Aftermath

"What's going on?"

"Gunshots!"

"What's happening?"

"Kid, open the door."

"..."

Through the gap in the door, they could see the flashing lights of flashlights outside. No one had turned on the lights at this hour.

Tao Yu also opened his door at that moment, just in time to see Tommy, holding a flashlight and about to knock.

"There are gunshots nearby, what's going on?"

Tommy first shone his flashlight into Tao Yu's room to check the window, then said in a deep voice, "I don't know. Let's break it down and see."

Tao Yu knew that Tommy and the others took turns keeping watch in the hallway at night. This was not only to guard against zombies and other troubles, but also to keep an eye on Tao Yu and Cao Shaolin himself. In this post-apocalyptic environment, someone had to be on watch, so it wasn't strange for Tao Yu, who had been 'awakened from a deep sleep,' to come out later than the night watch.

Bang~

The door was kicked open, and several flashlight beams shone inside, revealing a messy scene and the broken wooden window.

After the door was opened, a night breeze blew in, chilling them to the bone. Faintly, they could smell the zombies from the street.

"What's going on? Was it the three people who disappeared during the day?"

With more bizarre things having happened before, Tommy's priority was naturally this. He had already scanned Tao Yu's room. While he couldn't completely rule out suspicion, it was no longer his primary concern.

At this moment, Jack also arrived. He looked at the situation in the room, then walked alone to the window and looked down.

"Hand me the flashlight."

He took the flashlight handed to him by someone nearby and shone it directly downwards. Without much effort, he saw Cao Shaolin's corpse lying on the ground. Crucially, a group of zombies had already been drawn by the sound and were now gathered around the body, eating. There were no other clues.

Tommy then whispered a few words in Jack's ear, causing Jack to nod. He turned back and said to Tao Yu, "Brother, sorry, but we need to check your room."

"Feel free."

Jack didn't stand on ceremony. He went directly into Tao Yu's room, reached out and felt the rough wooden planks on the window, then shone his flashlight on the spots where the nails were. Finding no signs of prying, he breathed a sigh of relief. But then, his expression turned serious as he said, "Things have been very strange today. First, three people vanished into thin air, and then Shaolin was attacked. From now on, we need to stick together as much as possible at night."

"Damn it, I have no idea how they did it."

Tommy's face was also grim. This was the apocalypse; there were no high-tech investigation tools. Tao Yu had only dealt with the situation temporarily to avoid misunderstandings and trouble.

"We can only defend passively, or... find a new place..."

Someone sighed. Moving was easier said than done. They had already been in this location for seven months, and it was the place they had chosen. Not to mention, the zombies on the migration route were a huge problem, inevitably leading to casualties. The adult men would be okay, but the elderly, weak, and sick would likely not survive.

"Brother Zhang Wei, how high is the probability of the company settlement you mentioned?" Jack asked again.

They had listened to Tao Yu's mention of a settlement before, but it was just information. They couldn't possibly believe Tao Yu's words based solely on his one-sided account. Even if they did believe him, they wouldn't consider abandoning their current, relatively safe base in the short term. But today's events had weighed heavily on Jack's mind. Three living people disappearing, followed by Cao Shaolin's murder in the dead of night! If they had to live in such a state of constant tension, worrying about zombies, food, and surprise attacks at night, they wouldn't be able to last long.

"It will definitely be built, but I'm not sure if it will be nearby. It's not something I can influence personally, but I can promise to tell you the location. The new settlement will definitely be short-handed." Tao Yu understood Jack's thoughts and didn't lie to him.

"Alright, we'll set out first thing tomorrow morning." Jack closed his eyes and nodded, seemingly having made up his mind. Although he had a scar on his face that made him look fierce, he was truly willing to take risks for others.

Perhaps he also considered using the meteorite as a merit to exchange for their protection…

The next morning, Tao Yu and Jack had already made simple preparations.

Since both of them were highly capable, they had no problem finding food for themselves when they went out, so they didn't bring much. Instead, Jack kept reminding Tommy of a few precautions.

Apart from Tommy and Senke, the other people in the settlement didn't pay much attention to Jack's departure, seeming more concerned about what they would eat that day.

"Boss, why don't we go together? Senke and I won't hold you back."

Tommy was a little worried. Although the bald man had tattoos and a face full of flesh, he was quite convinced of Jack's abilities.

"No need. Something happened yesterday, so you need to be extra careful these few days and stay safe."

Jack didn't hesitate to decide to stay and investigate before departing. If they didn't find out what happened, would they just sit around and wait for their supplies to run out?

Decisiveness was key!

"Boss, come take a look. I went downstairs earlier to collect Brother Cao's body, but I found that his corpse hadn't been eaten."

Just as they were about to leave, Senke's words from the black man made Jack and Tao Yu pause.

They quickly descended the stairs. Although the hotel stairwell was somewhat messy and dim, with dust covering the handrails, anyone with rhinitis would probably get a headache upon entering.

However, the zombies in the hotel had already been dealt with, and the supplies had been scavenged long ago, so their descent was uneventful.

They were only a bit more cautious when they reached the lobby on the ground floor, moving quietly without making any noise.

The hotel's doors were all blocked. Sofas, cabinets, chairs from the lobby, and some nailed wooden boards were used to seal them tightly.

There was only a small internal door for easy access.

On the other side of the hotel, a bell was installed and operated by a rope. Every time they needed to go out through this door, they would pull the bell to lure the zombies at the entrance to the side.

Besides that, there was a small garden with a fenced wall and a back door that served as a backup emergency exit.

At this moment, Cao Shaolin's body had been dragged in by Senke and placed in the small garden, as if they intended to bury the body. It was evident that this small garden originally had several small mounds of earth.

One of Cao Shaolin's eyes had become a dark red bloody hole, while the other was wide open in death. The blood scabs and hair on his head were matted together.

But the crucial point was that although his clothes were mostly torn by zombies and his body was covered in bite marks, his body had remarkably remained intact!

They even saw a few embedded teeth on his body!

"This is…"

Jack was shocked. He took off his gloves and pressed down on Cao Shaolin's stiff corpse. Then, he took out his dagger, clasped his hands together in apology, and began to make a cut on Cao Shaolin's body.

He felt a toughness even greater than leather, requiring considerable force to cut through!

Tao Yu, standing nearby, was also inwardly alarmed. This fellow's explosive power and vitality yesterday were already terrifying, but he hadn't expected his body to remain so tough even after death.

He estimated that even with his localized defense, powered by the divine bear form and the force of [Five Forms Unification], he would only be slightly better than this. Yet, this guy's body had reached this level passively!

Fortunately, he had many tricks up his sleeve, and his injuries didn't affect his condition. Otherwise, if he hadn't managed to suppress the other party last night and they had recovered and counterattacked, it would have been a real disaster.

In comparison, it was perfectly normal for the zombies' teeth and bites to be unable to tear his body apart.

"Unbelievable, Shaolin was this strong?"

Jack hadn't had time to examine him closely last night. Today, as he checked and saw the bullet fragments embedded in the skull, he was even more shocked.

The bullet couldn't even penetrate completely?

Even though Jack himself had started on the path of getting stronger by killing zombies, the difference was still too great.

His first thought was that Cao Shaolin could also get stronger by killing zombies!

But if he was so strong, why was he so low-key?

He couldn't figure it out.

The key was that despite having such a superhuman physique, he still died!

"While I'm away these few days, try not to search for supplies. Maintain a high level of vigilance. I'll also scout for a new suitable place to settle down along the way."

Jack was also beginning to suspect that Cao Shaolin might have had other motives, but he ultimately focused on the safety of the people in the settlement. He then turned back to Tao Yu and said, "Brother Zhang, let's go. We have the modified vehicle, follow me."