Bait

But the next second, the Red-Eyed Crow swooped at him, and the man completely lost consciousness.

The Crow's sharp beak pierced his heart, then it continued feasting.

After eating the man, the Crow seemed full. It flapped its wings and flew back out through the window.

"Bye-bye, bye-bye, I'll repay you..."

That distinctive birdcall drifted through the sky, then gradually faded away...

"This thing... is kind of interesting."

Lin Dong found it amusing.

He had obtained a Crystal Core, so this trip had not been entirely fruitless.

Then he suddenly remembered that there were still two survivors in the room across the hall.

The two were still trembling, their fear not yet gone. Though they had escaped disaster just now, they ultimately could not escape being fed to zombies.

Waiting for death was agonizing.

It would have been better to die immediately.

Just then, footsteps approached the room.

"Why is he back again?"

"Could the zombies still be hungry?"

Their hearts leaped into their throats again.

But when the door opened, it was not the thick-lipped man, but a tall, handsome young man.

"Huh?"

The two froze, then seemed to think of something, their faces lighting up with joy. Could it be... a rescue team from the shelter had come to save them?

Lin Dong looked them over, considering how to deal with them.

Killing them outright seemed meaningless.

The only use two ordinary people had was as bait...

Because Lin Dong had a feeling.

There were not many zombies near this high-rise, but rat fur and droppings were everywhere. Something had to be lurking in the shadows.

He could use these two to lure it out.

"You two should hurry up and run..."

Lin Dong drew his dagger and cut the ropes binding them.

The two were instantly overjoyed. They had been waiting to die, never expecting someone to truly save them. A miracle had happened!

"Thank you, thank you so much! Sob, sob, sob~~~"

The man cried excitedly.

The other looked him over and asked.

"You're from the rescue team, right? Can you take us to the shelter?"

"No..."

Lin Dong shook his head. "I still have things to do. You two go first."

"Ah? This..."

The two hesitated. It was dangerous outside, and without an awakened person to protect them, they could not survive at all.

But after weighing it for a moment, they still decided to leave first.

They could not stay in this hellhole another second!

Before leaving, they also went to the kitchen and took some food, as well as weapons like kitchen knives and boning knives. They were fairly well prepared.

But Lin Dong knew that their chances of surviving in this area did not exceed one percent.

Whether they could make it out in the end depended on their luck.

Actually, this nearby area was not that dangerous for ordinary people. If they had been in his territory, the two would have been dead for sure.

After packing up, they quietly opened the door and crept downstairs on tiptoe.

After all, they could faintly hear zombies roaring in the stairwell.

If they alarmed them,

they would immediately be torn apart and eaten by the zombies.

Lin Dong stood on the upstairs balcony, watching the situation below as he pondered.

The bait I released can't die before even leaving the building, can it? That would be too boring...

Fortunately, about ten minutes later, two figures emerged from the building entrance and stepped onto the street.

Their footsteps were light as they moved along with their backs against the building wall.

They were terrified of disturbing anything.

They had become cautious to the extreme.

Lin Dong watched with great interest, wanting to see whether they could survive, or how they would die in the end...

On the street, one of the men complained.

"Brother Yang, wasn't that rescue worker way too irresponsible? He actually made us run on our own. If we reach the shelter, I'm definitely reporting him."

"What are you thinking? It's already good enough that he let us out. And have you considered this... was he really a rescue worker? Don't forget how we got captured."

The middle-aged man spoke.

"Hiss..."

The young man sucked in a breath, recalling what had happened before.

That thick-lipped man had posted information on the shelter's official website, claiming to be part of a rescue team and telling anyone who needed rescue to contact him.

Several people had happily gotten in touch with him, only to be tied up in that room and prepared as food for zombies!

"Then... if he wasn't with the rescue team, why did he let us go?"

"How would I know? Anyway... just try to stay alive!"

Brother Yang said with narrowed eyes.

He cautiously observed their surroundings and found that there truly were not many zombies here. As long as they carefully went around them, they would not alarm them.

If they could leave the city and reach the sparsely populated outskirts, they would have a good chance of making it to a shelter.

"If only we had a heavy truck..."

Brother Yang muttered.

But then his foot landed with a wet squelch on a pile of rat droppings.

"Ugh~~~ Such a huge pile of rat shit. That's fucking disgusting!"

But at that moment, wisps of black mist began spreading across the desolate street, enveloping everything around them.

It seemed to be a psychic force field.

It's here...

Lin Dong thought from upstairs.

He had already sensed that power. It could control a person's mind, and if it continued evolving, it might very well form a domain.

There really was something in this area.

And its potential was not weak.

Lin Dong could not help feeling curious, wanting to see what it was...

Brother Yang and the other man on the street noticed nothing and continued walking. Their bodies had already been enveloped by the black mist.

"Sigh~~ I'm so hungry. Let's eat something?"

The young man suddenly said.

Brother Yang frowned.

"What are you thinking? Eating in the middle of the street? Are you trying to die?"

"Isn't this... a restaurant?"

The young man suddenly asked.

"Are you crazy?"

Brother Yang turned and berated him. The young man had actually mistaken the street, filled with zombies and rat droppings, for a restaurant.

But he quickly realized something was wrong with the young man. There was a trace of confusion in his eyes, then the corners of his mouth curled up into a blissful smile.

"Xiao Liang, what's wrong? Wake up!"

"Hehe~~ Hehehe~~~ So much delicious food..."

Xiao Liang only laughed foolishly.

"Oh no!"

Brother Yang was terrified. He felt Xiao Liang must have been affected by something. Many monsters in the apocalypse possessed bizarre abilities.

Could they have encountered a Wraith Zombie?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly saw an old woman appear ahead of him. Her face was deeply familiar, and she was holding a steaming plate of dumplings as she called to him.

"Son, come eat."

"Mom?"

Brother Yang's eyes also turned hazy. Looking at that kind face, a powerful longing surged through him.

Though his mother had been dead for more than ten years, he still could not break free from it.

He sank into that long-lost warmth.

"Dumplings... dumplings are delicious."

Brother Yang grinned as he took the plate of dumplings. Overwhelming hunger made him lose his mind, and he began swallowing them in huge mouthfuls.

Meanwhile, Xiao Liang saw a restaurant filled with exquisite delicacies.

He was holding a pig trotter, gnawing on it greedily.

But what Lin Dong saw from upstairs was completely different. In his eyes, the two were merely standing in the street, embracing each other and tearing into one another!