Chapter 28

Everyone's eyes were filled with shock. They clearly understood why Su Hao had gathered them in this place and knew that he would certainly explain the doubts in his heart. However, the sudden surge of power in their bodies overnight made them instinctively feel fear, and they speculated and suspected in ways they could understand... How to put it! It felt like a dream that was hard to describe, a mix of terror and joy, something unimaginable.

But, a voice deep within their instincts constantly reminded them —— all of this was real.

Tao Yuan pulled over an alloy folding chair from the side, grabbed two of its legs with both hands, and tore them apart as if dealing with a puzzle toy. Then, he aligned the two hollow metal tubes, bent them, and twisted them... Under everyone's watchful eyes, the hard mechanical object was forcibly turned into a ball, the protruding parts gradually flattened, and in the end, it became a roughly regular but substantial metal sphere.

"This is the power of biological evolution."

Su Hao looked at Tao Yuan, whose gaze was slightly trembling, and spoke in his usual calm voice: "No drug stimulation can replace the cellular potential from within the body. A small silver bone particle can double one's strength. This is not a myth or witchcraft, but real science. The power of zombies also comes from this, but they have paid the price of losing their reason. In other words, the power you now possess is not mysterious. As long as one is immune to the virus, anyone can evolve. This has nothing to do with status or knowledge, it's just a matter of opportunity and luck. Of course, to truly obtain it, one also needs the necessary courage."

Finding silver bones in decaying corpses and swallowing them as supplements... For beasts, they might not have the concepts of dirt and disgust. But for humans, most cannot accept this reality.

Li Xiaomei and Han Ying refused to take the silver bones. They even considered them the most terrifying poison in the world. If not for Tao Yuan and Han Jing's repeated persuasion and their leading by example by swallowing the silver bones first, they probably wouldn't even touch these things that look like gravel and reflect a metallic sheen.

"Without exaggeration, you are now among the most powerful humans on Earth."

Su Hao raised his hands and said with a serious expression: "The world has undergone unprecedented changes. No one knows where the source of all this is, or why the disaster occurred. Even I don't have the answers. Abandon the last fantasy in your subconscious! We must face the actual difficulties we encounter. Zombies will become stronger, and more terrifying monsters will continue to appear. No one will come to save us; power is the fundamental ruler of everything. I admit, this sounds terrifying and hard to believe. To survive, we must unite and trust each other."

Du Tianhao slowly clenched his left fist, the blue veins on his arm gradually becoming prominent, and large, solid muscles bulging. Against his dark brown skin, it seemed as if a terrifying amount of energy was contained within his body.

He spread his thick fingers, then clenched them tightly, his voice resonating like a bell: "Some things can't just be believed by talking. I have eyes, and I've smashed zombies' heads with a stick. That feeling was very real and very terrifying. Su Hao, you are a good person, very smart, and have power. I am very happy to have you as a partner in the most difficult times, and to have you as a fair and powerful leader."

As he spoke, the towering giant walked up to Su Hao and extended his right hand. The latter firmly gripped it, a friendly smile on his face.

Tao Yuan and his wife exchanged a glance, then walked over and extended their hands, placing them on the backs of the hands of the two people in front.

Xin Yan walked up to Su Hao and leaned against his shoulder. Su Hao could feel the slight tickle from the friction of her body against his arm. He noticed that Xin Yan very cleverly inserted her hand between the others and playfully squeezed his fingertips. This made him feel inexplicably reassured, and his heart was filled with a faint sense of excitement and joy.

Liao Qiu scratched his head, extended his right hand to join the others, and smiled sheepishly. His teeth were very white, and he had the liveliness of a young person.

Zhang Jingjing was hesitant. She watched as the Han sisters walked into the circle, feeling both nervous and excited. She bit her lower lip hard, timidly tugged at the hem of Cao Rui's clothes beside her, her eyes showing a mix of hope and fear.

She had not been part of the team for long and wanted to gain the recognition of the others, but was also afraid of Cao Rui's refusal. Although the former desire was dominant, she could not abandon her former comrades who had shared life and death.

Old Song also walked over, and everyone's eyes were on Cao Rui.

She had a serious expression, clearly giving the matter serious thought. Perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was too solemn, Cao Rui slowly shook her head and smiled.

She picked up a palm-sized thick piece of wood from the ground and crushed it with her index finger and thumb. Looking at the loose wood chips that fell from her fingers, she took a deep breath, grabbed Zhang Jingjing's hand, and dragged her into the group, placing her hand on top of everyone else's. She stared into Su Hao's eyes and said seriously: "I really liked the small snacks called 'silver bones' you gave me yesterday. But I am very worried about whether they might have any side effects?"

She raised her arm, making a standard bodybuilder's pose, and said teasingly: "Hehe! Strength comes from muscles. I don't want to turn into Iris Kyle (2008 World Women's Bodybuilding Champion). For any woman who values her figure, that would be an unimaginable nightmare."

...

"Secrets" are always best known by as few people as possible.

Su Hao did not reveal that the so-called "immunity serum" was actually his own blood.

Old Song was the only one who knew, and he was a trustworthy person who could keep a secret.

Su Hao was very cautious. He drew 50 milliliters of blood from each of the core members, including Old Song and Xin Yan, and injected it into zombies and captured rats, finding that the virus still spread and infected.

In other words, the only person who could produce the immune base and spread it to other organisms to take effect was himself.

After all, this body was very special, containing the best human genes that could be collected from the future era.

Perhaps, this was the fundamental reason?

Or, it was because of the prototype serum...

To confirm, a series of experiments were needed. But Su Hao had no suitable live subjects left, and he was unwilling to use similar methods to prove it.

Among the core members of the team, three hunting groups were formed: Old Song and Han Jing, Du Tianhao and Han Ying, Liao Qiu and Zhang Jingjing. Their task was simple —— every day, they would search for small groups of zombies in the city, using the simplest and most violent methods to kill the zombies and collect the necrotic hormone and silver bones.

The members of the hunting groups were not fixed. Cao Rui, Xin Yan, and Li Xiaomei would take turns patrolling with the other three women. As long as they did not encounter large groups of zombies numbering in the thousands, the hunting groups were not in danger. To increase safety, Su Hao obtained several short-range communication systems from stores in the city, allowing for support calls within a five-kilometer radius.

Physical enhancement was just the foundation, but flexible and versatile combat skills had to come from actual combat. Enhanced humans were not absolutely invincible; even with skin and muscles strengthened by silver bones, they could not withstand bullets.

Combat would make them stronger.

...

The calendar turned another page, from May to June. But the gap between the two months was only one day.

The large blue sign of the "Walmart" supermarket was still prominent, and zombies still lingered at the entrance of the mall on the roadside. They seemed to have an unusual interest in this place, always returning after being killed, and reappearing after disappearing.

Compared to a few weeks ago, they had become even more hideous. Shrunken muscles clung to their bones, their faces and bodies completely withered, like dehydrated mummies. Their eyes were a sickly white, with faint pus bubbles mixed in. Many unknown small insects crawled in and out of their nostrils, and occasionally, multi-legged bugs and cockroaches emerged from their tattered shoes, their antennae swaying as they coldly observed the desolate, lifeless city.

Xin Yan grabbed a very fat zombie. It had likely been a cholesterol-overloaded obese patient in life, with a large belly. Though male, his thick breasts hung out of his torn shirt. She grabbed it by the neck from behind and pressed it heavily against a silver birch tree by the roadside. With one hand, she swung an axe to sever the zombie's limbs, then pulled out a syringe filled with a drug solution from her waist pouch, bit off the rubber seal, and forcefully injected it into the zombie's head to extract the necrotic hormone. Finally, she split the pelvis and used a knife to remove the silver bones.

She performed the series of actions with great skill, the entire process taking no more than two minutes.

Su Hao stood nearby. For some reason, when he saw Xin Yan swing the axe and bite her teeth, cutting into the dead zombie's legs, he felt an indescribable sense of unease.

On the way into the mall, six zombies were sequentially cut down. Xin Yan threw the shopping cart to Su Hao and walked straight to the cosmetics counter.

She entered the empty "Estée Lauder" counter, took a cotton pad and toner from the counter, and carefully wiped the dirt off her face in front of the mirror. When her face was clean again, she used her fingertips to apply foundation evenly, lightly drew her eyebrows, and applied mascara... Finally, she used an eyelash curler to make her lashes curl.

Su Hao pushed the shopping cart full of food over, and Xin Yan turned around, showing off her freshly made-up face, and asked with a smile, "Do I look good?"

Her skin was smooth and radiant, her almond-shaped eyes perfectly complemented by her lightly arched eyebrows, like a pool of autumn water. The pink lip gloss looked moist and inviting, making Su Hao feel an urge to kiss her deeply.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Xin Yan emphasized her question, her bright eyes twinkling, "Do I look good?"

Su Hao let go of the shopping cart handle and walked up to the girl. The mirror on the counter reflected the tenderness and intimacy in his eyes. Neither of them spoke, and Xin Yan suddenly felt a strong sense of panic. She instinctively turned her head but couldn't help turning back to look at Su Hao. From his sharp, well-defined eyes, a flame of intense masculinity shot out.

Without any extra movements, the two of them almost eagerly embraced each other. Xin Yan tilted her head, her soft lips being tightly sucked by Su Hao, and she let out enticing moans and heavy breaths from her mouth and nose. This tense and exciting feeling made them feel they didn't want to part, and they hugged each other even tighter.

"Clang——"

The clear, sharp sound of metal clashing echoed in the silent mall. A pink flush had spread across Xin Yan's pale face. She struggled to free part of her body from Su Hao's strong embrace and, through the man's broad, thick shoulders, saw a zombie emerging from behind a nearby shelf. It had kicked over a can of baby formula and was slowly walking toward them.

Clearly, it had smelled the scent of living beings.

Xin Yan's pupils instantly contracted. She tried to break free from Su Hao but was held tightly against the wall, unable to speak. She frantically pointed toward the distance, making "mm" sounds.

She felt Su Hao's left hand slip into her clothes, caressing her smooth, bare back, and his hand moved to the front, gripping her breast.

If it were a different time and place, Xin Yan might have enjoyed it.

But now...

"Um... behind... behind..."

She looked at the approaching zombie with fear, but Su Hao seemed to be immersed in a beautiful pink dream, unwilling to wake up. Xin Yan panted heavily and pinched Su Hao's waist with her hand, but it had no effect. She bent her knees and rammed them into Su Hao's body, but there was no response. If not for the tongue that continued to tangle in her mouth, she would have almost doubted that the man had fallen asleep or had no reflexes.

The zombie behind Su Hao was getting closer, only five or six meters away.

Xin Yan was almost in a state of collapse. She felt the string in her heart was stretched to the limit, ready to snap at any moment. She regretted her previous actions; both of them were standing on the edge of a cliff. If the terrifying cannibalistic creature took a few more steps, it could open its mouth and tear Su Hao's throat.

At that moment, she suddenly saw Su Hao reach for the M500 pistol from his back, raise it with a reverse grip, and without turning his head, pull the trigger at the approaching zombie.

"Bang——"

The violent gunshot rang out, and the zombie's grotesque face exploded, blood and flesh splattering everywhere, and its entire head was blown off. It staggered a few steps, flailing its arms in the air, and finally lost its balance, falling heavily.

Su Hao slowly lowered his hand, the M500 still smoking, and put it back in its holster.

Throughout, he held Xin Yan tightly, continuing to kiss her without letting go.

The girl was completely dazed, feeling a mix of confusion, wanting to cry and laugh.

Worry and anxiety were unnecessary; he knew everything and understood how to handle it.

A flash of anger crossed Xin Yan's eyes.

I want revenge!

She bit Su Hao's lip, not too hard, but enough to make him feel the pain.

This damn man!

...

At dusk, the people who had been out all day returned to the small building, filling it with noise and joy once again.

Su Hao parked the car by the roadside, glanced at Xin Yan, who was blushing and still had a hint of anger on her face, and smiled mischievously. He pulled out the key and jumped out of the car. He carried a box of pineapple fruit cans from the supermarket from the trunk and walked to the back door of the small building, knocking in the agreed pattern —— one heavy, three light. Soon, the tightly closed door opened a crack, revealing the thin face of a middle-aged man.

"Quick! Come in."

He welcomed them warmly, took the box of cans from Su Hao's shoulder, and walked in with a smile.

This was a person rescued from a bathhouse. Including him, there were a total of 37 survivors.

The aroma of food wafted through the hall, and several large cooking pots lined the wall, filled with freshly cooked rice, the grains glistening under the lights.

Two large soup bowls were placed on the table. The slightly red soup was dotted with chili and oil, with thick slices of luncheon meat, pickled mustard, and black pepper grains.

A short, stocky man walked over, placed a large bowl on the table, and took two vacuum-packed sweet garlic bulbs from a nearby cardboard box. He tore open the packaging and poured the pickled vegetables into the bowl.

The food was simple, and there were few vegetables.

After all, in this city, it was almost impossible to find fresh meat. Due to the power outage, the frozen meat in the mall's cold storage had long since rotted. The survivors had to settle for canned goods and cured meat, and they had to collect pickled vegetables and dried goods, as well as anything that could be stored for a long time.

Outside the small building, some cucumbers and tomatoes had been planted in the green belt, and the seeds of bok choy sown a week ago had already sprouted. Old Song had also found some ginger and garlic from a nearby market. Although it was not the normal planting season for some crops, people had to plan ahead.

More people gradually filled the dining room, and the doors to the guest rooms upstairs opened, with many of the survivors rescued from the bathhouse walking out. Some stretched and yawned, some argued with spittle flying, some looked up at the sky in a daze, and some left their rooms with the lights on, wearing slippers, and walked straight into the hall, unceremoniously taking the best seats at the table.

The page turned, and the advertisement began.

The page turned, and the advertisement ended.