Published: February 5, 2025
This was the first time the team had been away from Ye Zhongming for so long.
Over the past month, each member of the team had been deeply imprinted with something that belonged to Ye Zhongming.
None of them were foolish; they had all begun to speculate about Ye Zhongming, the seer of the apocalypse. While they might not entertain the bizarre notion of him being reborn, it was undeniable that he held a mysterious identity, one of the few who had an in-depth understanding of the apocalypse and even knowledge of its outbreak.
In peacetime, people were accustomed to exploring the essence and roots of things. Although this habit would gradually fade away in the apocalypse, it still lingered. Given the right conditions, everyone wished to live with clarity, so the team harbored an instinctive doubt and hope about the sudden apocalypse, yearning for the day they could understand the reason behind it.
Of course, these thoughts only surfaced during the quiet of night or in life-and-death situations. Everyone was still at a primitive stage of survival, concerned with how to live rather than why to live, and they weren't fixated on uncovering mysteries. However, the sense of security and superiority that Ye Zhongming provided had already taken root in their hearts.
When you see corpses littering the clean streets, when you see severed limbs hanging from beautiful buildings, and when you see the opulent shopping malls filled with the stench-ridden, drooling undead, even the strongest of minds would eventually succumb to panic and fear.
Because those who were once stronger than you have now become maggot-filled corpses.
The team was no exception.
Every survivor in the apocalypse is bound to go through this phase, and it was Ye Zhongming who helped them navigate through it.
Perhaps the depth of their gratitude varied, but each person felt thankful nonetheless.
However, gratitude could gradually solidify into an inseparable bond over time. Yet for now, it was still about assessing benefits.
In other words, was following you better than being with anyone else?
Not to say better than everyone, but surely better than most.
If they were merely saved from death but had to struggle daily to fill their bellies, the only outcome would be the disintegration of the team over time.
It might sound harsh, but that was the reality.
Previously, in the city they had left and in the places they passed through, the team members felt their own strength, and this feeling intensified upon arriving in Ying City.
This was the very foundation of the team's cohesion.
Ying City was a vast hunting ground.
This was the consensus of all team members after spending some time here.
This hunting ground belonged to the survivors, for the city and its surroundings were filled with countless zombies, countless mutated creatures, and countless unknown monsters.
The magic crystals on their foreheads were the most coveted resource by humanity.
Every day, survivors within and around the city acquired resources from these monsters, every day, humans completed their evolutions, and every day, surprises emerged among the crowds.
One legend and character after another spread within the provincial capital of Ying City, becoming the only topic of conversation for the survivors who struggled to get by in the filthy sewers and cramped ruins.
This was also a hunting ground for mutated lives.
Amongst themselves and humans, they contained the energy necessary for their evolution. When there were no humans, other mutated beings were their targets, and when humans were present, humans became their targets.
They were numerous, and humans were also plentiful; the vast hunting ground belonged to every life form.
Every day, many events unfolded in the hunting ground.
“Drop the magic crystals and scram!”
A bearded man raised a chipped double-barrel shotgun, shouting viciously at a team that was clearing the corpses of zombies.
Liang Chuyin looked up at the appearing mutated beings, her gaze unwavering.
“Damn, isn’t that who I think it is? Yes, Liang Chuyin, an internet celebrity.”