Chapter Summaries

Ye Ruan and the others prepared to leave the temple, but Yu Jingjing reported that the captains had been abducted by men bearing the Scorpion symbol. Ye Ruan realized Gu Cheng had likely pretended to be unconscious to infiltrate the Scorpion base, though Lou Yu guessed the captors may have taken Gu Cheng for his looks.

• Ye Ruan helped Lu Yao and Si Ning calibrate a Compound Crossbow and threatened Nan Han while discussing his last words.
• Yu Jingjing and Tang Tang went to find the captains, and Yu Jingjing saw armed men load them into a pickup truck marked with the Scorpion symbol.
• Ye Ruan calmed the teams and explained that Gu Cheng had probably pretended to be unconscious so he could attack the Scorpion base from within.
• Lou Yu suggested that the captors had abducted Gu Cheng because of his looks.

Ye Ruan led a small team toward the Haochuan Survivor Base to rescue Gu Cheng and the others, while Gu Cheng confronted the people holding him. Huo Qi invited the captives to meet his boss, and Fang Ci stopped him from touching Tang Tang.

• Ye Ruan chose a rescue team, used Gu Cheng’s birthday to unlock his location, and led everyone to the residential compound where Gu Cheng was being held.
• Ye Ruan and his companions hid in unfinished buildings until night, planning for some of them to infiltrate the compound while the others waited outside.
• Gu Cheng, Fang Ci, Yang Xiaomian, Li Rang, and Tang Tang were held in a storage building after being captured, and Gu Cheng learned the base had set an Animal Trap that injured one of his people.
• Gu Cheng snapped his restraints and learned from Huo Qi that the Haochuan Survivor Base wanted to recruit his group of more than a hundred people.
• Huo Qi tried to touch Tang Tang, but Fang Ci grabbed his arm and warned him to keep his hands to himself.
• Huo Qi invited Gu Cheng and the others to meet the base’s boss.

Gu Cheng and his group discovered that the compound’s market included people held in cages, while Gu Cheng searched for his rabbit and fended off Qiao Wanwan’s advances. Ye Ruan and his companions infiltrated a van carrying men for Shang Ying, learned where the captives were being taken and who owned the red pickup, and killed the two men who delivered the vehicle.

• Gu Cheng browsed a stall selling contraceptives, then Huo Qi paid for a box after Gu Cheng explained he had run out.
• Fang Ci and Yang Xiaomian saw people confined in cages at the back of the market, and Fang Ci mistook Yang Xiaomian briefly for Ye Ruan.
• Gu Cheng left the market with Huo Qi and rejected Qiao Wanwan’s advances while praising his boyfriend.
• Ye Ruan and his companions hid in a van full of unconscious, naked men and heard that the men were being taken to Shang Ying on the second floor.
• Ye Ruan killed one driver, forced the other to reveal that the red pickup belonged to A San in room 501 of Building C, then killed him too.

Gu Cheng and his companions confronted Shang Xiong, who confessed to plotting to steal their armored vehicle and injure them. As Gu Cheng forced Shang Xiong to summon his men, Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing went to confront Shang Ying, whose room was ajar and filled with strange noises.

• Gu Cheng confronted Shang Xiong at Haochuan Base, and Fang Ci held a dagger to the boss's neck.
• Shang Xiong admitted he had set Animal Traps and planned to steal the group's armored vehicle by injuring them first.
• Shang Xiong tried to attack with the walkie-talkie, but Fang Ci cut off his hand, and Gu Cheng forced him to summon his men.
• Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing decided to kill Shang Ying, while Lu Jiayi and the others stayed behind and Si Ning joined them.
• Ye Ruan, Yu Jingjing, and Si Ning reached Shang Ying's ajar second-floor door and heard strange sounds inside.

Ye Ruan and his companions confronted Shang Ying and her armed men, and Ye Ruan killed Shang Ying before Gu Cheng arrived. After reuniting, Ye Ruan suspected Gu Cheng of wearing a woman's perfume and threatened to hit him once they were outside.

• Ye Ruan entered Shang Ying's room while Si Ning and Yu Jingjing waited nearby, and Shang Ying tried to entice Si Ning to stay with her.
• Si Ning noticed the guns and grenades beside Shang Ying, while Ye Ruan pretended to undress to distract her.
• Ye Ruan slashed Shang Ying's neck with his Curved Blade as Yu Jingjing and Si Ning took down the other men.
• Gu Cheng arrived, wrapped Ye Ruan in his jacket, and carried him downstairs to meet Old Fang and the others.
• Ye Ruan recognized Qiao Wanwan's perfume on Gu Cheng and warned him that he would hit him once they were outside.

Ye Ruan and Gu Cheng’s group killed Shang Xiong, freed people from locked cages, and prepared to leave the compound. As He Zhou approached, a zombie disturbance erupted and a jeep burst through the gate.

• Shang Xiong learned Ye Ruan had killed Shang Ying, then Fang Ci stabbed Shang Xiong through the heart.
• Gu Cheng and Ye Ruan reunited affectionately, and Ye Ruan ordered Yang Jiu to break open the iron cages holding captives.
• Yu Jingjing and Tang Tang joked about being best friends while the group waited for He Zhou at the gate.
• Ye Ruan noticed Si Ning watching him, then Yang Jiu came over after breaking the cages with his horns.
• Gu Cheng sensed zombies approaching as He Zhou neared, and a jeep sped through the gate, nearly hitting Lu Jiayi and the others.

Ye Ruan, Gu Cheng, and their companions fought off a giant cat before returning to find the armored vehicle trapped by a zombie tide at the base gate. As they cleared the wheels and defended the vehicle, Ye Ruan spotted a bizarre level three monster watching him from a utility pole.

• Gu Cheng stopped a bald man from closing the gate, and Ye Ruan led Gu Cheng, Lu Jiayi, Li Rang, and a black leopard to attack the giant cat approaching with the zombie tide.
• Ye Ruan shot the giant cat in the eye and tail while Gu Cheng, Lu Jiayi, and Li Rang attacked it in beast forms, forcing it to flee; Gu Cheng was injured but returned to human form.
• Ye Ruan and the others reached the base gate, where zombies had surrounded the armored vehicle and jammed its wheels.
• Ye Ruan threw a bomb into the zombie tide and jumped down with Gu Cheng to clear the jam while the others joined the fight.
• Gu Cheng found crushed zombie corpses lodged in the wheels and began removing them as Ye Ruan noticed a three-meter-long gecko with a human head clinging to a utility pole.

Ye Ruan and Gu Cheng killed the Level Three Monster gecko after it entered the compound, while Fang Ci rescued Ye Ruan from a falling utility pole. Jiang Qing introduced himself and helped organize the compound’s defenses, and Ye Ruan treated Gu Cheng’s injured leg.

• Gu Cheng ordered everyone into the vehicles, but Ye Ruan attacked the gecko before escaping with Gu Cheng into the compound.
• Ye Ruan lured the gecko inside, then climbed the utility pole and stabbed it through the back of the head while Gu Cheng shot it.
• Fang Ci pulled Ye Ruan clear as the damaged utility pole fell, and Yang Xiaomian realized Fang Ci had been terrified for Gu Cheng.
• Gu Cheng ordered the First Team to burn the gecko’s corpse and reinforce the failing gate.
• Jiang Qing introduced himself to Gu Cheng, offered help, and arranged for Li Rang to accompany him while he lured the zombies away.
• Ye Ruan examined Gu Cheng’s leg wound and poured saline over it while Gu Cheng teased him.

Ye Ruan and Gu Cheng grew closer while recovering, and Gu Cheng encouraged Yang Xiaomian to pursue Fang Ci. The next day, Gu Cheng and Ye Ruan joined Jiang Qing and the others at the market, where Gu Cheng asked Jiang Qing to speak privately.

• Ye Ruan tended Gu Cheng's wound, and they rested together until dusk.
• Ye Ruan woke from a nightmare and found Gu Cheng showering; later, Gu Cheng spoke with Yang Xiaomian about his feelings for Fang Ci and offered to help him.
• Gu Cheng checked on the group and spoke with Li Rang while Ye Ruan continued sleeping.
• The next day, Gu Cheng and Ye Ruan visited the market, where Jiang Qing had ended the sale of people and was reinforcing the railings with others.
• Gu Cheng discussed the remaining Zombies and night watches with Jiang Qing, then asked to speak with him privately.

Jiang Qing explained how he came to live in the family housing compound and told Ye Ruan that he resembled his late brother. Gu Cheng and Ye Ruan helped an elderly vendor and then argued over Gu Cheng’s secret purchase at a stall, ending with Ye Ruan beating him as he carried him away.

• Jiang Qing told Gu Cheng that he had saved Shang Xiong, tried to stop him from targeting the armored vehicles, and expected Gu Cheng’s group to kill him.
• Jiang Qing said Ye Ruan reminded him of his younger brother Jiang Yan, who had died in an accident at eighteen, and Ye Ruan encouraged him to keep hoping.
• Ye Ruan bought all twelve of an elderly woman’s crocheted hair clips, and Gu Cheng gave her rice and canned meat before escorting her home.
• Gu Cheng returned with a red apple the woman’s granddaughters had offered him, and Ye Ruan told him not to worry after they had helped the family.
• A vendor called out about Gu Cheng’s earlier purchase of the largest-size contraceptives, and Ye Ruan discovered the stall also sold dolls and toys.
• Gu Cheng grabbed a box and fled with Ye Ruan after the vendor teased them, and Ye Ruan scolded him for hiding the purchase and involving Tang Tang and the others.

Ye Ruan comforted Yang Xiaomian after he learned Fang Ci liked Ye Ruan, then secretly advised him about pursuing Fang Ci. Gu Cheng caught Ye Ruan helping the pair and teased him about the tricks he had used to win Gu Cheng over.

• Gu Cheng cuddled Ye Ruan, and Ye Ruan handed out hair clips to the women on the team at dinner.
• Fang Ci saw Yang Xiaomian sitting with Yang Jiu and decided he could gradually let go of his feelings for Ye Ruan.
• Ye Ruan overheard Yang Xiaomian tell Yang Jiu that Fang Ci liked Captain and that he planned to give up on him.
• Ye Ruan encouraged Yang Xiaomian not to give up and whispered advice to him about Fang Ci.
• Gu Cheng embraced Ye Ruan and teased him for scheming to help Fang Ci find a partner and for having used tricks on Gu Cheng before they got together.

Ye Ruan and Gu Cheng investigated a disturbance at the residential compound and prepared to leave for W Island the next morning. After a Level Two Zombie slipped over the rear wall, the teams shared dinner and reviewed their travel plans, unaware that the zombie had begun attacking patrol members in the restroom.

• Ye Ruan and Gu Cheng rushed to a commotion, where Jiang Qing subdued a man who had tried to steal ration coupons.
• Gu Cheng told Lu Jiayi to send a flying special person to scout beyond the compound wall, and Little Gray Dove reported that the nearby road had few ordinary zombies.
• A Level Two Zombie climbed over the rear wall and later sprang into the restroom where patrol members were smoking.
• At dinner, Gu Cheng said Commander Li would arrange to meet them in G Province, and the teams planned to review their route after eating.
• Gu Cheng warmed Ye Ruan and promised to make him red bean porridge with rice balls as the teams teased them for being inseparable.

Fang Ci apologized to Yang Xiaomian for rejecting him, and Yang Xiaomian asked him to stop giving him false hope. As the group shared drinks with Jiang Qing, Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing detected a strange sound and warned everyone to be quiet.

• Fang Ci apologized to Yang Xiaomian and offered to help him, but Yang Xiaomian asked him to stop treating him kindly and turned away in tears.
• The group noticed snow falling through the skylight, and Lou Yu teased Lu Yao about their relationship.
• Jiang Qing brought the group beer, and Ye Ruan brought out more drinks and snacks from his Storage Wristband.
• Gu Cheng got drunk and bragged about his relationship before telling Jiang Qing that the group was heading to Province G to find a safe island.
• Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing heard a strange sound, stood up, and Ye Ruan told everyone to be quiet.

The group hid in their armored vehicle as zombies and a fused insect monster overwhelmed the Family Compound. At dawn, Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing climbed out to inspect the aftermath and discovered the monster had used human corpses to breed.

• Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing shut the vehicle’s shades as noises outside revealed that someone had fallen onto the roof and drawn zombies and flying monsters toward them.
• Jiang Qing realized the Family Compound had fallen, and Nan Han shut the roof hatch as the injured man outside was killed.
• Fang Ci warned that starting the vehicle would attract more zombies, so Ye Ruan told everyone to stay quiet and wait through the night.
• At dawn, Gu Cheng found the zombies gone and prepared to check the surroundings, but Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing climbed onto the roof with him.
• Ye Ruan and Yu Jingjing found a pile of human corpses beside a giant flying insect whose eggs were growing in the bodies.

Ye Ruan and Gu Cheng’s group fought through the crowded roads of Lin City, but Ye Ruan was scratched by a woman who had been bitten by a Zombie. The woman rose again as a fast-moving Zombie and chased the armored vehicle, leaving Ye Ruan’s infection risk uncertain.

• Gu Cheng’s group escaped the residential compound after an enormous fly chased their armored vehicle, and Jiang Qing joined them with a map of Lin City.
• With the roads blocked by Zombies, Ye Ruan jumped out and used explosives to clear a path after a premonition made him fear Gu Cheng would not return.
• A bloodied woman grabbed Ye Ruan and scratched his arm before Gu Cheng threw her aside and the group retreated into the vehicle.
• Ye Ruan recalled that a Zombie had bitten the woman and worried that her scratch might cause an infection unlike the ordinary Zombie scratch Lu Jiayi had suffered.
• The woman rose again as a Zombie and sprinted after the armored vehicle while Nan Han told Ye Ruan to report any changes and avoid rushing out again.

Yu Jingjing connected with Li Luo at the Lin City Biology Research Institute, and the group followed his directions through the zombie-filled streets to reach the institute. Ye Ruan discovered that his wound had turned black but showed no other signs of infection, and the chapter ended with him confronting Gu Cheng about repeatedly telling Jiang how they got together.

• Yu Jingjing reached Li Luo by radio, and he learned that Headquarters had abandoned the institute and the team.
• Gu Cheng drove through the zombie tide while Li Luo gave Fang Ci directions to a route leading to the institute.
• Ye Ruan cleared a path through the zombies, discovered his wound had turned black, and found he still felt no urge to bite Gu Cheng.
• The group reached the institute, where Li Luo shut the doors against the zombies and greeted Gu Cheng as the only survivor there.
• Ye Ruan tested his restraint by slapping Gu Cheng's cheeks, then learned Gu Cheng had retold their love story to Jiang and punched him for it.

Li Luo revealed that the institute had created a dragon special person named Yuan Yuan, who Ye Ruan realized was Li Tuantuan, and linked the dragon to the zombie virus. He suspected that Li Tuantuan carried the virus’s antidote, leaving the group with a possible reason to find her.

• Li Luo told Gu Cheng and the others that the institute had secretly studied a dragon recovered from the Mariana Trench and created a dragon special person.
• Li Luo explained that the child, called Yuan Yuan, had been adopted after researchers erased his memories, and Ye Ruan recognized him as Li Tuantuan.
• Li Luo said the dragon carried an ancient virus that researchers from the United States took and later used to create the First-Generation Virus.
• Li Luo revealed that he and Dr. Xu suspected Yuan Yuan carried the antidote to the zombie virus.

Ye Ruan discovered that the scratches on his wrist were spreading black contamination, and he secretly cut himself to test the blood. When Gu Cheng saw the wounds, he collapsed in tears and asked why he had not been the one infected.

• Li Luo blamed Ye Ruan for arriving too late to save an infected colleague, and Gu Cheng introduced Ye Ruan as his fiancé.
• The group shared a meal at the Research Institute, while Gu Cheng peeled shrimp for Ye Ruan and fussed over him.
• Ye Ruan examined the blackened veins spreading from his wrist and saw that his bathwater turned red with blood.
• Gu Cheng prepared a romantic surprise and tried to seduce Ye Ruan, but Ye Ruan turned away and said he needed to tell him something.
• Gu Cheng smelled blood, found Ye Ruan's blackened scratches, and broke down crying as he held him, asking why he had not been the one infected.

Ye Ruan reassured Gu Cheng about his infection, and the two found comfort in their affection. Next door, Lou Yu and Lu Yao confronted their jealousy and painful past before Lu Yao confessed that he loved Lou Yu.

• Gu Cheng feared Ye Ruan would become a zombie, but Ye Ruan explained his theory about the virus and reminded him that Li Luo believed there was still hope.
• Ye Ruan soothed Gu Cheng by telling him about Li Tuantuan's horns and scales, then Gu Cheng warmed his feet and comforted him as they teased and kissed each other.
• Lou Yu eavesdropped on Gu Cheng and Ye Ruan, then teased Lu Yao about his jealousy and his past treatment of him.
• Lu Yao pinned Lou Yu against the wall and warned him not to keep pursuing Ye Ruan, but released him when Lou Yu asked to be hugged.
• Lou Yu learned that Lu Yao had once planned to propose to him, and Lu Yao confessed that he loved him.

After recovering at the Research Institute, the team shared breakfast and discussed their personal lives before Ye Ruan wandered the facility with Yang Xiaomian and Yu Jingjing. Their walk brought them to the dark area near the specimen room, where Yu Jingjing suddenly needed the bathroom.

• Ye Ruan and Lou Yu arrived at the cafeteria exhausted, while Gu Cheng cooked for Ye Ruan after cleaning their room.
• Jiang Qing told Ye Ruan that he had wanted to become a police officer to protect his family but had later been sent to his brother's death scene.
• Li Luo said that death brought freedom, prompting Yu Jingjing to urge him to find love and enjoy life.
• The team ate Gu Cheng's soup dumplings and meat buns, while Yang Xiaomian's attention to Fang Ci went unnoticed by him.
• After breakfast, Ye Ruan toured the Research Institute with Yang Xiaomian and Yu Jingjing while Gu Cheng and the others discussed their route.
• Near the unlit specimen room, Yu Jingjing said her stomach hurt after drinking cold cola and asked to find a bathroom.