Chapter 20: Mutation—The Arrival of Toxic Zombies

Faced with the other man's questioning, Wang Yan protested unwillingly, “I already had it in my hands! Who knew that girl would snatch it back? And it’s your fault too. If you’d dared to come during the day, I could have given you the bracelet first—then she wouldn’t have been able to act so smug.”

The man sneered, “Can’t even hide a bracelet properly—Miss Wang, you’re really something! Since you didn’t get the item, let’s just forget about the reward we agreed on.”

He turned to leave, but Wang Yan hurriedly grabbed his arm. “I put in the effort! If you hadn’t shown up today asking for the bracelet, things would’ve been much easier if you’d come a day or two earlier. Anyway, this is your fault. You promised to teach me survival skills for the future—you can’t go back on your word!”

As it turned out, that morning, when Wang Yan was complaining to Zhang Yuwen about having to bring along the burden that was Bian Changxi, this man happened to overhear. He immediately asked if Bian Changxi was the person he was looking for, and then said he wanted the white jade bracelet she wore, claiming it originally belonged to a friend of his and had been forcibly taken by Bian Changxi.

Wang Yan and Zhang Yuwen didn’t care whose bracelet it was; what attracted them was that this man claimed to know why the world had become like this, and even knew how to survive and live well in the future.

After all, Bian Changxi was half-dead—taking a bracelet from her was no trouble. Who wouldn’t want first-hand information about the apocalypse? So the two agreed. Unfortunately, though they managed to steal the bracelet, the man refused to show up during the day and insisted on coming at night. And, well, everyone knows how that turned out.

Wang Yan was never one to take a loss. She’d already done her part, and it was his own fault for not coming earlier—so she was determined to get her reward, no matter what!

The man gave a cold laugh and suddenly pulled out a small knife, waving it menacingly. Wang Yan let out a startled cry and quickly withdrew her hand. Zhang Yuwen, who had been standing behind, tensed at the sight of the knife but stepped forward with a smile, saying, “No need to get angry, friend. Wang Yan’s just a little anxious, don’t blame her. But let’s be honest—our teammates are all in the warehouse. If we shout, they’ll come running. Since you came here secretly, I’m guessing you don’t want to be seen. Why make things so tense?”

To be fair, Zhang Yuwen was both gutsy and shrewd. Even with a knife drawn, he was still trying to squeeze some benefit out of the situation. If it had been Wang Yan, she would’ve backed down after being threatened.

He forced a smile. “It’s just a bit of information, not some priceless treasure that’s gone forever once you share it. Since we went through all this trouble, shouldn’t you at least give us something? Who knows, maybe we’ll have more dealings in the future—think of it as making a friend.” He glanced at the man’s face, half-hidden under the brim of his cap, and probed, “Besides, I doubt you want Bian Changxi’s bracelet just because it belonged to your friend. It’s the apocalypse—who cares about that now? Maybe there’s something special about the bracelet?”

Wang Yan’s eyes lit up and she quickly chimed in, “Exactly! Why go to so much trouble and sneak around otherwise? Hmph, if you won’t give us information about the apocalypse, I’ll just go tell Bian Changxi someone’s after her bracelet.” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow smugly.

The man’s face darkened—though the night and his cap hid his expression, he stood there gripping the knife, motionless, as if deep in thought. Zhang Yuwen and Wang Yan exchanged glances, falling silent. They couldn’t push him too hard; after all, he seemed to have some backing, or maybe he really was a dangerous character himself.

A cold wind howled low through the night, making it feel especially chilly. If you looked closely, it seemed as if a faint mist of blood was drifting through the air, growing thicker and thicker, as if something was stirring within it.

Wang Yan rubbed her arms and looked uneasily at the dim, lightless surroundings, feeling a chill in her heart. She urged impatiently, “Well? Have you made up your mind or not?”

Before she could finish, a piercing scream suddenly rang out in the distance. Wang Yan jumped, exchanging a glance with Zhang Yuwen. “That… came from the warehouse?”

Then they heard the sounds of chaos from inside—people waking up, shouting, cursing, crying, running. The whole place was in turmoil, mixed with the guttural roars of some kind of monster.

After three days in the apocalypse, they immediately recognized that sound—a zombie had gotten into the warehouse!

*Clang!*

Just then, the man beside them dropped his knife. They looked over in confusion, only to see his hand—just holding the knife—curling and trembling as if in spasm, veins bulging, and his skin turning pale and bluish at a speed visible to the naked eye. The surface of his skin even began to peel away, like shedding, while his fingernails rapidly blackened, lengthened, and thickened.

The two of them stared, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, there was a crackling noise. They looked up in a daze to see the man’s body twisting unnaturally, his bones seeming to break and reassemble in an instant. His entire frame grew taller and bulkier, muscles bulging and tearing through his clothes, revealing terrifying explosive strength.

Terrified, the two of them shook their heads and backed away. Wang Yan’s legs gave out and she fell to the ground. From her angle, she could see the man’s face under the cap—short black brows, a hooked nose, a sinister expression that made her heart race. But now, right before her eyes, his skin turned a ghastly gray-blue, nostrils flared outward, eyeballs bulged, mouth stretched wide and rotten, sharp teeth bared, foul-smelling drool dripping down…

“Urgh…”

Wang Yan’s mind went blank, her stomach churning with nausea. Her body, running on instinct, scrambled backward, then she staggered to her feet and fled in a panic.

Zhang Yuwen wasn’t much better off. He turned in terror to see the man—no, the monster—throw back its head and roar, baring its fangs, then lunge at them with a chilling screech.

“Ahhh—!” Zhang Yuwen, scared out of his wits, shoved Wang Yan toward the monster and bolted.

“No! Ahhh—!” Wang Yan’s scream pierced the night.

Bian Changxi opened her eyes to darkness, but the chorus of screams from outside was clearer than ever. She threw off her blanket and paced barefoot across the floor, rubbing her brow in agitation.

What’s going on?

She remembered that in her previous life, the appearance of toxic zombies hadn’t caused such an uproar.

On the third night of the apocalypse, things had seemed normal. Just after midnight, the zombies’ attacks were a bit stronger than before, and there were more injuries. Some people were lucky—the zombies that attacked them weren’t toxic, so although they were wounded, those wounds would eventually give them powerful abilities. The unlucky ones suffered worse; when the sun rose the next day, they turned into zombies—infected, toxic zombies. They would bite and scratch others, creating a new wave of zombies. In just a few days, there were no more non-infectious zombies left; all zombies carried the virus and could infect humans.

It was true that the first toxic zombies evolved from the original non-toxic ones, while others were transformed directly from survivors. But Bian Changxi didn’t remember the night of the mutation being this chaotic. She guessed the entire neighborhood had been awakened, which meant that in a very short time, many ordinary people in their homes had turned into zombies all at once. How terrifying was that!

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