C6 Chapter 6

"What's wrong with me?" Jiang Ruan muttered, feeling a tickle in her throat. She needed to level up, which meant seeking out more crystal nuclei. Now, with a mere wave of her hand, legions of zombies would line up before her, offering their necks for the taking.

At that moment, Jiang Ruan spotted a building not too far off, sheltering a few survivors. The scent of their blood was rich, but she had evolved to blend in seamlessly with ordinary humans—as long as she didn't bleed, she'd go unnoticed.

With that in mind, Jiang Ruan gripped her bone knife and stepped out of the garage, where five zombies shuffled aimlessly. Their gaping mouths oozed thick, yellow fluid, emitting a nauseating stench. Their eyes had burst, revealing the exploded blood vessels within, and their mouths were torn to the ears, leaking black blood from their half-eaten heads.

"Disgusting creatures," Jiang Ruan thought with disdain, glancing at them. She advanced swiftly, her knife rising and falling in quick succession. Black blood spurted, and within moments, the zombies lay motionless on the ground.

Across the street, survivors peered from the fifth-floor window of their building, their jaws dropping at the sight of such a formidable woman.

Jiang Ruan caught their astonished looks and promptly abandoned the idea of harvesting the crystal nuclei from the zombies' skulls. She continued her path of destruction, cutting down zombies as she made her way to the residential area below.

The zombie in the security booth banged against the glass, howling. But at the sight of Jiang Ruan, its frenzy turned to fearful whimpers.

On the ground floor, seven or eight zombies roamed, with a few abandoned vegetable baskets scattered about—a grim reminder that these people had likely been attacked while returning from the market.

Wielding her bone knife as if slicing through butter, Jiang Ruan found the zombies' heads to be pathetically fragile in her hands.

She ascended the stairs to the fifth floor, where three more zombies, once returning residents, now lingered. The occupants inside watched through the peephole as Jiang Ruan effortlessly dispatched the zombies with a few swift chops of her blade.

A glint of cunning and greed flickered in their eyes before someone swung the door open and addressed Jiang Ruan, "Miss, please come inside."

Having dispatched the three zombies, Jiang Ruan entered the room to find seven people—two women and five men. The women were gaunt, their bodies seemingly drained of moisture. The men's eyes sparkled at the sight of Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan sensed something was off. These were not good-natured folks, but that was of little concern to her. Should they harbor any ill intentions, she possessed the power to ensure they met an unmarked grave.

If it weren't for the risk of a woman running through the zombie-infested city drawing undue attention, she wouldn't have sought someone to provide cover. With caution, she could keep her identity hidden.

"Hello, Miss. My name is Zeng Qiang, and these are my companions," said the man leading the group, his clothes marked with streaks of black blood from zombie encounters. The others were spotless, if a bit disheveled.

Jiang Ruan offered a smile and a nod. "I'm Jiang Ruan. Something strange happened earlier—the zombies went berserk and flooded out of the supermarket. I managed to slip out from the warehouse and saw you folks below, so I came up. Hope that's alright with you?"

"Of course, we don't mind. Another person adds to our strength, and with someone as capable as you, Miss Jiang, all the better," chimed in Zhu Zhengyan, stepping forward from beside Zeng Qiang. His gaze, filled with barely concealed desire, did not escape Jiang Ruan's notice.

She found it mildly amusing. Even in an apocalypse, these men had their minds on carnal pursuits. She scoffed inwardly, careful to keep her expression neutral.

Jiang Ruan was ushered to a seat in the middle of the sofa. It was evident that bathing had become a luxury, particularly for the two women huddled in the corner.

"What's the plan?" Jiang Ruan inquired, turning to Zeng Qiang. "Are you intending to hold out here, or are you planning an escape?" It was clear that among them, he commanded the most respect.