips curling into a cryptic smile.
As soon as Bai Wen stepped out, Yan Jiang deliberately whispered loud enough for him to hear, "Yun-jie, Bai Wen was so fast! If you subtract the time for taking clothes off and putting them back on, it was only ten minutes?!"
"..." Bai Wen shot her a glare.
Yan Jiang stuck out her tongue playfully, covering her mouth as she giggled. Bai Wen could only sigh in exasperation, deciding to ignore these gossipy women. He sat on the couch and closed his eyes to rest.
The bedroom door opened, and Wang Ya emerged. She stretched lazily, her large, doe-like eyes glancing at Bai Wen with a hint of affection. She fetched a blanket and gently draped it over him before going to check on the little girl she had rescued.
The three women stared, jaws dropping in shock.
...
Hesha Town. The night had fallen, and the entire granary had become eerily silent. But if anyone had approached the office door, they would have witnessed a scene straight out of hell.
The survivors lay motionless on the ground, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. Blood and chunks of flesh were scattered everywhere.
A slender figure crouched among them, frantically tearing into the corpses, shredding and devouring their flesh while emitting guttural, euphoric growls.
The slender figure raised its head. In the darkness, its features remained indistinct, but had Bai Wen been present, he would have recognized it instantly—the beautiful Zombie woman he had killed twice before.
Under the moonlight, her eyes gleamed with an eerie liveliness, brimming with an unsettling intelligence. She stared in the direction the RV had departed, the corners of her meat-stained lips curling into a grotesque smile that sent chills down the spine.
Early the next morning, Bai Wen, who had rested by the roadside overnight, resumed his journey. Yun Shan took the wheel while Bai Wen sat cross-legged atop the vehicle, gazing at the desolate landscape flanking the highway.
He pulled out a map, his eyes fixed on the location marked in red. Clenching his fist, he thought, Are we finally here?
They were now less than ten kilometers away from the mine. Bai Wen was brimming with anticipation. Once the Control Center and Barracks were constructed, he could lead the Marine Corpsmen to sweep through this apocalyptic world and settle all the debts from his past life.
As their destination drew near, the group's spirits lifted—except for Hua Duo, who remained torn between staying in Hesha Town or following Bai Wen.
The RV came to a slow halt. Standing atop the vehicle, Bai Wen surveyed the vast mine ahead. A few temporary prefab houses stood within the perimeter, surrounded by wire fencing. With no villages or towns nearby, not a single Zombie was in sight.
"Is this our destination?" Tai Long climbed onto the roof, eyeing the overgrown mine with a puzzled expression.
Bai Wen nodded and jumped down, signaling the group to stay alert as he drew his pistol and cautiously approached the prefab houses.
Tai Long hurried after him, mimicking Bai Wen's stance with his own gun raised. Meanwhile, Yun Huo and Yun Shan positioned themselves protectively around the three women—though they kept their distance from Wang Ya, still wary of her.
After clearing every room and finding neither humans nor Zombies, it was clear the place had been abandoned for a long time.
Bai Wen motioned for everyone to gather and begin tidying up the prefab houses. After a quick inspection of the area, he discovered a massive mine shaft at the center of the site.
It was unclear what kind of ore had been extracted here—definitely not metal, possibly rare earth or even diamonds.
The shaft plunged deep into the earth, its bottom invisible from the entrance. A spiraling path led downward, its walls reinforced with concrete to prevent collapses.
Pleased with the location, Bai Wen dismissed the ever-present Tai Long and asked SCV, "Can we build the Control Center here?"
"Absolutely. The space is more than sufficient for the Control Center," SCV replied.
"Good. We'll start work tonight!" Bai Wen snapped his fingers excitedly before heading back to the prefab houses.