Chapter Twenty-One: First Battle! The Appearance of the Zombie Beast

Page (1/3)

Following the beam of the flashlight, everyone saw two burly men holding submachine guns. Yet, what did those words mean? Had they walked right into the jaws of the tiger?

“Gentlemen, food is very precious these days. These four people—if they stay here for one night, you can exchange them for four bottles of water and four cans.” It turned out these men thought they were survivors trading women for food. One of them said to Wood, “Hey, buddy, you look pretty strong. Want to stay here? As long as you protect this district, you’ll have food every day!”

After the G-virus evolution serum, Wood had grown rapidly over the past few days; now he stood at 1.85 meters tall, his weight had increased, and he truly radiated a powerful, robust presence.

“No, gentlemen, we’re here looking for someone!” Wood replied, then glanced at Mu Siyu, signaling her to speak. Mu Siyu hurriedly produced a photograph. “Gentlemen, my husband came here two days ago searching for food. Do you know if he’s been here?”

The two men glanced at the photo. “Damn, who would’ve thought Fan Wen had such a beautiful wife!” Hearing this, Mu Siyu’s eyes sparkled with hope. “Gentlemen, have you seen him?”

The men exchanged glances, grinning slyly. “He’s really your man? Oh, he’s inside. Just follow the corridor and go down to the basement—you’ll see him. But...” They chuckled and pointed the way.

Overjoyed, Mu Siyu didn’t ponder the strange laughter, hastening toward the basement. The others hurried after her, turning a corner where a faint light shone at the end of the corridor—probably because the basement was tightly secured, they dared to turn on the lights, unafraid of attracting zombies.

Arriving at the basement door, they heard inside the mingled groans of men, heavy breathing, and suppressed moans of women. When they pushed open the door, they were confronted with a scene of debauchery: three women, stripped naked, were either lying or bent over the tables, each with a man atop them, bodies moving in rhythm, clearly engaged in carnal acts; three other men waited nearby.

Seeing the basement’s obscene spectacle, the four women shrieked and turned away. Mu Siyu quickly shielded her sister’s eyes, not wanting her to witness such depravity—but in truth, everyone saw.

Suddenly, Mu Siyu heard Kong Yangyun’s startled voice. “Fan Wen, what... what are you doing?”

In her delight, Mu Siyu turned back, only to find a naked man rising from atop a woman—it was none other than her husband, Fan Wen.

Fan Wen stood up awkwardly, caught in the act with another woman by his wife, embarrassed yet soon snarling, “Siyu, what are you doing here?”

Mu Siyu’s face turned pale, her voice trembling. “Wen, how... how could you... do this?”

Fan Wen cast aside the last shreds of embarrassment, his eyes bloodshot as he barked, “Don’t pretend to be innocent, you’ve slept with other men too.”

Page (2/3)

Mu Siyu felt a breath stuck in her chest, her voice shaking. But her sister spoke up, “Fan Wen, you’re heartless! My sister did it all so we could survive. If not for her, you would’ve starved long ago. She always gave you food first, even when she went hungry herself, and now you humiliate her—you’re not human!”

A tall man let out a low growl, seemingly climaxing inside the woman beneath him, then turned to Fan Wen. “Who are these people? You know them?”

Fan Wen hurriedly replied with deference, “Big brother, those are my former colleagues—my wife and sister-in-law are the ones speaking.”

The man chuckled, licking his lips. “Damn, Xiao Fan, you never told me you had such a pretty wife. I saved your life for nothing!” He pulled his ugly organ from the woman, grabbed a towel, wiped himself, then strode toward Mu Siyu, reaching to lift her chin.

Mu Siyu stepped back, and the man’s arm was blocked by Wood. The man chuckled and said to Fan Wen, “Xiao Fan, I saved your life. You don’t mind if I have some fun with your wife, do you?”

Fan Wen was clearly afraid of the man, quickly responding, “Of course, of course. Siyu, just entertain the big brother properly!”

Siyu’s face turned deathly pale. “I am your wife!”

Fan Wen sneered, cursing, “You call yourself my wife? Who knows how many men you’ve slept with—what’s the difference between you and a whore now?” He boasted, “This is where I belong—food, drinks, women, everything I want. Ha ha ha!” He laughed wildly, thrusting into the woman beneath him.

The big brother laughed loudly. “This is how a man lives! Brother, your husband agreed—why are you stopping me? Get out of my way!” He tried to shove Wood aside.

But Wood stood firm as a pillar. The man’s expression changed, and with a grunt, he increased his strength. Wood grunted in return; their forces clashed, the bricks beneath their feet cracking, yet neither moved. Both were surprised, exclaiming together, “A capable one!”

Wood hadn’t expected this burly man to be so strong—though not quite as strong as himself, he was close. The man’s face grew serious. “Your name, brother?”

Wood replied calmly, “Chen Mu—everyone calls me Wood.”

The man said, “I’m Wu Feng. This district is my territory. If you respect me, call me Brother Feng.” Then he added, “Mr. Wood, in these chaotic times, capable people are rare. We should unite to resist the threat of zombies, don’t you agree?”

Wood replied, “That’s how it should be!”

Page (3/3)

Wu Feng was delighted. “Mr. Wood, this city has the greatest stockpile of food. If you stay, apart from me, you’ll be the biggest here. Are these women yours? Fine, I won’t touch them, what do you say?”

In these times, an extra capable survivor meant greater chances of living, so he tried hard to recruit Wood. But Wood shook his head. “Sorry, I need to go to another city. I’m here because I promised someone I’d take him away.”

He pointed to Fan Wen, who cried out in panic, “No, I won’t go! Here, it’s like paradise—I don’t want to starve outside again!” He glared fiercely at Mu Siyu, “You brought them here, didn’t you? Well, I’m sticking with Brother Feng—I won’t leave even if you beat me to death.”

Mu Siyu shed silent tears. Her sister snapped, “Even if you wanted to come, I wouldn’t let you! Sister, after how he humiliated you, he’s not worth it.” Mu Siyu walked to Wood, whispering, “Mr. Wood, don’t bother taking him. I’ll keep my promise regardless. Thank you.”

Wood shook his head slightly, feeling sorry for Mu Siyu. He was about to offer words of comfort when suddenly, outside, the sound of submachine guns rang out, followed by terrified shouts: “Boss, boss, they’re here again!”

Wu Feng grew tense, barking, “Everyone stop—get out to the front! If we can’t hold them off, we’re all dead!” People hurriedly threw on clothes, grabbed their weapons, and prepared to rush out.

At that moment, Wood sensed danger—a massive black shadow swept into the basement like a whirlwind. The two men at the door didn’t have time to react before being knocked to the ground. Everyone saw that it was a black panther, its green eyes staring at them, growling low, clearly regarding everyone as prey. The two men it had knocked down struggled briefly before falling still—the panther’s razor-sharp claws had shredded their necks.

“Zombie Beast!” Panic erupted; the three naked women screamed, scrambling to the corner, trembling in hope that the men would protect them.

“Kill!” Chen Feng roared, and everyone opened fire with their submachine guns. But the panther moved with extraordinary speed, leaping onto the wall and running along its surface. Some bullets struck it, but the beast seemed unfazed, seizing a man in its jaws. As it bit and ran, the man’s agonized screams echoed through the basement, but nobody dared rush forward, only firing ceaselessly.

Soon, the man’s screams faded; his broken body was tossed to the floor, chilling everyone. Mu Siyu and the other three huddled together, trembling, not daring to move.

“Everyone out, now!” Wu Feng shouted, for even he had no confidence against the panther. Just then, two screams sounded at the iron door, and a man staggered in, chest slashed deeply. He said in despair, “Big brother, we can’t hold them—the zombie beasts crawled in through the upstairs windows.”

Wu Feng turned to Wood, solemn. “Mr. Wood, the enemy is at the gates—shall we join forces?”

Wood nodded, activating his skill “Flash Step,” and suddenly appeared before the panther. With an upward kick, he sent the panther crashing to the ground, though it quickly recovered, its body incredibly resilient. But it had met Wood, whose true energy let him use skills without worrying about exhaustion. The panther barely regained its footing before Wood “Flash Stepped” above its head, bringing down a fierce kick that knocked it over again. With Wood’s immense strength, the panther was dizzy and shaken, but zombie beasts had no intelligence or fear, and still charged at Wood with relentless ferocity.