Glares can't kill, so Ye Chen ignored them and walked coldly towards the zombie. After confirming it was dead, he squatted down and cut open its chest with a knife. A normal person would be too afraid to touch a zombie's corpse under its resentful gaze, but Ye Chen was used to such scenes.
"Hmm?" Ye Chen's eyes suddenly brightened. "Genetic meat!"
In the zombie's chest, near the black heart, there was a tender piece of white meat, about the size of a finger, like lamb fat, not stained with any blood. With a plastic bag over his hand, Ye Chen carefully took out the white meat and sniffed it. Instead of a bloody smell, it had a delicate fragrance.
"I didn't find genetic meat in the two adult zombies I hunted, but here it is in this small one." Ye Chen smiled, shaking his head, and went to the bathroom to wash the white meat before putting it in his mouth and chewing it.
Genetic meat!
It has magical properties and can strengthen the body. It can be found in the bodies of ordinary zombies. Humans turned into zombies due to a virus infection, which their flesh couldn't handle, leading to a breakdown of their genetic chains and skin decay. It's like trying to make a bicycle go as fast as a car—the bicycle isn't strong enough and would fall apart.
What is humanity's greatest strength? Intelligence! Without intelligence and technological weapons, humans are weak compared to nature's beasts. They lack the lion's bravery, the cheetah's speed, the eagle's flight, and the cockroach's resilience.
The scientists who developed the virus aimed to stimulate human cells, making them evolve to possess beast-like strength. Unfortunately, the virus was still experimental when an explosion caused the disaster.
Most people couldn't handle the infection and became zombies. Among these zombies, some developed the "genetic meat" that the scientists desired. If the virus had succeeded, the entire body would evolve into genetic meat, vastly increasing vitality and strength, creating a "new human."
For Ye Chen, genetic meat was a power enhancer. The tender white meat released a delicate aroma in his mouth. After resting on the ground for a moment, the genetic meat seemed to digest and integrate into his body. Ye Chen clenched his fist, feeling his strength increase by about a quarter. The piece of genetic meat was too small; a fist-sized piece could boost his strength by hundreds of pounds.
Ye Chen searched the room but found no other zombies. Instead, he found three cans of vegetables in the refrigerator. The frozen fish meat inside was rotten and crawling with maggots due to the virus infection. These maggots would soon mutate.
Ye Chen opened a can of vegetables, which remained unaffected by the virus. He placed the three cans on a nearby cabinet, intending to take them back after hunting zombies.
Holding a machete, Ye Chen took a deep breath and opened the door. The hallway was still and silent, creating an eerie atmosphere. Ye Chen walked to a nearby room, finding the door locked. If a zombie was trapped inside, it would eventually starve since zombies couldn't open doors.
Ye Chen checked several rooms, all locked, which wasn't surprising since the apocalypse happened at 7 p.m. Most people were indoors, and nobody staying in a hotel would leave their door open.
The hotel had eighteen floors. Ye Chen lived on the top floor, which had only six or seven rooms due to their spaciousness. He rented two of these rooms and had already cleared one of zombies. The remaining four were locked.
After confirming there were no roaming zombies on his floor, Ye Chen headed for the elevator, planning to explore the next floor.
"13th floor!" Seeing the elevator display, Ye Chen pressed the down button. The elevator ascended, and Ye Chen waited, watching the numbers change. A sense of unease crept over him.
"14!"
"15!"
As the elevator rose, Ye Chen's anxiety grew. He quickly moved away from the elevator and into the stairwell, hiding by a fire cabinet. Moments later, the elevator opened, revealing several staggering figures.
Ye Chen held his breath, his heart seemingly stopped. Three men and one woman emerged, dressed casually, likely vacationers. They were infected when the apocalypse struck, becoming zombies.
The female zombie wore a white T-shirt with a cute bear design, now stained with blood, likely from uninfected elevator passengers they devoured. Her hair was disheveled, nails long, and her skin intact, but her eyes glowed a pale green, her once delicate face now grotesque, with fangs protruding and blood on her lips.
The three men were in similar condition. They sniffed the air, searching for fresh blood. Ye Chen felt a twinge of fear but was grateful he had moved away from the elevator.
Zombies have a keen sense of smell, even underwater, and Ye Chen knew hiding here was risky. He carefully backed away, making no sound.
Fortunately, Ye Chen wore sneakers, which muffled his steps. He retreated slowly, each step feeling like an eternity, until he reached the stairwell corner. At that moment, a young male zombie appeared, drawn by the scent of blood, and spotted Ye Chen. With a growl, it charged at him.
The zombie's cry alerted the others, who also rushed over, eyes gleaming with hunger.
Ye Chen cursed inwardly but didn't flee to a lower floor, knowing that would attract more zombies, leading to his eventual exhaustion and death. Gripping his machete, Ye Chen's palms were sweaty, but he remained calm. In the seconds before the zombies attacked, he scanned his surroundings, memorizing the layout.
"Roar!" The first zombie lunged, its claws aimed at Ye Chen's shoulders, hoping to pin him down and bite his throat.
Ye Chen dodged to the side, kicking the zombie in the waist. He didn't kick head-on but from the side, using the zombie's momentum against it. The zombie stumbled and rolled down the stairs.
Ye Chen stayed alert as the other three zombies attacked. He ducked, sweeping his leg to trip the lead male zombie, who fell and tumbled down, knocking into the zombie behind him.
In the critical moment, Ye Chen stood and dodged to the side, kneeing the female zombie in the stomach and chopping at her neck with his machete. The strike was powerful, nearly severing her neck.
Ye Chen didn't linger. Spotting the fallen zombies below, he ran upstairs, pulling out a gasoline bottle and matches. With lightning speed, he lit a match and threw the gasoline bottle, splashing the zombies below. He flicked the match, igniting the gasoline.
Boom!!
A loud explosion echoed in the stairwell, flames bursting out. The zombies' screams were drowned by the blast. When the fire subsided, two charred zombies lay on the stairs, and the third, dazed by the blast, twitched on the floor.