Chen Chao escorted Chu Shanhe and the others to safety and immediately turned back home. The sky was already dark, and his pupils hadn't evolved to the point where he could see in the dark, so traveling at night was still not advisable. After all, in this ruined city, there were not only rotting corpses but also various mutated creatures.
He contracted his pores and closed his sweat glands, trying to minimize any human scent, and used light refraction to conceal his figure. After bypassing a few zombie groups along the way, he successfully returned to his apartment complex before the sky fully darkened.
"Hmm?" Chen Chao's gaze fell on the door. There were several zombie corpses, their skulls blown apart by bullets, lying near the entrance by the railing.
"Someone has been here," Chen Chao frowned. These people had guns. He wasn't sure if they were military personnel or looters, but they were definitely cautious.
He didn't linger and immediately entered the building.
Taking the elevator to the 18th floor, Chen Chao knocked on the door, and it opened with a soft creak, surprisingly not fully closed!
Chen Chao's heart sank, a bad premonition rising in his chest. He immediately stormed into the room. The once neat and tidy living room was now in disarray, with seven or eight red bloodstains on the wooden floor. Most notably, the rice, vegetables, and other supplies piled behind the sofa were all gone, and the sofa itself had been flipped over.
A cold glint flashed in Chen Chao's eyes. Without a word, he went to the kitchen and then to his sister Chen Shiyu's room. All the food stored there had been looted. Even the experimental table in Chen Shiyu's room had been smashed to pieces. The microscope was on the floor, and various test tubes were shattered. It was clear that a violent struggle had taken place here.
Chen Chao's heart sank.
An overwhelming rage surged from deep within him!
The food had been stolen, but he could go to other supermarkets to get more. However, Chen Shiyu was gone!
The one person he wanted to protect the most had been taken by these people!
Having survived the apocalypse for 19 years, Chen Chao knew exactly what fate awaited a delicate, innocent girl in the hands of a group of thugs!
"Little girl..." Chen Chao clenched his fists, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He immediately burst out of the room and took the elevator back to the first floor.
By now, it was fully dark. The sun had set, and the ruined city was dead silent, except for the occasional low growls of zombies echoing in the air.
Chen Chao didn't stop. He approached the entrance where the zombie corpses lay, crouched down, and began to carefully inspect the ground. Soon, he noticed some heavy footprints. The size and number of these tracks were similar to those he had seen in the living room.
Chen Chao immediately grabbed an iron rod and began following the tracks.
The thieves had moved so much food, especially the dozen bags of rice. Each person had to carry at least two bags, and with their lack of survival experience, they hadn't bothered to wipe their tracks. Chen Chao quickly found the trail of where they had gone.
Shangri-La Hotel.
At the luxurious entrance, several pools of dark blood were splattered on the steps, and not far away, a zombie corpse lay, its skull shattered by a bullet.
Two middle-aged strong men stood at the door, dressed in luxurious brand-name clothing, holding guns, casually patrolling the surroundings. Whenever a zombie wandered near, they shot it dead immediately.
"You think we look like millionaires in these outfits?" one of them asked.
"Heh! Millionaires? I heard from Four-Eyed Chicken that these clothes are worth seven or eight thousand! At least only those multi-millionaires would dare buy them. I have to say, they feel different from the cheap ones we used to wear, even the fabric is so smooth."
"Yeah, if the world hadn't fallen apart, we wouldn't even be able to touch these clothes, let alone wear them! And now we have guns. Feels pretty good!"
"Yeah, too bad my daughter died too soon. Otherwise, I'd be able to protect her now."
"Don't dwell on the past. We need to focus on living. This leader might be young, but he's a good guy. Sticking with him will make our lives easier. Old Zhang brought so much food today, we can eat for more than a week!"
"True, Old Zhang did well. Too bad we're stuck here on guard duty. If we could go out searching, we might find something good."
"The outside is too dangerous. It's safer to stay on guard. If any monsters show up, we can ask the leader for help."
The two chatted casually, completely unaware that behind them, the light slightly distorted, and a young man in black casual wear appeared like a ghost.
Bang!
With a swing of the iron rod, he struck the back of the head of the man who had been talking. The man, still smiling as he spoke, suddenly froze, and his head exploded, with red and white brain matter spraying all over the other man's face.
The other man was completely stunned.
It took him two or three seconds to react. By the time he tried to shout, a cold and strong hand shot out from behind and grabbed his throat, giving it a quick twist.
Crack!
His neck snapped, and his head fell limp.
Chen Chao quickly searched their bodies, took their ammunition clips, and put them in his pocket. He kicked the headless body down the stairs and propped the other body against the door.
He then entered the spacious lobby.
Behind the service desk on the first floor, an old, thin man was dozing off. After hiding his presence, Chen Chao avoided the hotel's surveillance cameras and walked directly toward the security room at the back of the lobby.
The door to the security room was tightly shut. Chen Chao could hear two people inside breathing. One was asleep, snoring lightly, while the other was yawning.
Chen Chao's eyes flickered as he quickly took out a wire and silently unlocked the door.
He opened the door without a sound. Inside, a middle-aged man was sprawled on the desk, fast asleep, while a young man with glasses sat next to him, holding his chin in his hand and wearily staring at the surveillance screens.
With nothing to do, he was struggling to stay awake.
Chen Chao, like a ghost, approached him from behind and suddenly grabbed his throat.
The young man with glasses instantly realized what was happening. He instinctively tried to shout, but Chen Chao's grip was too firm and decisive. The moment his hand closed, he crushed the young man's windpipe. The only sound he managed to make was a couple of feeble "ugh" noises before he stared with wide eyes and collapsed limply on the monitor desk.
The middle-aged man's snoring was loud, and he remained asleep. Chen Chao swung the iron rod with great force, shattering the man's skull.
After dealing with the two, Chen Chao closed the door and immediately began controlling the security system. It didn't take long to pull up the surveillance footage from today.
After quickly replaying the video, Chen Chao's eyes locked onto 3:00 PM.
The footage showed a group of people entering the lobby, carrying large amounts of food—rice, bottled water, candy, vegetables, and meat. Among them, one strong man was carrying a young girl in a dress on his shoulder. The girl was completely still, seemingly unconscious. Through the surveillance footage, it was clear that there was a fresh, red palm print on her face!
Chen Chao's murderous intent flared up violently.