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

A family of four walked slowly along the sidewalk outside the Cuiping residential area.

A thin layer of silt remained on the road after the floodwaters receded, making it a bit slippery to walk on, but it was much better than the devastated scene it had been in a few days ago.

The smell of disinfectant mixed with the dry, chilly air of an autumn morning, when it entered my nostrils, surprisingly brought a sense of peace.

The smell probably means that the area is temporarily safe.

Pan Quan walked at the front, her steps as light as a bird released from its cage.

She would sigh, pointing at the rotten greenery by the roadside; then she would stare at the protective netting being erected in the distance for a long time, muttering to herself, "Is this netting sturdy? Will it keep out the zombies? Do you think the zombies will dig holes?"

Lou Qingjian followed behind her, patiently answering each question: "Sturdy, it can block them, zombies won't make holes."

How did you know?

"That's what Yueyue said."

Pan Quan glanced back at her daughter following behind, then turned back and continued walking.

Lou Fengyue had her hands in her hoodie pockets, her steps were languid, and her mask covered most of her face, revealing only her eyes.

Her gaze swept across the surroundings like a sophisticated scanner.

Sandbags and barbed wire were piled up at the crossroads, forming a makeshift defensive line.

A red flag fluttered in the morning breeze above the shopping mall in the distance.

The northeast area was surrounded by metal barriers, and it looked like the zombies inside hadn't been completely cleared out yet.

"The authorities acted quite quickly." Lou Yunzheng, walking beside her, also noticed the changes.

"Hmm." Lou Fengyue responded, "If this drags on for a few more days, the survivors will either starve to death or be scared to death by the zombies."

Several white canvas tents were set up in Cuiping Square, with long tables and plastic benches underneath, and several staff members were distributing supplies.

Bread, bottled water, instant noodles, quilts, and toiletries, one set per person, line up to receive.

The queue was long, but orderly; no one cut in line or argued.

The appearance of zombies has taught humanity the importance of "rules" in the face of disaster.

Lou Fengyue and her family of four didn't join the fun. Their space was overflowing with supplies, so there was no need to compete with other survivors for those meager quotas.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the street.

Lou Fengyue turned her head and saw a silly little guy in a security guard uniform running out from the direction of the hotel across the street, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws.

He made gurgling sounds in his throat, his eyes were cloudy, and he walked a little unsteadily, but his speed was no different from that of an ordinary person.

It lunged straight toward the family of four.

Pan Quan and Lou Qingjian were so frightened that their eyes widened, and they instinctively pulled their son and daughter behind them, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Lou Yunzheng was stunned for a moment, glanced at his parents, and felt as if a part of his heart had been hit hard.

Just as the zombie was about to pounce on her, Lou Fengyue reached out to block it in front of her parents, and then kicked the little idiot away.

She glared coldly at the little idiot who had been kicked and was lying in the middle of the road. If it weren't for the fear of splattering her parents with blood, it would have been dead three seconds ago.

Two SWAT officers rushed over, about to make a move, when the little idiot suddenly sprang up and pounced on one of the officers.

The special police officer was caught off guard and was scratched, but fortunately he was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not injured.

Lou Fengyue frowned.

It was quite fast and much more agile than the zombies we had seen before.

Class D zombies were quite rare in the early stages of the apocalypse.

"Get out of the way." She flipped over the roadside railing and kicked the little idiot over again, making the two SWAT officers back away.

The special police officers exchanged a glance and quickly moved away.

The zombie felt no pain and quickly got up, lunging at Lou Fengyue again.

Lou Fengyue raised her hand, and a sharp, slender ice needle pierced through its forehead.

The battle ended silently, without a drop of blood being spilled.

Everyone around was stunned. Pan Quan and Lou Qingjian covered their mouths, staring at the motionless "person" lying on the ground, unable to utter a sound for a moment.

The special police officers, used to such sights, immediately stepped forward, pulled out the crystal core from the zombie's brain, and handed it to Lou Fengyue.

Lou Fengyue examined the dark red crystal in her hand; it was indeed a Class D zombie.

"Reinforce the cordon around the hotel and evacuate all personnel." Her tone was calm but brooked no argument. "Where is Qin Qian?"

"The atrium of the shopping mall."

"Okay, dispose of the body and have all the hotel guards and patrols withdraw to outside the quarantine zone."

"Yes, sir." The SWAT officer saluted and quickly retreated, dragging the body with him.

Lou Fengyue put the dark red crystal core into her pocket, turned around and walked back to her parents.

Pan Quan was still covering her mouth, her eyes wide open, staring at the zombie corpse that was being dragged away, her face a little pale.

Lou Qingjian wasn't much better off; his clenched fist trembled slightly, but he still managed to pat his wife's shoulder and say, "It's alright, it's alright."

Lou Fengyue felt a pang of tenderness in her heart when she saw her parents looking like this.

She thought they would scream, cry, and be terrified when they saw zombies—that's how it's portrayed in movies.

But Pan Quan and Lou Qingjian's first reaction was to pull their son and daughter behind them.

"Dad, Mom." Lou Fengyue waved her hand in front of her parents, "Snap out of it."

Pan Quan finally caught her breath, grabbed Lou Fengyue's hand, and looked her up and down. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Did that thing touch you?"

"No." Lou Fengyue withdrew her hand, her tone as relaxed as if she were commenting on the weather. "She kicked him away in one go, didn't you see that?"

Pan Quan opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Lou Qingjian cleared his throat, his voice still a little tight: "That...that thing, is it a zombie?"

"Yes, this is only slightly higher level than before." Lou Fengyue nodded and turned to Lou Yunzheng, "Brother, the community garden should be disinfected by now. Why don't you accompany Mom and Dad back to the garden for a walk? I'm going to find Qin Qian."

Lou Yunzheng walked over, put his arm around his father's shoulder, and said, "Okay, let's go home for dinner as soon as we're done talking."

"Um."

Lou Fengyue patted her mother's hand, gave her a reassuring smile, and then ran towards the mall.