The smell of blood still hung in the air.
Dozens of zombie corpses were scattered around the parking garage. Liu Feng stood among them, silent and steady, his body covered in blood, sweat, and cuts.
But inside,he felt stronger than ever.
Lin Xue came beside him quietly, eyes full of worry and respect. "We… we survived the horde."
Liu Feng nodded and looked at the road. It was quiet again, like the city was holding its breath after a storm.
But his Threat Sense was still pulsing lightly. Danger wasn't far.
They returned to the gas station to collect supplies. Most of the building was still intact, but the back door was broken open.
"I can't keep staying in random places," Liu Feng muttered. "We need somewhere secure."
That's when a sound echoed across the city.
A voice mechanical and loud came from a speaker on a flying drone overhead.
> "Attention survivors! This is the Eastern Safe Zone calling."
"We have clean water, food, shelter, and medical care."
"All survivors are welcome. Location: Red River Military Camp."
"Estimated distance: 12 kilometers east."
Lin Xue looked up with hope in her eyes. "A safe zone… Do you think it's real?"
Liu Feng narrowed his eyes. "If it's real, it might be dangerous. If it's fake… it's worse."
But 12 kilometers wasn't far.
And they needed information.
Three hours later…
They traveled carefully through empty streets. Zombies were fewer now, but still around.
Liu Feng fought when needed, collecting attributes along the way.
[System Log Update]
Zombies killed: +18
Strength +7
Agility +5
Constitution +4
Loot:
Combat Knife (Durability: 55/55)
Stamina Boost Pill x1
Basic Armor Vest (+6 Defense)
He gave Lin Xue the knife and had her wear the vest.
"You'll need to protect yourself eventually," he said.
She nodded, holding the knife with shaky hands. "I'll try."
Liu Feng saw a shadow flicker up ahead.
He stopped.
A strange zombie stood alone in the middle of the street.
But it wasn't moving like the others.
It was watching them.
"Stay behind me," he said.
He stepped closer.
The zombie growled, and its body twitched unnaturally.
Then it screamed and split into four copies.
[System Alert!]
Mutant Type: Shadow Splitter Detected
Each clone has 25% of original strength. Main body hides among them.
Kill the real one to win.
Liu Feng cursed and rushed forward.
His machete sliced through one shadow clone—poof! It vanished like smoke.
But two others rushed him at the same time. One slashed his leg, the other scratched his back.
CRACK!
He swung wide, clearing space, and used Combat Awareness to dodge the next claw.
Then he activated Iron Slash and cut down the second and third.
The last one tried to run but Liu Feng was faster.
He dashed and drove the machete into its chest.
CRACK!
The Shadow Splitter let out a shriek and collapsed.
[System Notification]
Mutant Defeated: Shadow Splitter
+10 Strength
+5 Agility
+4 Constitution
Rare Skill Book Dropped: Shadow Step (Learn?)
"Yes."
[Skill Learned: Shadow Step]
Teleport 5 meters in any direction instantly. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Liu Feng grinned.
"Now that's a skill."
They reached the outer gates of Red River Military Camp by sunset.
Steel walls surrounded the camp, with armed guards on watchtowers.
A man in uniform pointed a gun at them.
"Hands up! Identify yourselves!"
Liu Feng raised his arms. "We're survivors. We heard the broadcast."
After a pause, the gates opened.
"Welcome to Red River."
Inside, the camp was clean. Organized. Tents everywhere. People moved around some crying, some sick, some just tired.
But Liu Feng noticed something strange.
All the guards had the same cold eyes.
Like soldiers... but also prisoners.
A woman with glasses stepped forward. "I'm Doctor Yin. You're lucky to be alive. We'll need to run some checks just in case."
Lin Xue looked nervous.
"Relax," Liu Feng whispered. "If anything feels wrong, stay close to me."
They were taken into a medical tent. Blood tests. Questions. Scans.
Liu Feng saw other survivors being taken to different tents never returning.
He didn't like it.
His Threat Sense flared.
Danger was here.
Later that night, while pretending to sleep in their assigned tent, Liu Feng activated Shadow Step and blinked past the guards.
He snuck toward the "medical" tents.
Then he saw it.
Dozens of survivors were strapped to tables.
Needles in their arms. Blood being drained. Bodies being burned after death.
"They're not protecting survivors," Liu Feng whispered. "They're farming them."
Suddenly,he heard footsteps.
Two guards were walking his way.
He crouched and hid in the shadows, holding his breath.
[Combat Awareness: Enemy Approaching]
As they walked past, he moved silently behind and knocked them out in seconds.
He took a gun from one of them and returned to the tent.
Lin Xue was awake. "Where were you?"
"We need to leave. Now."
She didn't ask why. She trusted him.
As they snuck out of the gate, one of the tower guards spotted them.
"STOP!"
Gunfire erupted.
Liu Feng activated Shadow Step and blinked behind cover.
"Go!" he shouted at Lin Xue. "Run to the woods!"
He returned fire, shooting at the tower guard and hitting him in the chest.
More guards chased them.
Liu Feng used Sprint and covered Lin Xue as bullets flew past.
After 10 minutes of running, they disappeared into the forest.
Breathing hard, Liu Feng checked Lin Xue,no injuries.
They had escaped.
But now, they knew the truth.
Red River wasn't a safe zone.
It was a slaughterhouse.
That night, under the stars, Liu Feng stared at the sky.
This world wasn't just about zombies.
It was also about humans.
Cruel ones.
And soon... they would regret not killing him when they had the chance.