You say the cataclysm only comes after you've cleared the entire dungeon?

Shen Xiaoshuang stood at the door of the second bedroom, her heart pounding like a drum.

She stared warily in the direction of the master bedroom for a few seconds, and only after confirming that there was no movement there did she slowly push open the door to the second bedroom.

She knew she shouldn't go in.

Lou Fengyue's rules were clear and unambiguous.

In this house, her only living space is the living room, bathroom, and study.

But now the living room is empty. Lou Qingjian and Pan Quan are still in the master bedroom, and Lou Yunzheng and Lou Fengyue have gone out.

She was left alone in the room, so quiet that the only sound was the pattering rain outside the window.

She just wanted her phone.

I just called my family to let them know I was safe, that's all.

Shen Xiaoshuang bit her lip, quickly slipped into the second bedroom, and closed the door.

The second bedroom is small, with a double bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.

A small nightlight sits on the bedside table.

She first checked the bedside table drawer, but it was empty.

The desk drawer contained only a few pens, a notebook, and an unopened box of face masks; there was no cell phone.

On the top shelf of the wardrobe were several neatly folded clothes, and below them was a locked suitcase.

Shen Xiaoshuang squatted down and tugged at the lock, but it didn't budge.

She stared at the suitcase for a few seconds, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.

What's inside?

Something valuable?

She didn't dare to think any further, stood up, and closed the wardrobe door.

There was no cell phone or tablet in the second bedroom.

Shen Xiaoshuang stood in the center of the room, her gaze falling on the neatly made single bed.

She suddenly felt that Lou Fengyue was like an emotionless machine.

The bed was made more neatly than in a hotel, the person spoke like they were giving orders, and the way they looked at people was like they were looking at an object.

Shen Xiaoshuang shivered, quickly left the second bedroom, and gently closed the door behind her.

She returned to her study, curled up on the sofa bed, and hugged her knees.

Her phone is gone, her tablet is gone, and she can't contact anyone.

Like a criminal imprisoned in jail awaiting sentencing, completely isolated from the outside world.

-

Lou Fengyue and Lou Yunzheng have reached the 38th floor.

The door to the stairwell was open, and a cacophony of voices could be heard coming from inside.

Some people are crying, some are shouting, and some are cursing.

Lou Fengyue stepped inside, the beam of her flashlight sweeping across the dim space.

The 38th floor was unfurnished; the entire floor was a bare shell with cement walls and no partitions, so you could see right to the bottom.

The twelve people were scattered in various corners; some sat against the wall, some lay on the ground, and some huddled together, shivering.

When the flashlight beam shone into the innermost corner, Lou Fengyue saw the person who was turning into a zombie.

It was a man, around thirty years old.

His skin had turned grayish-white, his eyes were cloudy, and he was making low, indistinct gurgling noises.

But he has not completely lost consciousness.

His fingers were still twitching, and his lips were still trembling, as if he were saying something.

"Don't come any closer!"

A sharp sound pierced the air.

A woman in her fifties rushed over, spreading her arms to block the man, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"What are you trying to do?!" Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was streaked with tears. "Don't you dare touch my son!"

Lou Fengyue gripped the baseball bat tightly and did not move forward.

"He's mutated." Her voice was muffled behind her mask, devoid of any emotion. "In three minutes, he'll turn into a zombie and bite everyone here to death."

"You're talking nonsense!" the woman screamed hoarsely. "He just has a fever! He just hasn't gotten better yet! You're not allowed to touch him!"

Several people gathered around.

A middle-aged man frowned and said, "Young lady, you think you can hit someone with a baseball bat? There are so many of us watching."

A young woman, clutching her child, huddled in a corner, her voice trembling: "Maybe...maybe we should still let her take a look? Maybe she really can help..."

"What can we do?!" The middle-aged woman turned around, hugged the ashen-faced man, and cried even harder. "Xiaojun, tell them you haven't mutated! Tell Mom you're still alive!"

The man named Xiaojun opened his mouth and let out a hoarse, inhuman sound.

His fingers twitched suddenly, his nails scraping against the concrete floor with a screeching sound.

Lou Fengyue watched this scene coldly without saying a word.

Lou Yunzheng stood half a step behind her, the electric current on his baseball bat faintly visible.

He remembered what his sister had said—the most terrifying thing in the apocalypse is not zombies, but the human heart.

This mother refused to believe that her son was dead; she preferred to deceive herself, even though her son might bite her throat off at any moment.

"Auntie," Lou Yunzheng began, trying to make his voice sound as gentle as possible, "He... he's already cold, isn't he? If we don't treat him, everyone in the building will die."

"Then we'll die together!" The woman turned her head, her eyes filled with madness. "If my son dies, I won't live either! None of you will touch him!"

She held that man as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

Lou Fengyue was silent for a few seconds, then slung the baseball bat over her shoulder and leaned against the window.

He said lazily, "Except for the one with the fever, everyone else has been moved upstairs. I'll wait here until this aunt's good son bites her neck off, and then I'll collect their corpses together."

Lou Fengyue's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

Everyone present was stunned.

The woman holding her son froze, her lips trembling violently, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Lou Yunzheng glanced at his sister.

He knew his sister wasn't threatening him, but stating a fact.

She had seen too many scenes like this in the game of natural disasters.

A family member clung to a family member who was about to turn into a zombie and refused to let go. In the end, the family member was bitten to death and then mutated into a zombie to bite others, wiping out everyone in the house.

This kind of "womanly compassion" is the most deadly poison in the end times.

"How could you be so heartless, you little girl!" An old man next to him stamped his foot and pointed at Lou Fengyue's nose, yelling, "How could you say such a thing when there's such a deep bond between mother and son?!"

Lou Fengyue didn't even glance at him, only staring at the man in the woman's arms.

The man named Xiaojun's skin had turned from grayish-white to bluish-gray, his eyes were completely cloudy, and drool was drooling from his mouth.

almost.

"If you want to stay and be buried with me, I have no objection." Lou Fengyue's voice was very soft, as if she were saying that the weather was nice today. "If one of you gets bitten, I'll kill one."

The young woman holding the child was the first to stand up, grabbing the child's hand and stumbling towards the stairwell.

"Little girl..." A man hesitated, looking at the mother and child with pity, "Isn't there any other way?"

Lou Fengyue didn't even turn her head, pointing to the window behind her, "Look outside, are you sure you want to ask such a stupid question?"