"Hehe... heh..."
"Aooo..."
"Howl..."
After the two finished watching the second video, the zombies on the streets also started to show abnormalities.
Although the commotion caused by that residential building had drawn away some of the zombies, there were still no fewer than a hundred wandering the streets.
Among them, a few suddenly started attacking their kind, tearing and devouring each other.
"What's happening? Why have they started killing each other?" Liu Yuqing couldn't believe her eyes.
"Perhaps... it's related to your earlier guess."
"My earlier guess?" Liu Yuqing was startled, then remembered something, "You mean, these zombies, driven by hunger, have started eating their own kind to satisfy their hunger and avoid starvation?"
"Not just that, take a closer look." Ray's gaze deepened, and he shook his head slightly.
Liu Yuqing, puzzled, looked again, observing closely, her eyes widening in shock, "They are devouring the weaker zombies, the sick and the old!"
"Exactly, this might not only be to satisfy hunger but also to eliminate some of the weaker and useless zombies!"
Ray nodded.
Saying so, he withdrew his gaze, a trace of solemnity briefly crossing his face, "Zombies can evolve, and perhaps in addition to innate mutations, this act of devouring each other is related..."
The mutated zombie infected and turned by the virus, as seen on the TV news, was likely an example of an innate mutation, but where there is innate, there naturally exists acquired ways of evolution!
According to his observation, those few zombies showed a slight, barely noticeable change with each one they devoured.
Devouring, it seems, could be this acquired method of evolution!
Hearing his words, Liu Yuqing's expression froze, "Are you saying that by devouring each other like this, they could possibly evolve into the kind of mutated zombies we saw in the video?"
"Don't overthink it; this is just my speculation."
Ray patted Liu Yuqing, saying this as he gently pulled the curtains closed.
"Let's go, it's time to rest. We have to hit the road tomorrow."
"Okay..."
They both returned to the restaurant.
Just as Ray was about to enter the staff rest area to rest, he found his sleeve being tugged by Liu Yuqing.
"Hm?"
Ray looked over, puzzled, only to see Liu Yuqing awkwardly lowering her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, standing behind him. Feeling Ray's gaze, her face turned even redder, extending to her neck, but she still bit her lower lip, mustering the courage to say, "Can I sleep with you tonight? I'm... I'm a bit scared!"
Ray's expression froze, then a playful smile appeared on his lips, "Do you trust me that much?"
Hearing his counter-question, Liu Yuqing's face turned even redder, down to her heels, unsure of what to say.
Seeing this, Ray shook his head, no longer teasing her, "Don't worry, I'm not in the mood tonight, but I can't say about the future."
He truly wasn't in the mood tonight; first, it was almost 2 a.m., not early at all. Although his body had been enhanced, he wasn't made of iron and needed rest.
Second, today's experiences had informed him of many things; he needed to plan well for what was to come.
As for Liu Yuqing, a girl of stunning beauty who was more than just a pretty face, he naturally liked her. But he wasn't an animal driven by base instincts; he knew very well what to do in which situation.
With so many zombies outside, the situation couldn't be more dangerous. If they didn't take the time to rest properly now and instead thought about other matters, it would be like asking for trouble.
"If you had any bad intentions, you would have acted on them by now, and I wouldn't have the strength to resist anyway. It's better to be straightforward about it."
Seeing Ray say this, Liu Yuqing immediately showed a smile on her face.
Ray shrugged, "You're a sensible person!"
After that, they both entered the staff rest area of the restaurant.
The rest area was actually not very large, given that the fifth floor was only so big, there were many shops, and the rent for the space was expensive. It was not possible to have a large staff rest area.
There was just a single bed inside, which could barely accommodate two people if they squeezed in.
But at this point, Ray didn't care much about that; having a place to sleep was already good.
As for Liu Yuqing, although she was a bit embarrassed, thinking about the zombies roaming the streets and the faint sounds of zombies gnashing their teeth, she wasn't so fussy anymore.
Eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
The night passed without incident, and the next morning, sunlight streamed in.
Ray squinted his eyes as he woke up, instinctively wanting to stretch, but he realized his hand was grabbing something...
"Hmm?"
"Umm..."
A girl's drowsy voice suddenly came from his arms.
This snapped him awake, and he opened his eyes, only to find his gaze meeting the now-awake Liu Yuqing's.
"..."
Ray remained unflustered, not panicking at all, even giving a squeeze before withdrawing his hand.
Not bad at all!
He cleared his throat naturally and checked the time, "It's six o'clock now; we don't have much time. Let's grab something to eat and get to work!"
Saying so, he got up from the bed and put on his clothes.
Liu Yuqing, already blushing, found it even harder to look directly at him.
"Okay!"
She lowered her head slightly and responded softly.
She didn't know what she was feeling at the moment. Normally, she was quite aloof and also very strong.
But after meeting Ray yesterday, she found herself unable to muster any strength when facing him, even developing an involuntary dependence on him.
Just like the scene that just unfolded, she didn't feel a hint of aversion or resistance in her heart!
This feeling was quite peculiar, and she found herself liking it a bit.
After getting up, Ray first checked with Jarvis for any updates on the street and inside the supermarket to make sure there were no surprises.
And just as he had observed and predicted earlier, the number of zombies on the streets was gradually decreasing with the rising sun and increasing temperature.
Only then did he and Liu Yuqing go to wash up and then quickly grabbed something to eat to fill their stomachs.
By seven in the morning, after they had eaten, there were not many zombies left outside!
"Let's start moving things!"
Ray immediately called out, leading Liu Yuqing to the second floor to start scavenging for food!