"Captain Cheng, we've pushed up to the third floor today, and there's enough room for everyone to stay, but food is still a problem," someone said.
In the lobby of building seven, four or five people in black security uniforms were sitting around a table.
A dim table lamp was placed on the table, casting a weak light that illuminated the faces of the few people, all of whom appeared restless and frowned heavily.
The man leading them was in his early forties, sporting a neatly trimmed buzz cut, and had a resolute expression. Although it was hard to tell his height while sitting, his straight posture and broad shoulders suggested he was likely a tall, sturdy man, radiating vigor and spirit.
"Tomorrow, continue to search above the fourth floor, try to find food, and distribute whatever you can amongst everyone, but control the amount."
A middle-aged security guard muttered, "Boss Cheng, this won't work. He Fang's group is already unhappy; they took an extra portion today when food was being distributed, claiming more work more pay. They exerted themselves and shouldn't be left to starve."
Cheng Zhenyong furrowed his brows slightly, "More work does mean more pay, but handling monster corpses, organizing items, and reinforcing the doors—others have put in effort too. It's okay to give a little less, but giving none at all will cause serious problems."
He paused, then added, "Just hold on a bit longer, encourage more people who are brave enough to kill monsters to help clean up, and those who can make a contract with the Angel Envoy should do so. Only by clearing the building will it be somewhat safer. If there's still no rescue by that time, our large numbers could also allow us to go out to supermarkets for supplies."
The team members nodded, "I understand the logic, but...Ah, Captain, I'm just venting, but it's indeed easy for problems to arise over time."
Cheng Zhenyong nodded and said, "You guys take turns guarding here, and call others to take turns as well. I'm going to talk to He Fang about what comes next. Staying united is the only way to survive; we can't afford to lose our formation."
He got up and left the lobby, taking a flashlight to head towards the third floor. As he turned around, his expression had become more somber, and his brows were deeply furrowed.
He certainly knew that things could get chaotic over time; resources were limited, and individuals' power would continuously grow after making a contract with the Angel Envoy.
Not everyone had the nature for fighting, nor could everyone quickly become stronger through the Envoy. Eventually, conflicts would surely intensify.
If they were not ordinary residents but his former teammates before he retired, it would have been a bit easier to manage the team.
Cheng Zhenyong was lost in thought, recalling his former teammates.
But he also knew that from the moment the large eyeballs suddenly appeared, and monsters began mutating among the people and starting massacres, everything had changed, and he could only try his best to survive.
And now, he needed to find the other person who was one of the first to kill a monster on the day of mutation.
...
On the third day of the apocalypse, when Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu came to Su Han in the morning and saw the Angel Envoy turn into the menacing Four-armed Corpse, they were startled.
"This, such a big change overnight, it's unbelievable, it shouldn't..."
Gan Xinglei knew he had touched on a taboo and immediately stopped himself, as casually mentioning ways to become stronger could offend people.
However, Su Han didn't mind and simply said, "A special skill."
As long as he continued to fuse materials and grow stronger, it would be impossible to keep his abilities hidden, and others might guess to some extent.
No need to deliberately hide, as long as his specific abilities weren't clearly understood by others, the advantage would remain his.
Seeing that Su Han wasn't concerned, Gan Xinglei breathed a sigh of relief, while Yan Meiyu gave him a sideward glance, thinking, "Always speaking without thinking first."
The stronger their leader Su Han in the apocalypse, the safer the two of them would be because they were now a team.
"I'll go cook some food, eggs with noodles."
Yan Meiyu called out and then went into the kitchen to cook breakfast, taking advantage of the fact that the gas pipes still had supply on the third day of the apocalypse.
Gan Xinglei and Su Han then prepared for a bit of exploration; they had already reached the fifth floor yesterday, and it was not much further to the first floor.
Whether the first floor was all living humans or all monsters, they would find out soon enough.
After a simple breakfast, they all changed their clothes, and the three of them walked down from the seventh floor.
Thanks to the safety doors on the seventh floor being closed, there were no signs of higher-floor corpses breaking in during the night.
But this also meant that there were no signs of survivors from higher floors coming down.
It was only the third day of the apocalypse, and without special circumstances, people wouldn't easily venture out, unless they ran out of food.
The trio descended two floors to the fifth floor, where they knocked on Zhu Xiong's door.
The door clicked open, and Zhu Xiong, fully prepared in a camouflage jacket, a large backpack, and holding a crowbar, stood ready with the monster corpse that he had contracted with the previous day.
The corpse likewise held two iron pipes, standing solemnly like a bodyguard, with its split fangs wide open in a terrifying manner.
"Brother, I appreciate you taking me along," he said gratefully.
Su Han shook his head slightly and said, "We're all just trying to survive. We should move down from the fourth floor, and hopefully we can clear it to the first floor by today, then reassess."
"Okay."
All four of them released their Angel Envoys, with the Rot Skin Rat in the lead, followed by the Four-armed Corpse, then the four of them, and finally, at the rear, were Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong's Angel Envoy corpses.
As everyone descended to the fourth floor, the Rot Skin Rat made a noise, and Yan Meiyu cautiously said, "It seems like there's something."
No sooner had the voice dropped than dense footsteps were heard in the hallway.
"Roar!"
The figure of the Rot Skin Rat was exposed, and instantly four or five corpses lunged towards it.
The Rot Skin Rat moved rapidly, leaping towards the face of the foremost corpse, and immediately prepared to bite.
However, as soon as it tore a small hole, a large hand suddenly grabbed its body and harshly flung it away.
The Four-armed Corpse then arrived, striding forward, and with a heavy punch, it knocked over the corpse, blood flowing copiously.
Then, one of its arm Claws stretched out, reaching directly for the head of the second corpse.
That corpse, exceptionally agile, dodged with a tilt of the head, and the Claw Strike landed on its shoulder, severing the arm in an instant, causing blood to spurt profusely.
At this moment, the remaining three corpses had already reached the front, and the shoulders of the Four-armed Corpse—one hand on each side—clamped down on the necks of two corpses like the jaws of a python, lifting and smashing them against the wall with a thud.
With its lower arms free, the five sharp claws converged like a knife, aimed at the head of the corpse.
"Wait! It's a misunderstanding! We're survivors too, not monsters."
The man's shout reached Su Han's ears, and under his mindful control, the movements of the Four-armed Corpse slightly altered. The converged claws clanged open, loosely encircling the corpse's head, the blades lightly scraping its skin.
With just a squeeze, the outcome would remain unchanged—the head would burst.
Su Han looked towards one side of the corridor, where six or seven people emerged from a room, led by a man with a crew cut, standing upright.
Behind him was a tall, skinny man with skin tanned and yellow-dyed hair, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with slightly sunken eyes and a cold sweep of his gaze that quickly changed expressions.
Behind these two were five more people, two dressed as security guards and two others in long-sleeve jackets, all appearing tense.
"Who are you?"
Su Han's gaze was serene, holding a crowbar in his hand, with Yan Meiyu, Gan Xinglei, and Zhu Xiong already standing behind him, all holding weapons and looking vigilant.
The three Angel Envoys protected the Four-armed Corpse, with Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei's Angel Envoy corpses wielding weapons, restraining the corpse previously knocked down by the Four-armed Corpse.
Cheng Zhenyong and his group looked stunned, for the stature of the Four-armed Corpse was excessively large, and it had effortlessly defeated their Angel Envoy in an instant, an event they had not anticipated.
"Handsome, I'm really sorry," he said. "We were searching for supplies and thought it was a corpse monster, so we let the Angel Envoy rush out first. It's a temple flood, truly a misunderstanding."
He pointed behind him at the security team members and said, "I am Cheng Zhenyong, the captain of the property security team. We don't see each other often, but my two brothers often rotate through the entrance and exit; you should recognize them."
Su Han looked at the two men; although he did not know their names, they were indeed familiar faces, being among the community's security guards.
Despite recognizing them, in this apocalyptic world, it isn't easy to let down one's guard.
"Did you come from the first floor?"
"Yes," Cheng Zhenyong nodded and said, "Handsome, what is your esteemed surname, and do you also reside here?"
"Su Han."
"Brother Su Han,"
Seeing that Su Han was not completely unwilling to cooperate, Cheng Zhenyong also felt relieved. "Do you mind if we release the Angel Envoy first, and then I can explain properly about the situation on the first floor? There aren't many of us there; we're all sticking together for warmth."