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In the cramped room, the two of them sat in silence.

At last, Li Mu Chuan had a chance to take a closer look at the woman across from him.

Unfortunately, her face was covered in soot. Her face was somewhat oval-shaped, but Li Mu Chuan could not make out her actual features.

Her face was filthy—truly filthy, not the sort of strategically smeared dirt from movies where her beauty could still be seen.

"Is there no water in your base?"

Seeing this, Li Mu Chuan's heart stirred slightly, and he could not help asking.

She had come out looking so disheveled. As a commander, surely she was not reduced to this?

"Water is scarce now. Where would we get water to wash our faces or bathe? But you..."

Li Qingxiao understood what Li Mu Chuan meant. She had initially wanted to say that water was precious, but when she saw how clean he looked, her heart suddenly tightened.

"Where exactly have you been living? You can still wash your face and take baths? Looking at you, I'd say you haven't even missed a meal!"

From the way Li Mu Chuan looked, she truly could not see a trace of hunger in him.

His clothes were clean, and even the skin below his neck was fair. He could not possibly have merely washed his face.

Water supplies in many places had already been contaminated.

A luxurious thing like bathing was simply impossible.

Looking at Li Mu Chuan, she felt that he must have lived very comfortably until recently.

Li Mu Chuan's heart skipped a beat. She looked like a refugee, and compared to her, he truly was far too clean.

This was also one of the ways Li Mu Chuan seemed out of place among the people of this world.

Still, from what she had said earlier, Li Qingxiao did not seem like a bad person.

"I had some food stored up before and managed to hold out until now. But I ran out, so I had no choice but to come out and look for something to eat."

Li Mu Chuan gave a casual explanation.

Hearing that, Li Qingxiao thought it over and found no more reasonable explanation.

There had been quite a few people like Li Mu Chuan before.

They just had not stored as much food as he had.

"If a zombie bites someone, how long does it take before they turn into a zombie?"

Li Mu Chuan took the opportunity to gather information.

"It depends on the person. Most people mutate within minutes of being bitten. Some have an incubation period, but it basically never exceeds a day."

Li Qingxiao knew this matter quite well.

Li Mu Chuan quickly asked for more information.

There was plenty of food in the city, but it had already been looted many times before.

The zombies Li Mu Chuan had seen gathered at intersections had been drawn there when people previously searched for food.

That was also why all the convenience stores and such that Li Mu Chuan found had been picked clean.

By now, even a barrel of clean Purified Water was an exceedingly precious resource.

At that, Li Mu Chuan could not help licking his slightly parched lips.

Only after her reminder did Li Mu Chuan realize just how unbearably thirsty he was.

If this continued, Li Mu Chuan felt he would die of thirst first.

Fortunately, the weather had not been scorching. Otherwise, over the past few days, he would have lost moisture even faster.

No, he really had to go out and find food tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Li Mu Chuan gritted his teeth and resolved that he would definitely go find something to eat tomorrow.

He needed to get water and food.

Once he had made up his mind, Li Mu Chuan tidied up a corner and lay down to sleep.

Li Qingxiao sat to one side, watching Li Mu Chuan for a long time. Only after he had fully fallen asleep did she finally relax and curl up in the corner to sleep as well.

Amid the howls outside, the room was utterly silent.

Perhaps because someone was beside him, Li Mu Chuan slept even more soundly this time. He had specifically locked the door last night.

Logically speaking, there was no need to worry about zombies breaking in.

When Li Qingxiao had cleaned her wound, Li Mu Chuan had taken a look as well.

Her wound had indeed not come from a bite, so there was no need to worry about her turning into a zombie.

When Li Mu Chuan woke up, he still heard movement nearby.

Instinctively reaching for the steel bar beside him, Li Mu Chuan opened his eyes and looked over.

Li Qingxiao was dragging herself toward the little laboratory she had set up.

"Did I wake you?"

Hearing the movement, Li Qingxiao turned back and saw Li Mu Chuan's wary expression. She immediately understood that she had woken him.

Li Mu Chuan nodded at her.

"If I stay here any longer, I'll starve to death sooner or later. I'm going out to look for supplies."

Li Mu Chuan glanced at Li Qingxiao and spoke.

Li Qingxiao's body stiffened slightly at his words, then she slowly nodded.

Li Mu Chuan did not intend to waste any more words. After packing up, he opened the door and quietly slipped out.

Li Qingxiao closed the door and watched from the window as Li Mu Chuan disappeared. Then she turned and returned to her workbench to continue working.

Without food or water, she would not last much longer.

During this time, she had to make use of every moment and do her best to develop the serum.

As long as the serum was developed, even dying would be worth it.

Li Mu Chuan hunched over as he walked along the street, his eyes fixed tightly on his surroundings.

His palms were sweating. Li Mu Chuan wiped them dry and continued onward in a crouch.

A moment later, Li Mu Chuan's eyes brightened slightly. A small supermarket had appeared ahead.

He had seen many supermarkets that had all been picked clean, but he had never been here before, so he still held some hope.

Li Mu Chuan cautiously stepped forward and peered through the glass into the supermarket.

But the moment he looked inside, Li Mu Chuan was bitterly disappointed.

The places on the shelves where food should have been were completely empty. He looked carefully at the floor as well, but found nothing edible that had been left behind.

After thinking it over, Li Mu Chuan moved closer and stood at the entrance to look.

A large patch of blood remained on the checkout counter by the door, long since dried.

Li Mu Chuan looked a few times, then searched the ground again and again, but he simply could not find anything to eat.

Had those people stripped every supermarket bare?

Li Mu Chuan suddenly felt some regret. If he had known, he should have asked Li Qingxiao more questions before leaving. At the very least, he should have found out where her people had already searched.

That way, he could at least avoid some of the routes they had already looted.

After confirming there was no food in this supermarket, Li Mu Chuan turned and left.

Li Mu Chuan continued searching ahead. After walking for more than ten minutes, another supermarket appeared before him.

Li Mu Chuan was a little nervous. He had searched so many convenience stores and supermarkets, and every one of them had been picked clean.

If there was nothing here either, Li Mu Chuan would have to consider going farther out to find food.

Li Mu Chuan quietly approached, then narrowed his eyes slightly. Through the glass, he could see signs that the shelves inside had been ransacked.

But what delighted Li Mu Chuan was that quite a few food packages had been left on the floor.