Chapter 81: Steps That Cannot Be Halted

“Huff... huff...”
The terrifying sounds echoed incessantly in their ears. The original plan had been to charge out the moment they exited, but now, fate had it that they were trapped in the middle of the tide of corpses.

Cao Fusheng and Huo Bingran walked with heads lowered amid the swarm, deliberately quickening their pace just a bit.

Suddenly, from behind came a great roar, heavy with rage.

Cao Fusheng instinctively glanced back—a pair of blood-red eyes and a twisted expression. A third-stage zombie!

It stood right at the intersection leading to the armory.

Damn it! How many people did it have to infect to evolve this quickly?

“Ugh… ugh…”
The third-stage zombie behind them suddenly surged forward, and, worse still, its outcry had stirred the entire tide of corpses into a frenzy.

Countless rotting hands reached out from every side, determined to drown the two in their midst.

“Why didn’t I see that bastard before? Where did it come from!” Cao Fusheng cursed. There was no point pretending to be a corpse anymore—he had to run.

Without warning, Huo Bingran drew the titanium blade strapped at Cao Fusheng’s waist. Before he could react, she charged in the opposite direction!

“Bingran! Come back!” Realizing her intent, Cao Fusheng tried to grab her, but it was too late—countless zombies now stood as the deadliest barrier between them.

The determination in Huo Bingran’s retreating figure was unmistakable. “We can’t both make it out! Someone has to stay behind to cover the retreat!”

“And that zombie—it’s Xiang Kuan! I have to kill it myself!”

“Brother Cao! I’m sorry!”

“In my next life, I must meet you first! If not as your girlfriend, then as your wife!”

Cao Fusheng’s heart clenched, his eyes nearly bursting with agony as he shouted her name.

“Bingran!!”

Less than twenty seconds remained before the great explosion.

This time, there truly was no more chance.

“Aaaah!”
Cao Fusheng howled with all his soul, surging toward the exit as the zombies, enraged, hurled themselves after him with reckless abandon.

The main corridor was completely overrun by the surge of corpses.

A thunderous explosion shook the world. In the final moment, Cao Fusheng mustered every ounce of strength to escape.

But the tongues of flame pursued him relentlessly, following him through the main gate.

The entire perimeter of the settlement erupted in a dazzling blaze, illuminating half the sky.

Then came a swift collapse...

“Host has killed [First-stage Zombie], +1+1+1+1+1+1...”

“Host has killed [Second-stage Zombie], +2+2...”

“Total genetic points gained: 601.”

“Remaining available genetic points: 5,202.”

Cao Fusheng stood at a distance, staring in a daze at the buried settlement, his mind echoing only with the last words Huo Bingran had spoken before she vanished.

“Brother Cao, where’s Bing?”
The pain was so deep, Cao Fusheng felt he could scarcely breathe. He could only stare blankly ahead.

Shen Dong and the others called to him, but he lacked the strength to utter a single word.

“Bing... she’s gone...?” Shen Dong, in disbelief, grabbed Cao Fusheng by the collar.

“Brother Cao! I trusted you! I believed you could protect Bing! Why? Why did she disappear like that? Why! Tell me!” Shen Dong roared without reserve.

Perhaps like the others, Shen Dong had lost everything. He had seen hope in Huo Bingran—a reason to keep going.

Though Huo Bingran would never accept him, her mere presence was enough to give Shen Dong the will to survive.

Gao Yi knocked Shen Dong’s hand aside. “Brother, I hope you’ll be gentle with Captain Cao. Everyone’s heart aches, but none of us has the right to question another’s pain.”

Han Shuqing gently lifted Cao Fusheng’s face, speaking softly, “You can’t give up now. I believe Miss Huo stayed behind by her own choice. She must have wanted you to live well. We’ve all lost too much this time—loved ones we can never replace.”

As she spoke, tears fell from Han Shuqing’s eyes. She wiped them away, quietly sobbing.

“Come, we shouldn’t linger here. The explosion will surely draw even greater horrors and more hordes,” Cao Fusheng said, taking a deep, trembling breath.

“Brother Cao, I’m sorry. I lost my head...” Shen Dong said, dejected.

Cao Fusheng patted his shoulder, but for a long while, could not find any words.

“Brother Cao, I never got to ask—why did Bing’s hair and eyes change like that?”

“It was an accident at the chemical plant. She was exposed to some unknown chemical, and it changed her,” Cao Fusheng explained to Shen Dong.

“That chemical—could it enhance a person’s abilities?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder I felt Bing’s aura was different. So, if that’s the case, could she still be alive?” Shen Dong’s eyes were unfocused, as if speaking to no one.

Cao Fusheng couldn’t bear to shatter Shen Dong’s hope. No one could have survived such a violent explosion; even if she hadn’t died in the blast, the collapse alone would have buried her forever beneath the earth.

Though Cao Fusheng more than anyone longed for Huo Bingran’s return, there was simply no ground for such hope.

“Heh... I know I’m just deluding myself. Let’s go...” Shen Dong gave a bitter smile and climbed into one of the cars.

Cao Fusheng pressed his hand hard to his chest, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. He lingered at the old gates of the settlement for a long time.

The cold wind brushed his face, and at last he let out a long sigh—part regret, part resignation, all sorrow.

...

In the empty three-bedroom apartment, Cao Fusheng lay alone on the soft sofa, gazing up.

The clock had just struck ten. Night had fallen.

Even from far away, he could hear the constant howling and shrieking below.

To avoid detection, every window and source of light in this two-hundred-square-meter duplex had been sealed tight.

Only a few candles flickered within, just enough to let them use the toilet without accidentally sticking their heads in the bowl.

It had been more than a month since the destruction of the Gudi Settlement.

For that entire month, the four of them had been on the move, never stopping.

They had tried the nearest cities—XY and ZM.

The former was stripped bare, with nothing left to use or eat; the latter was impossible to enter.

Something unknown had happened in the heart of ZM City. Every time they drew near, Xiaoye would tug anxiously at Cao Fusheng’s sleeve, desperate to keep him from entering.

Cao Fusheng trusted his instincts for danger, but he trusted Xiaoye’s even more. Since that place was so unnerving, they decided to stay away.

A week ago, they arrived at this small county town, a subordinate district of ZZ City. This was the closest Cao Fusheng had ever been to ZZ City.