his time, the bomb wasn't going to be placed in the residential area but on the opposite street. The dangers along the way were numerous. In addition to the need to avoid the rotting corpses, there were other threats, such as mutated rats infected by the virus. Though the rats were weak in the beginning and not very lethal, the virus they carried was incredibly thick, and any contact with them could lead to infection.
There were also various pets kept by humans, such as cats, dogs, and even pet snakes.
All creatures infected by the virus shared one trait: no matter how tame they once were, they would become violent carnivores!
They would eat rotting corpses, and they would also eat humans!
In the later days, rotting corpses became the primary prey for most evolved beings, but only those with awakened abilities could handle these mutated beasts.
Imagine this: a regular dog's sense of smell is forty times more powerful than that of a human. If it evolved, how much more dangerous would it be?
Mutated snakes, with their infrared vision, could see prey miles away, ignoring terrain and obstacles. No matter how well you hid, they would always find you—unless you carried an electronic heat shield! Then there were the exaggerated jumping abilities of mutated rabbits, able to leap over any wall, and the ultrasonic echolocation of mutated bats… There were just too many dangers!
All mutated creatures were terrifying and troublesome, especially the pack animals. These swarms could cause disasters that even cities protected by energy shields could not withstand!
In the early stages, even a small mutated rat could infect an un-evolved body!
While rats were rare in this upscale residential area, cats, dogs, and other pets were quite common!
Why choose the street opposite instead of the residential area?
The reason was simple: the special type of rotting corpses had three times the scent sensitivity of normal ones. If the bomb was placed too close to the residential area, it would be easy for the rotting corpses to detect the scent of survivors and avoid the bomb, going straight for them instead. So, an open area was the best choice.
...
Chen Chao moved quickly down the corridor.
Soon, he reached the thirteenth floor, which had already been cleared of rotting corpses. The rotting corpses downstairs couldn't climb stairs, so this area was safe.
Chen Chao began clearing the twelfth floor.
If it weren't for the possibility of large numbers of rotting corpses gathering on the first floor, he would've taken the elevator straight down.
By sunset, Chen Chao had cleared up to the seventh floor.
Each floor had no more than four rotting corpses, and with his advantage of using the stairs, he was able to deal with them easily.
Two days later, Chen Chao successfully made his way down to the first floor.
As he had expected, there were indeed a large number of rotting corpses wandering around the first floor. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the scent of a living human stood out like a beacon. However, the pepper powder he sprinkled on himself, combined with the rotten flesh smell from his clothes, easily masked the scent of his blood and flesh.
Sometimes, the sensitive sense of smell of the rotting corpses became their weakness.
Although, Chen Chao was still very cautious. If he got too close to a rotting corpse, the microelectric waves in their brains would detect him. So, if anyone foolishly tried to disguise themselves as a rotting corpse to confuse them, it was simply self-deception.
Did you expect these mindless beings to identify you as human or as one of their kind based on sight alone?
Chen Chao kept a safe distance from the rotting corpses—about two meters. But for safety, he always tried to stay at least three meters away from them!
The rotting corpses had limited vision, about ten meters, and if Chen Chao got closer than that, they could vaguely make out his shape. However, they didn't rely on sight alone. Even if they saw him, they would ignore him as long as they didn't smell his human scent.
But the rotting corpses were attracted to sound, so Chen Chao made sure to minimize noise. With their diminished hearing, tiny footsteps wouldn't attract their attention.
He carefully maneuvered around each rotting corpse.
Sometimes, when the rotting corpses were too clustered, Chen Chao would use pre-prepared small parts to break open the elevator doors on the other side and create a diversion. This trick worked even on humans, so it was easy to fool these brain-dead rotting corpses.
Seeing several rotting corpses distracted, Chen Chao tiptoed and quickly advanced, reaching the door. He gently pulled open the iron gate, making sure there was no sound.
Finally, he made it out of the residential area.
The air outside was slightly fresher, the scent of decay diluted by the open space, though it was still unpleasant. It wasn't as suffocating as the air inside the building.
Chen Chao had already surveyed the surrounding environment and chosen a route with fewer rotting corpses. He quickly passed the security booth at the entrance of the residential area and made his way onto the empty street.
The street was desolate, with wrecked vehicles scattered about, bloodstains dried dark, and no longer attracting the rotting corpses. The wandering rotting corpses moved like ghosts, surrounded by human body parts—mostly gnawed to the bone, with only a little flesh remaining. Some corpses were barely recognizable, with their faces chewed beyond recognition. The attire varied—there were ordinary young people, fashionable women, and sharply dressed professionals among the remains.
At this moment, all of them lay in the cold street, their eyes wide open, staring blankly at the sky, still reflecting their final moments of despair and fear.
The warm sunlight bathed the street, but there was no warmth—only a chilling cold.
Chen Chao stepped over the head of a beautiful woman and continued walking. As he passed by the wrecked vehicles, he could see inside some of them—skeletons gnawed clean, or rotting corpses still trapped inside. The rotting corpses, bound by seat belts, didn't know how to unbuckle themselves, and their strength wasn't enough to break free. Even if they tried to use brute force, the seat belt's pull of 400kg was impossible to overcome.
Even a weak woman could kill these corpses with a long stick.
However, the sheer number of rotting corpses on the street made fighting them too noisy and dangerous, risking attracting more.
Chen Chao moved cautiously along the walls, careful not to draw attention. As he passed by certain vehicles, rotting corpses inside sensed that he was not one of them and turned their heads towards him. They struggled to climb out of the car, but the seat belts kept them stuck. They desperately rammed their heads against the windows, ignoring the glass shards that cut into their faces, their mouths wide open in a snarl.
Just as he passed a red vehicle—
Suddenly, a low growl came from beneath the vehicle. Chen Chao's leg was grabbed by a hand. The hand was full of brute strength, and its fingers felt like steel bars, crushing his ankle as if it were going to break.
Chen Chao's heart raced as he looked down to see a rotting woman's hand. Behind it, a grotesque head emerged from under the car—hair disheveled, like a demon waking from hell. It opened its sharp mouth and lunged at his pants leg!
Chen Chao frowned slightly. He hadn't expected there to be a rotting corpse beneath the vehicle. Looking at its body, there were bite marks and dried blood stains, meaning it had been bitten by an infected corpse in the early stages. To survive, it had hidden under the car, but gradually became infected by the virus and turned into a rotting corpse.
He gripped his iron rod tightly and slammed it down on the creature's head!
Thud!
The head, emerging from the tire, hadn't even gotten a chance to bite his leg before it was smashed into the ground.
Chen Chao swung the rod again, hitting it mercilessly.
Thud! Thud! Thud…
After several furious strikes, the rotting corpse's head was crushed, unable to bite his leg.
With the creature quickly dispatched, Chen Chao hurriedly retreated, hoping to avoid attracting more rotting corpses.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the center of the street, where wrecked cars filled the space. He picked a black SUV and dragged the human remains from the driver's seat outside, placing the biological detector on the seat.
He then set an oil barrel bomb beside the seat.
After completing his task, he closed the car door and quickly made his way back the same way, just in case any special rotting corpses were nearby, lured by the noise.
As he was about to return to the residential area, he suddenly heard a low, deep growl from a distance. This wasn't the sound of a rotting corpse—it was a growl like that of a canine.
He turned around.
Chen Chao's pupils contracted slightly.
At the corner of the building on the opposite side of the street, a large golden dog with bloodstained fur appeared. It seemed to have picked up his scent, its nose twitching before its bloodshot eyes locked onto Chen Chao's direction.
A Golden Beast!
Chen Chao's heart sank.
He had been observing the area for days, and never once had he seen a golden-level mutated beast!
Run!
He had no desire to fight at all. Without hesitation, he turned and ran. Fortunately, the building was very close, and the golden dog was still at the street corner. He should be able to make it to the door first. With the iron gate in place, it shouldn't be able to get in... or so he thought.
The reality, however, was cruel.
Before Chen Chao could even reach the door, the golden dog charged at him, closing the gap to about ten meters in an instant. For the creature's speed, that distance was nothing more than the blink of an eye!
Chen Chao quickly threw the iron rod behind him, hoping to slow it down.
But what happened next completely shocked him. The golden dog, seeing the iron rod fly through the air, immediately abandoned its pursuit of him and ran straight toward the rod.
However, after chasing it for just a few steps, it stopped, its bloodthirsty red eyes fixed on Chen Chao again, baring its teeth and snarling as it lunged at him once more.