Civilization of Darkness

Eggs, rich in protein, are immensely valuable. By the later stages of the apocalypse, they had long since become extinct.

In addition to these, Ye Chen purchased a large quantity of food packed with essential nutrients and boasting a long shelf life. As for vegetables and meats, he bought none. Vegetables, though nutritious, spoil quickly, and meats, once the virus struck, would become infected, rotting beyond use.

Given the sheer volume of food Ye Chen had bought, the city was compelled to send delivery personnel to bring it to the hotel. After a moment of thought, Ye Chen rented another room, adjacent to the original, dedicated solely to storing the supplies.

When Ye Zhu first saw an entire room filled with provisions, her eyes widened in astonishment, and her mouth formed an 'O'. Yet, she held back her questions.

Once the food situation was settled, Ye Chen glanced at the time—it was already 3 PM. He left the hotel and went to a hardware store, purchasing five watermelon knives. Though two would suffice, he opted for a few extras in case the blades broke during a zombie encounter.

Finally, Ye Chen checked his remaining funds—around eight thousand yuan. He withdrew a thousand, exchanged it for several boxes of bottled water, anticipating that the hotel's water pipes might be severed by mutated rats from the sewers. The remaining seven thousand he spent entirely on gasoline. Gasoline, once ignited, would explode—perfect for creating small bombs when necessary, particularly for defense against powerful mutated beasts.

By the time all of this was done, it was already 5 PM. Ye Chen returned to the hotel with the watermelon knives, casting a weary glance at Ye Zhu without a word. He closed the door behind him, discarded the knives carelessly, and collapsed onto the bed.

"Let me sleep for a bit. No matter who knocks, don't answer. Wake me up at 7," he said tiredly, already drifting into a deep slumber.

His body, still unenhanced, was exhausted from the day's exertions. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Ye Zhu furrowed her brow slightly, sitting silently on the couch, puzzled by Ye Chen's strange behavior.

...

"Tap tap."

Footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Ye Zhu checked her watch—7:02 PM. After a moment's hesitation, she was about to wake Ye Chen, but seeing him deep in slumber, she hesitated. The footsteps outside grew louder, then suddenly stopped. The person outside turned and began knocking on the door.

"Such strength for a hotel staff member," she thought, as she twisted the door handle and opened it.

ROAR!

As soon as the door opened, a fierce, beastly roar filled the air. Ye Zhu saw a man dressed in a black suit lunging toward her, his face covered in pus-filled sores, oozing a foul yellow liquid. His eyes were a sickly green, his teeth protruded like a zombie's, and his nails, long as daggers, were as dark as pitch.

"Ah!" Ye Zhu screamed in terror, instinctively raising her hands in front of her face and squeezing her eyes shut.

SPLAT!

Blood sprayed, and the figure collapsed with a thud.

"Don't be afraid," a calm, soothing voice like a lullaby reached Ye Zhu's ears. She opened her eyes in disbelief to see Ye Chen, who had somehow awakened, holding a watermelon knife dripping with black blood. The terrifying man who had lunged at her now lay motionless, his head cleaved in two.

"Brother... you... you killed him?" Ye Zhu stammered in fear.

Ye Chen gave a gentle smile, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "Go inside. I'll explain later."

Ye Zhu looked at him for a moment, then turned and walked into the room.

Once she was gone, Ye Chen's smile faded, and he crouched down to drag the zombie's body out of the room, tossing it by the door. Fortunately, this long corridor only contained this one zombie; otherwise, things could have become troublesome.

His eyes hardened as he took the watermelon knife and slashed several times at the zombie's chest, peeling back its skin to expose its innards. His expression remained calm, as though such grisly acts were no longer shocking to him.

"There's no mutated flesh," Ye Chen muttered, furrowing his brow before shaking his head. "Of course not, mutated meat only appears on the bodies of at least ten zombies. It's not something you can just find easily."

With that, he stood up, walked into the room, and closed the door behind him, as if this were merely an insignificant task.

As for dealing with the zombie's remains?

There was no need.

After all, zombies are so bloodthirsty, why don't they turn on each other? It's because when someone becomes a zombie, their blood loses certain substances, turning from bright red to pitch black. Zombies are only attracted to fresh, red blood.

Thus, the corpse of this particular zombie wouldn't attract any more.

In later stages, zombies develop a bit of intelligence, and if they detect a "fellow" zombie's corpse, they might be drawn to it. But the early-stage zombies, their thoughts were very simplistic.

...

Inside the room, Ye Zhu sat on the couch, lost in thought, her mind clearly in turmoil.

Ye Chen placed the knife on the nearby cabinet and walked over, gently patting her shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

Ye Zhu looked at him, then sighed softly. "Brother, I know whatever you do, there's always a reason. Just... don't do anything reckless."

Ye Chen chuckled lightly.

Ye Zhu, puzzled, raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

Ye Chen grinned and lightly tapped her nose. "I know you're full of questions. Since it's already happened, I'll just tell you."

Ye Zhu's face was full of confusion.

Ye Chen's expression turned serious as he began to explain. "What I killed just now wasn't human—it was a zombie."

"A zombie?" Ye Zhu gasped.

Ye Chen nodded. "You might not believe it, but the apocalypse has already begun outside. A viral storm swept across the globe from North America. At 7 PM, 70% of humanity turned into zombies, and all animals mutated into terrifying bloodthirsty monsters."

Ye Zhu stared wide-eyed. While she had never doubted her brother, his words were overwhelming.

The apocalypse?

It seemed unbelievable. After all, for years, people had speculated that the world would end in 2012, with earthquakes and natural disasters hinting at such an event. Even Japan had suffered a nuclear leak, causing some marine life to mutate.

But in the end, 2012 passed without incident, shattering those theories. Yet now, Ye Chen was claiming that the world was filled with monsters. It was almost too surreal to accept.

Ye Chen, as though reading her mind, offered no further explanation. He knew it was difficult for anyone to accept such a harsh reality all at once. Instead, he instructed, "No matter what, if anyone knocks on the door, don't open it."

Ye Zhu nodded absently, still in shock.

Ye Chen walked over to the couch and began contemplating their next steps, giving Ye Zhu the space to collect herself.

"Brother..." Ye Zhu called out suddenly.

Ye Chen turned in surprise. The girl, it seemed, had regained her composure, and she now looked him in the eye, speaking each word slowly: "I believe in you."

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat, as if his blood had surged suddenly. After a moment, he responded with a bewildered smile, "You believe me?"

Ye Zhu nodded earnestly. "You've never lied to me, not once."

Ye Chen could only laugh bitterly.

Ye Zhu playfully winked, her demeanor so lighthearted that it made her seem almost unconcerned about the apocalypse. She raised her hand like a child with a question. "Brother, I have a question."

Ye Chen rubbed his nose. "What is it?"

With a mischievous glint in her eye, she asked, "How did you know about the apocalypse?"

Ye Chen faltered for a moment, clearing his throat, before solemnly replying, "Ah, that... of course, it was a dream sent by heaven. Heaven's protection. You know, your big brother is a lucky star. Don't yawn! At least let me finish? Huh, you're asleep already?"

Ye Zhu waited for him to finish, then cracked a small smile and pouted. "Alright, fine. New question."

Ye Chen scratched his nose, "Go ahead."

Ye Zhu paused, then asked, "Why did we move here? If we're looking for a stronghold, there are many places better than this. Like the countryside—fewer people, fewer zombies."

Ye Chen didn't dodge the question this time. Instead, he answered earnestly, "There are two reasons for choosing this place. First, it's convenient and clean. After the apocalypse, not only will humans turn into zombies, but even animals, like mosquitoes, will evolve into monsters, more terrifying than zombies. The best places to avoid such creatures are the ones with the fewest insects—like a five-star hotel."

Ye Zhu's eyes lit up. "So, you're saying the countryside is actually more dangerous than the city?"

Ye Chen nodded. "Most people assume the countryside is safer, but think about it. If humans can mutate into zombies, what about animals? Of course, they'll turn into monsters as well. And rural areas, they have far more animals than the city..."

"What's the second reason?"

"The second reason is that this hotel has strong doors and walls. They'll be fine against regular zombies," Ye

Chen added with a smile. "Anyone who's been here knows that while the doors are wooden, they're reinforced with steel. Even if ten zombies tried to break in, it would take them some time."

Ye Zhu shot him a strange look. "Then why haven't we turned into zombies?"

Ye Chen furrowed his brow for a moment, then answered, "You forgot? We've always been healthy, and last year, we got the anti-disease vaccine. We won't turn into zombies."

"Really?" Ye Zhu gave him a skeptical glance.

Ye Chen, secretly sweating, hesitated. Of course, that wasn't the whole truth. He had lived through the apocalypse before and hadn't turned into a zombie. Now that he had returned to the past, it was the same for him. As for Ye Zhu... she had perished at the hands of the zombies when the apocalypse first hit, which meant she too wouldn't be affected by the virus.