Shortly after, Ye Chen dissected a zombie. After rummaging through it, he didn't find any catalyzed meat and frowned slightly. He didn't continue searching and instead got up and moved to another zombie to start dissecting.
Ye Zhu stood by, quietly watching Ye Chen. Suddenly, she felt a slight unfamiliarity with her once-familiar brother. In the past, this man was gentle and never fought with anyone, and he was extremely fond of small animals. She still remembered when they were young, coming home from school together. He once felt sad for a long time after seeing an injured kitten by the roadside.
But now...
Whether hunting zombies or dissecting them, Ye Chen exuded a calm and composed aura, like a cold-blooded killer casually reaping lives.
Has he really changed?
Ye Zhu's eyes were filled with confusion. Although Ye Chen's cold demeanor while hunting zombies made him somewhat unfamiliar to her, his gentle smile towards her was still the same as before!
Never changing!
Ye Zhu shook her head, wondering why she was thinking like this. Her brother had been hunting zombies all morning; of course, his mental fortitude had strengthened a lot. This was very normal.
What she didn't know was that Ye Chen's composure and calmness weren't honed in just one morning—it took him a full decade!
He had experienced despair, loneliness, confusion, heartbreak, and tears in the last apocalypse...
He became stronger. So when he found himself reborn ten years ago, he didn't panic at all. He was mentally prepared to face any storm.
"Brother!" Ye Zhu called softly. In Ye Chen's puzzled gaze, she gathered her courage and walked up to him, her head lowered, her hands trembling. "Let me handle the remaining zombie."
Ye Chen was stunned for a moment, gazing at this stubborn girl for a long while. Although her whole body trembled, there was a persistent determination in her voice. His gaze gradually softened, and he nodded, "Be careful. Wear the bag on your hands; don't let your skin touch its blood."
Ye Zhu nodded, picked up two black bags, and put them on her hands. Then she squatted in front of the dead zombie. Its fangs were hideous, and its mouth was full of blood, as if it could pounce and devour someone at any moment.
Ye Zhu swallowed hard, slowly pressed the watermelon knife against the zombie's chest, and began to cut. However, the toughness of the zombie's skin far exceeded her expectations. It felt like she was cutting cowhide, and she couldn't penetrate it.
Ye Chen reminded from the side, "Zombie skin is strengthened, tougher than cowhide. You need to use force and chop to cut the skin."
Ye Zhu slowly nodded, took a deep breath, raised the knife, closed her eyes, and forcefully chopped down. A "puff" sounded, and she hurriedly opened her eyes to see. The knife had struck the zombie's shoulder, three inches into the bone. This misalignment happened because her eyes were closed when she swung the knife.
Ye Zhu wanted to cry but had no tears, silently thinking, "Don't blame me. I didn't mean to cut you there..."
She forcefully pulled out the knife and chopped down again. Fearing the bloody scene after cutting open the heart, her eyes instinctively closed.
As a result...
She missed again, this time striking the zombie's right chest.
"Catalyzed meat is only around the heart," Ye Chen reminded from the side.
Ye Zhu blushed, embarrassedly looking at the dead zombie, secretly gritting her teeth, "This time, I have to hit the mark!" She raised the knife again, trying hard to keep her eyes open to hit the right spot.
Puff!
This time she finally hit the left chest.
Ye Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and inwardly thanked her luck.
The poor zombie, lying there, was not only dissected but also took two unnecessary cuts.
After cutting the skin, Ye Zhu began to separate the flesh, revealing the zombie's internal organs. Seeing such a gruesome sight for the first time, her scalp tingled, and her skin shivered, especially when she had to search for the catalyzed meat and manipulate the blackened heart. The moment she touched the heart, it felt soft and smooth, like a soft-boiled egg, and she immediately started to retch.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen quickly dissected the zombie. After rummaging through it, he still didn't find any catalyzed meat, sighed softly, and turned to Ye Zhu. Seeing her pale face, he felt a tinge of pity and said, "Let me do it."
Ye Zhu stubbornly shook her head, "I'll be fine in a moment."
She suppressed the nausea caused by seeing the internal organs, quickly fumbled around, and suddenly found a fingertip-sized piece of catalyzed meat behind the heart. Her eyes lit up with joy, "Found it."
"Found it?"
Ye Chen was taken aback.
He knew that only one in every ten zombies might have catalyzed meat. After dissecting two zombies and not finding any, he thought the hunt was in vain. He didn't expect Ye Zhu to find a piece!
"Brother, where's your catalyzed meat?" Ye Zhu excitedly stood up, turned to Ye Chen, and saw his empty hands. She asked curiously.
Ye Chen cleared his throat, "These two zombies were too low-level, so they didn't have catalyzed meat."
"Really?" Ye Zhu looked at him suspiciously.
Ye Chen replied righteously, "Of course!"
...
Next, Ye Zhu was in charge of keeping the catalyzed meat until the evening. Ye Chen checked the door and found it could still be used for a while longer. He instructed Ye Zhu, "I'll go out and lure some zombies. You get ready in the room."
Ye Zhu nodded and cautioned, "Be careful, don't attract too many!"
Ye Chen smiled and walked out of the door. He reached the fourth room and found the door locked, so he knocked.
After a while.
There was no response from inside.
Ye Chen guessed it might be an empty room and didn't linger. He moved to the fifth room. This door was ajar. Ye Chen didn't act cautiously this time. Instead, he kicked the door open forcefully and glanced inside. He saw two zombies wandering in the living room. These zombies, a man, and a woman were entirely unclothed.
Ye Chen remained calm, seeing the zombie couple spot him. He gave them a cold look, turned, and ran.
In the blink of an eye, he dashed back into the room, where Ye Zhu was still arranging the zombies on the floor, dragging them to the corner of the living room.
As soon as Ye Chen returned, he quickly pushed the sofa against the door, leaving a crack. A few seconds later, the two zombies arrived, pounding on the door.
Following the previous method, Ye Chen swiftly dealt with the two zombies. At this point, the door was shaky, and it was feared it could no longer be used.
Ye Zhu took the initiative to dissect the zombies, making Ye Chen feel a bit ashamed. His sister seemed to have remarkable luck. Among the two zombies, she found another fingertip-sized piece of catalyzed meat. What almost made Ye Chen cough up blood was Ye Zhu holding the catalyzed meat, looking rather unsatisfied and regretful, "It's a pity the other zombie didn't have any."
Ye Chen was in tears. He dissected two zombies in a row and didn't find a single piece. How could he bear this!!
Afterward...
Ye Chen and Ye Zhu moved to the fifth room, using it as their zombie hunting base. Ye Chen lured the zombies from various rooms, using the door of this room to block them. When it couldn't be used anymore, they moved to another room and continued searching and luring zombies to the door for a kill...
After three hours.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, the setting sun shone through the window, casting shadows on the corridor as the sky began to darken.
17th floor, outside room 30.
Roar! Roar!
Four zombies frantically slammed against the door. Ye Chen stood behind the crack, holding a watermelon knife, coldly watching them. As soon as a zombie approached, he severed its arm.
Suddenly—
Boom!
The door collapsed with a loud bang!
The four zombies rushed in bloodthirsty, pouncing on Ye Chen.
"Brother—" Behind him, Ye Zhu exclaimed in alarm.
Ye Chen remained calm. After the door's obstruction, three of the zombies had already lost their arms, leaving only their heads as threats, which were no longer a concern.
Ye Chen stood at an angle, pivoted, and swung his leg backward. This move was more powerful than a direct kick. Given his current strength, almost on par with a typical zombie, he sent the leading armless zombie flying, knocking into its two companions behind it.
Roar!
The only zombie with intact arms bypassed Ye Chen and lunged towards Ye Zhu, menacingly pouncing on the girl.
Ye Zhu's face turned pale. Her hand holding the watermelon knife trembled uncontrollably. A trace of helplessness filled her eyes as she kept retreating.
"Get lost!"
A voice, filled with fury, echoed behind the zombie. Ye Chen had somehow caught up with it, and his hand, not holding the knife, formed a fist, striking the zombie's cheek. The immense force sent it sprawling. Immediately, Ye Chen approached, his handsome face emanating a murderous aura, his eyes coldly fixed on the zombie, veins bulging on his arm.