Half an hour later, Chen Chao and the others returned to the apartment complex.
The place had been ransacked by the rioters and was no longer suitable for living. This event served as a warning to Chen Chao. He frequently went hunting and couldn't always be with Chen Shiyu, so he decided to send her to the base city. With Chu Shanhe looking after her, there should be no danger.
He had carefully chosen this moment to send her.
When the apocalypse first began, the military was fragmented, and various factions fought for control, competing fiercely. They used all sorts of methods, and Chen Chao did not want to be caught up in this chaotic struggle. That's why he had rejected Chu Shanhe's invitation and hadn't asked him to send someone to take Chen Shiyu to the military base. He didn't want her to become a pawn in the fight for power.
After telling Chen Shiyu a few things, they gathered their belongings. Chen Chao's things were simple: besides the black box, he had two maps. Chen Shiyu, being a girl, still had a suitcase full of things, even though she had discarded everything unnecessary. Inside were a few bottles of purified water, spare underwear, family photos, and other irreplaceable items.
When they reached the first floor, Fang Xiangyu took the initiative to command a zombie to take Chen Shiyu's suitcase from her hands and carry it on its back, avoiding the sound of the rolling wheels that would attract a horde of zombies.
Just as they arrived at the entrance of the complex, a low growl came from behind them. Chen Chao turned around and saw a golden figure leap towards them, stopping ten meters away, baring its teeth and growling at him. It was the golden dog that had been wandering the complex.
Surprised that it didn't immediately attack, Chen Chao turned to Fang Xiangyu and asked, "Can you control it?"
"I've never tried, but I'll give it a shot," Fang Xiangyu immediately closed her eyes. A moment later, she opened them again with a strange expression and said, "Do you have a grudge with it?"
"Huh?" Chen Chao frowned.
"I can't control it, but I can communicate with it. It just told me to leave you, or it would be 'impolite.' It also said that even if you hide behind me, it can't guarantee your safety," Fang Xiangyu carefully translated.
Chen Chao was slightly amused. He stretched his wrist and said, "Step aside."
Fang Xiangyu gave the golden dog a sympathetic glance and quickly stepped back.
The golden dog, seeing her retreat, immediately lost the pressure and excitedly growled twice. It dashed toward Chen Chao at lightning speed.
Chen Chao's eyes flashed. In just a few days, this golden dog's physique had almost doubled, now at least eight times the size of a human. It was close to the strength of those dangerous breeds. No wonder it was so confident.
Wanting revenge? Watching the golden dog leap toward him, Chen Chao's sharp eyes locked onto its movements. His body suddenly flickered, leaving a realistic afterimage as he moved at ten times the speed.
The golden dog, like a golden flash, leapt onto the afterimage. Before it could celebrate, it felt a heavy punch slam into its head.
Bang!
Its body was forcefully knocked out of the air!
Chen Chao grabbed one of its hind legs and swung it around, slamming it into the concrete ground.
"Arghhh—"
The golden dog howled in pain, its eyes filled with human-like fear.
After a few more swings, Chen Chao let go of its leg, and it collapsed, completely exhausted. He turned to Fang Xiangyu and asked, "What did it say?"
Though she had expected Chen Chao to be strong, Fang Xiangyu was still shocked. She snapped out of it and sympathetically looked at the golden dog. "It's begging you for mercy. It wants me to intercede for it and hopes you won't kill it."
The golden dog nodded vigorously, looking at Chen Chao with great pleading in its eyes.
Chen Chao raised an eyebrow. "Can you understand human speech?"
The golden dog nodded again and raised its paw, sticking out its tongue, exhaling hot air, and submissively licking Chen Chao's shoes.
Chen Chao, seeing its cowardly behavior, rolled his eyes and took out the black box. "Here's your task. If you can track this box, I'll let you go."
The golden dog glanced at the black box, sniffed it, as if savoring its scent, and after a moment, nodded its head.
Chen Chao patted its head. "Then lead the way. Don't try to escape, or I'll break your legs."
The golden dog looked at him pitifully, then licked his shoes two more times to show its loyalty. It then began to lead the way, running ahead.
The strange team—three people, one dog, and three zombies—set off.
Two hours later.
The golden dog led them into a dark alley. It growled twice at the right wall, and Fang Xiangyu immediately translated, "It says the thing you're looking for is there."
Chen Chao approached the wall and gently touched it.
Whoosh!
The moment his palm made contact, ripples spread across the surface, and his hand sank into the wall. He immediately felt a pulling force from the wall, and his body was uncontrollably sucked in.
His vision blacked out, then brightened again.
He found himself standing in a large, silver-colored hall. Before he could examine the surroundings, a cold voice echoed in his mind: "Entry conditions not met. Please reach E-level evolution before coming."
As the words finished, Chen Chao felt a soft wall hit his chest. His body was forced backward.
He stumbled back two steps, and the silver hall disappeared. He was back outside, still in the dark, stinking alley.
"Entry conditions? Could it be a high-level ruin?" Chen Chao looked at the wall, deep in thought. Most ruins could be entered by any creature, even a weak ant, although an infected ant would hardly be called 'weak.'
Chen Shiyu and Fang Xiangyu were both stunned by the scene. Chen Shiyu couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Chao, can you use wall-walking?"
Chen Chao smiled and explained the concept of ruins. He didn't hide it from Fang Xiangyu, since once they entered the base city era, ruins would be accessible to all survivors, and the strong would seize them.
"With your strength, you can't even enter this ruin. I wonder what's inside..." Fang Xiangyu eyed the wall with a fiery gaze.
Chen Chao was equally intrigued, but now wasn't the time to waste. He had to evolve again and reach E-level as soon as possible. Otherwise, who knew how long the entrance would remain open?
Chen Chao went to a nearby store with a rolling door, instructed Fang Xiangyu to control two zombies inside, and then looted all the electronics, disassembling the useful parts. He quickly reassembled them into a biological wave detector.
"The last time, the power was at 100, which attracted a dangerous breed. That one was probably the only one in the city or even the province. This time, I'll set it to around 60, which should attract special zombies." Chen Chao put the device, which was the size of a watch, on his wrist and left. Now that he was an F-level multi-evolver, he wouldn't wait for the special zombies to come to him. He needed to go out and hunt.
Before heading out, Chen Chao stopped by a relatively remote community, cleared a building for Chen Shiyu to stay on the top floor, and instructed Fang Xiangyu to ensure her safety. Then he set off with the golden dog and the map of the city.
The reason for bringing the golden dog was clear: if Fang Xiangyu tried to escape, the golden dog's tracking ability would catch her.
Chen Chao studied the map and soon saw the green symbol of a "zoo." He marked the route and signaled to the golden dog to follow. Their destination was the zoo!
Under the virus invasion, the zoo was undoubtedly a dangerous forbidden zone. The animals inside had all mutated into bloodthirsty, violent beasts. Even E-level special evolvers wouldn't dare enter easily.