Parting Ways

Judging from her face shape before, Li Mu Chuan had thought she probably would not be too ugly, but he had never expected her to be this beautiful.

After spending so long with her, he had never seen her wash her face.

It was only last night, when she had washed herself thoroughly, that Li Mu Chuan could finally see her true appearance.

Li Mu Chuan's praise made Li Qingxiao quite happy.

After telling Li Mu Chuan to wash up, she brought him a bowl of plain congee to eat with pickled mustard tuber.

"Take some of the food here with you later and bring it to the laboratory to eat. If there's electricity there, cooking shouldn't be a problem for you.

After you get in, remember to close the main door. Make sure there are no zombies inside. Your laboratory should be pretty secure, right?"

As Li Mu Chuan drank his congee, he reminded her of these things.

At the same time, he secretly glanced back at where he had slept the night before. A few bright-red marks, like plum blossoms, stood out vividly on the bed.

Li Mu Chuan's gaze lingered there for a long time.

Li Qingxiao lowered her head, silently nodding in response as she listened to Li Mu Chuan's instructions.

At that moment, she no longer seemed like an academic prodigy. Instead, she resembled an obedient wife, following her man's arrangements.

After eating, Li Mu Chuan checked the time and decided it was about right. He shouldered some food and headed downstairs.

He had not left the cart too far away before. After retrieving it, he loaded the food onto it.

Mineral Water was essential, so he took all of it. He also took the Compressed Biscuits, a bag of rice, and two cases of Instant Noodles.

The remaining food was left sealed here for Li Qingxiao to come back and collect later.

After finishing everything, Li Mu Chuan tightened the ropes securing the food.

Li Qingxiao's Almond Eyes turned red, filled with reluctance to part.

Seeing this, Li Mu Chuan smiled and reached out to pinch her Oval Face. "Don't worry. I won't die."

The moment she heard that, tears poured down Li Qingxiao's face as she wept pitifully.

Perhaps this would be the last time she and Li Mu Chuan ever saw each other.

Li Mu Chuan's heart ached as he watched her. He wanted to tell her that he was a transmigrator, but he could not guarantee that he would ever transmigrate back to this world.

Up to this point, Li Mu Chuan still did not understand how this transmigration mechanism worked.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Li Mu Chuan gave up on explaining.

"Let's move. I'll lure the zombies away."

With that, Li Mu Chuan walked forward first. "Watch for your chance. Once the zombies around here have been drawn away, take the opportunity to get in."

Li Qingxiao watched Li Mu Chuan walk away, her beautiful eyes already completely red.

"If you come back, I'll marry you someday. If you don't, I'll remain a widow for you for the rest of my life."

Li Qingxiao murmured softly, standing there blankly as she watched Li Mu Chuan disappear from her sight.

Li Mu Chuan took a deep breath and climbed toward a nearby building.

If he tried to lure the zombies out on the street, Li Mu Chuan felt that he would be torn apart by them before he had even run very far.

But if he reached the rooftop, perhaps he could hold out for a while using the roof terrace.

From a distance, Li Mu Chuan examined where the zombies were gathering. At the corners around the laboratory and outside it, zombies were packed densely together.

These were places Li Mu Chuan had not explored before.

His grip on his makeshift weapon tightened involuntarily.

Li Mu Chuan had not asked for Li Qingxiao's gun. After all, he had never used one before; there was an eighty percent chance he would not even hit a zombie.

After looking around, he spotted a building some distance away and chose it as his target.

He took a slight detour and quietly made his way over.

He checked the time. There were a little over twenty minutes left before he had to return.

It should work if he spent over ten minutes reaching the top floor, then another ten minutes or so drawing the zombies over.

Li Mu Chuan calculated it and felt that the plan was feasible, so he immediately began moving.

Li Qingxiao had also reached the corner by then. She looked around but could not see Li Mu Chuan, so she could only hide herself.

Though she knew this would be a near-certain death for Li Mu Chuan, she could not help praying for him.

She hoped Li Mu Chuan could escape safely.

Meanwhile, Li Mu Chuan had already gripped his weapon tightly. After entering the building, he found the fire stairs and carefully made his way upward.

A moment later, Li Mu Chuan had climbed to the seventh floor and was already panting.

Once I get back, I really need to exercise more. I'm this exhausted after climbing just seven floors.

Li Mu Chuan panted, his legs beginning to feel weak.

After steadying himself, Li Mu Chuan continued climbing upward.

The building had thirty-two floors. He had not seen any zombies when he was below, which made Li Mu Chuan feel somewhat fortunate.

Running into zombies in a stairwell was the most dangerous situation.

A moment later, Li Mu Chuan arrived at the twenty-fifth floor.

Just as he thought he only had a few more floors to climb before reaching the rooftop, Li Mu Chuan rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a zombie.

Its position had probably been unusual, so it had never heard the commotion elsewhere and had remained here.

The instant the zombie saw Li Mu Chuan, it did not hesitate in the slightest. It howled and lunged at him.

Li Mu Chuan's hair stood on end. He thrust the rebar in his hand toward its chest.

Acting on instinct, he did not even have time to aim for its head.

"Roar! Roar!"

The zombie threw itself at Li Mu Chuan with all its strength, and the rebar embedded in its chest slowly began to pass through its body.

Li Mu Chuan's expression changed. He took several steps back, braced the end of the rebar against the wall, then jerked it hard, flinging the zombie down the stairs.

The flung zombie twisted itself at an unnatural angle, then charged at Li Mu Chuan with a shriek.

Li Mu Chuan could not spare a thought for his exhaustion and hurried upstairs.

At that moment, the zombies scattered throughout the building heard the howl and began to run and sprint.

The sound carried far, and the zombies outside the laboratory gradually began to move as well.

In other unnoticed corners, unknown things also began to stir.

Li Mu Chuan rushed to the top floor in one burst, intending to deal with the zombie that was relentlessly pursuing him.

But in the next moment, Li Mu Chuan's expression changed sharply.

Countless zombies came stampeding up the stairwell. Some were shoved off and fell all the way to the first floor, their bodies suffering fractures in several places, yet they still got back up and ran upstairs.

Their frenzied state made Li Mu Chuan's scalp go numb.

"Fuck!"

Seeing with his own eyes how those zombies wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces, Li Mu Chuan could not help swearing.

He hurried onto the rooftop and shut the iron door behind him.

The instant Li Mu Chuan closed the iron door, loud bangs rang out.

Li Mu Chuan quickly grabbed a steel-pipe clothes rack nearby and firmly barricaded the iron door.

The commotion in the stairwell grew louder and louder, as though countless savage beasts were trapped behind that tiny iron door.

Low growls merged into a single roar, pressing down on Li Mu Chuan until he could barely breathe.

Seeing this, Li Mu Chuan involuntarily backed up several steps.