Malice

"The south?"

Jack, wearing Uncle Long's face, looked a bit surprised. As for Tao Yu's English, which still had a noticeable accent, he didn't find it particularly strange; many people in the US had heavy accents.

"Something seems to have happened in the south. Grasslands and rainforests have appeared."

The bald man also seemed a bit puzzled at this point. From the rooftop, holding binoculars, he could sense the abnormality over there.

It's just that because of the zombies, no one had the energy to go and check.

"My name is Tommy, ex-Marine. Your gear and abilities are impressive, brother. This gun is well-modified too."

The bald man extended his hand to Tao Yu for a handshake.

"My name is Senke."

The tall black man, carrying a crossbow and a shotgun, seemed rather taciturn.

"Zhang Wei."

Tao Yu casually used a name.

"Are you also Chinese, brother? Can you tell us about the situation in the south? What are your plans now? Join our settlement or...?"

Jack took the opportunity to ask.

"The situation in the south is very complicated. There are monsters even more terrifying than zombies. I don't recommend going that way. I want to investigate information about the zombies. I'll probably leave after staying for a while."

Tao Yu was in standard combat attire. Although there were no insignia indicating affiliation, it was easy to associate him with members of some special unit.

He said he was investigating zombie intelligence. While it was a bit abrupt, it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

Still, the fact that he dared to do such a thing alone made some people look at him askance.

"More terrifying than zombies?"

Jack frowned, his large nose becoming more prominent, and the scar on his face twitched.

"The zombies themselves aren't much of a problem, mainly their numbers."

The bald man, Tommy, didn't find it strange. It was the apocalypse, after all. They were quite adaptable to changes.

Zombies were already out; what other monsters appearing would be normal?

It couldn't possibly get any worse!

Since they had just met, it wasn't appropriate to interrogate him like they were trying to get information. It would be better to ask some questions after they got to know each other better.

"There's also a giant python."

"A giant python isn't a big deal. We hunted seven or eight-meter ones in the Amazon. With weapons, it's easy to kill one solo. Without weapons, two people can handle it with their bare hands."

Senke, the quiet black man, chimed in at this point.

"Senke used to be in Delta Force. I was a former CIA agent, though my memory is a bit jumbled."

Uncle Long, Jack, explained briefly.

These three were undoubtedly the powerhouses of this apocalypse, so it wasn't surprising they became leaders.

Hearing Jack's later words, Tao Yu gradually realized who he was and what world he came from.

Who am I? A highly valuable extraterrestrial meteorite fell, a group of CIA special forces went to retrieve it, and then the special forces were silenced. Jack was a survivor of the failed silencing, but he lost his memory!

Because too much time had passed, this was roughly what Tao Yu remembered. It seemed that meteorite could also create weapons, but they should have been physical explosion weapons, so how did it become a zombie world?

The Abyss was indeed chaotic!

"Alright, let's go back and talk. You want information about the zombies, and we can share some. Coincidentally, I actually have some understanding of the cause of this crisis."

Jack sighed, seemingly lost in some memory again. He then looked up at the sun and decided to lead everyone back first.

As they crossed the small alley on the rooftop one by one, returning to the hotel, Jack said as he walked, "I was betrayed by my superior during a secret mission. After I retired, I received a request from a friend to investigate a newly emerged virus. At first, the virus didn't have much impact. Although the zombies looked scary, they weren't enough to spread globally..."

Tao Yu nodded upon hearing this. If zombies only spread through blood, they wouldn't have much ability to spread against modern weaponry. The source of this virus was likely from another world.

"...Later, it seemed like the water sources everywhere started having problems. Someone was deliberately poisoning them. The incubation period for the virus contracted through drinking water was long. By the time a few of our investigation teams understood the truth, it was too late. Only a few people with resistance survived the initial infection, and chaos instantly ensued."

Hearing this, Tao Yu's heart stirred slightly, and he then asked, "Are the current water sources still like that?"

"According to the radio, they're gone. I don't know why. Maybe the survival period has passed, but we can't receive official broadcasts anymore, only from the neighboring station."

Jack said casually.

They returned to the hotel rooftop and opened the metal door. They walked in one by one.

The stairwell had no lights, but the sunlight shining in from outside didn't make it seem gloomy.

"We got a diesel generator, but because the sound can attract zombies, we don't use it often."

Jack explained as they went downstairs. Then he seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, friend, seeing your effortless movements earlier and your courage to investigate this alone, can you also get stronger by killing zombies?"

Hearing this, Tao Yu was a bit bewildered. What was he talking about? Get stronger by killing zombies? What kind of nonsense was that?

Even if the zombies possessed a sliver of Wish Power, I'd still have to kill them for their teeth. The time wasted doing that is far less than if I just leveled up myself!

Then, Tao Yu keenly noticed the word "also."

Could this Jack, with Uncle Long's face, kill zombies to get stronger?

"Can you?"

Tao Yu immediately shot back.

"I only discovered it much later. As we journeyed, my companions grew weaker and weaker, yet my physical condition became stronger and stronger. It was quite strange, which is why I became the leader."

Jack didn't hide anything. The bald Tommy beside him added, "We were all so envious of the boss's situation, but we've only ever seen the boss able to do this. Can you do it too, brother?"

"I guess so."

Tao Yu didn't deny it, but he couldn't stop thinking, What's going on?

As a nobody from the Outer City, Tao Yu's sources of information were limited. Although he had crammed a lot beforehand, there were still significant gaps.

However, this didn't stop Tao Yu from making some guesses.

If only Jack could do it, it was highly probable he was the 'Child of Destiny' he'd vaguely heard of.

Some world fragments always had individuals who were special. Tao Yu had only known about them before, and it was said that the company's old gathering place also had such people serving the company.

Now, it seemed, these 'important characters' could also automatically gather Wish Power after killing Wish Power creatures, and then naturally use it for their daily enhancements. Over time, this led to the feelings they experienced.

It seemed they didn't need to absorb any Wish Power items, nor did they have any active enhancement or usage options.

Thinking about his own world's will's method of self-preservation, Tao Yu vaguely felt this might be a self-preservation method for some fragment worlds.

For a moment, Tao Yu even harbored some wicked thoughts, considering if he could trigger skills like 'Master of Furniture City.'

But he suppressed it soon after.

Tao Yu didn't consider himself a good person, but he also didn't want to become a slave to profit.

If he already had a cheat, and still became someone he disliked, what was the point of the cheat?

Because he was somewhat surprised by Jack's ability to get stronger, Tao Yu was a bit distracted. He followed along and arrived at the lobby on the seventh floor of the hotel.

The hotel was now quite a mess. Various supplies were piled up in the lobby in front of the elevator entrance, and the corridors leading to the rooms on both sides were also cluttered with items.

Many people in various states of dress sat listlessly on sofas and stools that had been moved out.

Most of them had numb expressions and looked worried.

When they saw Tao Yu descend with a large backpack, many people's eyes lit up.

"Do you have food?"

"What supplies do you have?"

"..."

Seeing their gazes, Tao Yu frowned slightly.

He didn't lack food himself and could return if necessary. As someone with 21st-century thinking, he didn't mind lending a hand if it didn't inconvenience him.

However, he disliked moral blackmail.

"What are you looking at? This is someone else's. Don't embarrass yourselves."

As the leader, Jack had some authority. His reprimand suppressed some of the restlessness.

Just then, a somewhat abrupt Mandarin voice with a slight Cantonese inflection echoed from a corridor in a room to the side.

"Brother Jie, those three guys who ambushed us are gone. All gone. There's no trace of them escaping."

Following that, Tao Yu saw a person with an unremarkable Gu Zai-like face trot over.

Good heavens, another familiar face. Although what he said was a bit out of the blue, Tao Yu still pieced together the information and deduced that perhaps three pioneers had attacked them and were captured. While imprisoned, they had each used meditation to escape back to the real world.

This kind of thing happened from time to time. However, since they returned to the same place they left from, whether they could truly escape depended on luck.

Since this face was here, he shouldn't be a mere underling. Didn't the bald guy say only Jack could absorb Wish Power? Was this guy unable to? Or was he holding back?

Or was he mistaken? Was it not about 'who I am'?

Tao Yu pondered, but the information he possessed was indeed insufficient.

"What's gone?"

Jack couldn't quite understand what he meant. They were tied up in a room, how could they be gone?

He then explained to Tao Yu, "His English isn't good. He's an undocumented immigrant working here. A few formidable guys attacked our stronghold before. They were very strong and accurate with their guns. If they hadn't intended to spare us, we probably would have lost many people in the first encounter."

"He helped with a surprise attack and killed one of them. Otherwise, we might have suffered significant losses."

After speaking to Tao Yu, Jack turned back and asked Gu Zai, who had approached him, in Chinese, "Shaolin, what exactly happened?"

Tao Yu, who had been listening with a smile all this time, suddenly froze upon hearing Jack address Gu Zai by name. Then, he slowly took off his helmet and said with a smile in Mandarin.

"I can understand too, we're all friends here."

After speaking, he smiled brightly at Gu Zai.

"Little brother, you're very handsome. May I ask your surname?"

Tao Yu himself was now extremely good-looking, even surpassing Gu Zai. Taking off his helmet also made people pause.

Then Gu Zai subconsciously replied, "Oh, no need to be so polite. My surname is Cao. My name is Cao Shaolin, and I'm an undocumented worker."

Cao Shaolin also showed a smile on his face, though it was a bit awkward.

At the same time, the spiritual sense brought by Tao Yu's Deification in Crane Form immediately made him feel a wave of malice washing over him.

Alright, no doubt about it.

Even though he was well-disguised, it had to be that Cao Shaolin!

What the hell is this thing, and why is it here?!

Gu Zai hadn't played many villains, but Tao Yu had a particularly deep impression of this one.

The scene from 'I Don't Eat Beef' was still vivid in his mind.

Most importantly, when this malice arrived, Tao Yu even felt a sense of crisis, as if a thorn were on his back.

This guy could threaten him?

He should just be a perverted rich kid with a twisted personality.

Thinking about what Jack had said, if Cao Shaolin came from another world, then he really didn't know what he had experienced along the way.

This was a pervert who could easily use his own life as a gamble, everything for his 'game enjoyment.'

He was really adapting well to this Abyss environment!

Tsk~

His fingers twitched, but Tao Yu suppressed the urge to lash out immediately. He just smiled and nodded, "A good name..."