Recaps

Li Muran, Zhang Yi, and Nan Shao escaped the hospital with a large haul of medicine after zombies broke through the main doors. They reached the pickup vehicle, shared some medicine with the driver, and began their journey as Zhang Yi fell asleep from exhaustion.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao prepared tied bedsheets as an escape route while Li Muran collected medicine, and the three killed nearby zombies and took their Corpse Crystals.
• As zombies battered the intensive care unit door, Nan Shao climbed down the sheets first, then Zhang Yi secured Li Muran with the sheets and helped her descend before following them down.
• The three avoided groups of zombies and left the county town on foot, carrying their medicine to the pickup point.
• Zhang Yi gave the driver a bag of medicine in exchange for the ride, and the three sat at the back of the vehicle with their supplies.
• After the vehicle set off, Zhang Yi fell asleep from exhaustion, and Nan Shao closed his eyes to rest as well.

Li Muran, Zhang Yi, and Nan Shao sold medicine in Wangyang Town to raise Corpse Crystals for a place to treat their wounded friend. Han Ling bought the medicine and gave blood pressure medication to a man who could not afford it, then left after purchasing the bag.

• Li Muran, Zhang Yi, and Nan Shao reached the trading area and set out their surplus medicine for sale.
• A man asked for blood pressure medication, and Li Muran found a bottle of compound reserpine tablets for him.
• Han Ling offered six hundred Corpse Crystals for the entire bag of medicine, including the bottle the man wanted.
• Han Ling gave the blood pressure medication to the man for free after he revealed he had only thirteen Corpse Crystals.
• Zhang Yi counted Han Ling's payment, and Han Ling took the bag of medicine and left.

After Han Ling left, Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Li Muran secured a ground-floor apartment in the town’s dormitory compound despite the rental clerk’s contempt. Zhang Yi left Li Muran to clean while he and Nan Shao went back to bring the others, and Li Muran asked them to bring her bag of belongings.

• Zhang Yi took Nan Shao and Li Muran to the rental office and offered the clerk Corpse Crystals for an apartment.
• After the clerk insulted Nan Shao, Zhang Yi sent him and Li Muran outside, then intimidated the clerk with zombie-smeared rebar until he agreed to help.
• The clerk showed them a ground-floor apartment with a yard, and Zhang Yi accepted it and paid the rent.
• Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Li Muran inspected the apartment and found it spacious but messy, with secure locks and belongings left behind.
• Zhang Yi left Li Muran to clean while he and Nan Shao went to fetch the others, and Li Muran asked them to bring her plastic bag.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao moved their group and belongings from the shantytown into a rented home, where Zhang Ruiyang excitedly explored his new surroundings. As Li Muran treated Meat Tower Chen’s wounds, Nan Shao inspected the backyard and discovered skybridges leading from the rooftops to the mountainside.

• Zhang Yi gave Nan Shao a key, and they rented a pedal tricycle to move their group from the shack.
• Zhang Ruiyang gathered his treasured belongings while Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Meat Tower Chen prepared to leave.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao loaded their belongings and Li Muran’s possessions onto the tricycle and brought everyone to the rented home.
• Zhang Ruiyang explored the house and courtyard while Li Muran treated Meat Tower Chen’s wounds with Zhang Yi’s help.
• Nan Shao inspected the backyard and found three skybridges connecting the rooftops to the mountainside.

Li Muran operated on Meat Tower Chen while Zhang Yi and Nan Shao helped, and Nan Shao kept Zhang Ruiyang occupied outside. As daylight faded, Nan Shao went to search the trading market for candles, bringing Yangyang with him.

• Nan Shao stopped Zhang Ruiyang from entering the house and promised him candy for the family while keeping him outside.
• Li Muran stitched the wound on Meat Tower Chen's left side and prepared to treat the more difficult gunshot wound in his right leg.
• Li Muran asked Zhang Yi to find candles because darkness was approaching and the operation might not be finished in time.
• Zhang Yi sent Nan Shao to look for candles, and Nan Shao found two partly used candles in the house.
• Nan Shao rinsed the group's bottles, then left for the trading market with Corpse Crystals and Yangyang to search for more candles.

Nan Shao took Zhang Ruiyang to the trading market, where they traded for candles and a mysterious black stone. Back home, Li Muran operated on Meat Tower Chen to remove bullet fragments, and Nan Shao later wondered with Zhang Yi how likely they were to survive.

• Nan Shao carried Zhang Ruiyang to the trading market and bought candles with a Corpse Crystal.
• Zhang Ruiyang offered a cracker to help Nan Shao acquire a black stone that held life-energy fluctuations.
• Li Muran removed bullet fragments from Meat Tower Chen's wound by candlelight while Zhang Ruiyang slept.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao slept outside, and Nan Shao asked how likely they were to survive if things continued this way.

Zhang Yi reassured Nan Shao that they had to survive and revealed that he had spent five years in prison, while Li Muran reflected on her own troubled past and resolved to keep going. The next day, the group settled into their new home, prepared a wood-burning stove, and shared a rare meal of rice.

• Nan Shao worried that they would always be bullied, and Zhang Yi urged him to focus on surviving first.
• Zhang Yi told Nan Shao that he was thirty-four, had spent five years in prison for dereliction of duty, and had his leg broken there.
• Li Muran overheard them and thought about how her family had left her behind during the apocalypse, then reminded herself to survive first.
• The next day, Zhang Yi and Nan Shao cleared the house and built a wood-burning stove while Li Muran cooked rice.
• The group shared rice with pickled chilies, and Li Muran said they could make rice porridge after bringing back more Corpse Crystals.

Zhang Yi’s group discussed food, supplies, and a safer strategy for scavenging, then planned to explore a residential area. Li Muran revealed she could unexpectedly teleport long distances, and Zhang Yi urged her to train her ability with Nan Shao and Little Chen.

• Zhang Yi shared his rice with Zhang Ruiyang and gave Meat Tower Chen a bran cake, encouraging him to recover and help fight zombies.
• Nan Shao and Zhang Yi discussed the group’s need for food and supplies, and Zhang Yi proposed guerrilla tactics rather than entering dangerous, crowded shopping areas.
• Zhang Yi sketched a map, and the group chose a low-rise residential area near the old town as their destination for the next day.
• Zhang Yi proposed reserving Corpse Crystals to help Nan Shao and Little Chen improve their abilities.
• Li Muran revealed that she had suddenly appeared in Zhongzhou after being pushed into a zombie horde in Qi City, Yunzhou, and Zhang Yi encouraged her to train her unpredictable ability.

Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Zhang Ruiyang scouted the hills and found a small cave, but turned back when they could not see into its darkness. On the return trip, Zhang Ruiyang grew tired and rested on Nan Shao's back beneath Zhang Yi's shirt.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao climbed the hill with Zhang Ruiyang and surveyed the barren mountain ranges beyond it.
• Zhang Yi realized the Jingnan Natural Scenic Area lay farther away and might have held vacationers when the apocalypse began.
• Nan Shao spotted a cave, and Zhang Yi agreed to let them inspect it from outside.
• The three struggled through thorny undergrowth to reach the cave, where Zhang Yi stopped them from entering without a flashlight.
• Zhang Ruiyang grew drowsy on the way back, and Zhang Yi covered his head with his shirt.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao investigated the rotten smell in the hill cave and discovered a hidden chamber stocked with supplies, where a zombie was tied to a stone pillar. The chapter left them examining the strange rope knot, which appeared to have been tied by the zombie itself.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao returned to the cave after putting Zhang Ruiyang to bed and prepared torches and weapons.
• Zhang Yi cut his arm and used the fresh blood to test whether zombies were hidden beyond the cave’s narrow passage.
• Nan Shao led the way inside and told Zhang Yi there was a zombie tied to a pillar and a large amount of food.
• Zhang Yi entered the chamber and saw its supplies, living quarters, and the bound zombie.
• Zhang Yi noticed that the rope’s knot was in front of the zombie, as if the zombie had tied itself up.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao explored a hidden cave and learned from a diary how its former owner became a zombie. They killed the zombie and prepared to move the supplies outside.

• Zhang Yi found a diary dated June 13, 2015, and read its owner's account of being scratched by A Dan and fearing he would turn into a zombie.
• Nan Shao inspected the cave and found spoiled rice and blood, while Zhang Yi realized the diary's account matched the evidence.
• Nan Shao killed the seated zombie with his pickaxe and removed the Corpse Crystal from its brain.
• Nan Shao explained that the zombie had forfeited ownership of the supplies, and Zhang Yi agreed they should move them outside.
• Zhang Yi learned that the former owner had been an elementary school Chinese teacher who prepared a cave, killed his zombified parents, and hid from the apocalypse.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao found the cave owner’s Tang saber and a large stockpile of supplies, but took only a few items back to the house. Zhang Yi later told the others about the hidden supplies as they shared a modest dinner.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao learned from the cave owner’s diary that he had met his first love, A Dan, after going down the mountain, and they found his Tang saber beneath the bedding.
• Zhang Yi tested the saber by cutting through an iron bed rail, and he and Nan Shao agreed not to give the cave’s supplies to the town or share them freely.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao buried the cave owner, sorted through his extensive supplies, and carried only a few items and the saber back to the house, concealing the cave before they left.
• Back at the house, Zhang Yi sharpened the chopping blades while Nan Shao shaved, and Meat Tower Chen woke after absorbing a Corpse Crystal as Zhang Ruiyang followed the others around the yard.
• Zhang Yi cooked broken-noodle soup and served everyone yellow peach, then explained the hidden stockpile to Li Muran and Meat Tower Chen.

Zhang Yi’s group discussed how to manage their newly found supplies and who should wield the Tang sword and sledgehammer. Nan Shao accepted the sword, and afterward he showed the others the black stone Yangyang had traded for a biscuit, though only Nan Shao sensed its growing pulse of life.

• Meat Tower Chen warned that the group could attract attention if they stopped hunting while living better than ability users, and Zhang Yi decided they would keep their usual routine and store food in the cave.
• Li Muran declined the Tang sword, and Meat Tower Chen chose the heavy sledgehammer instead.
• Nan Shao suggested Zhang Yi take the Tang sword, but Zhang Yi assigned it to Nan Shao and kept the machete; Nan Shao eventually agreed.
• After the group separated, Nan Shao prepared to absorb a Corpse Crystal and showed everyone the black stone Yangyang had traded for a biscuit.
• Zhang Yi, Meat Tower Chen, and Li Muran sensed nothing unusual from the stone, while Nan Shao felt its pulse of life growing stronger in his palm.

Nan Shao tested whether he could cultivate the black stone and discovered that it drained his ability, while absorbing Corpse Crystals afterward seemed to affect him differently. He left the night’s experiments covered in bloody sweat and had to wash and change before going outside.

• Nan Shao channeled his ability into the black stone, which drained it completely, then replenished it by absorbing a Corpse Crystal.
• Meat Tower Chen and Li Muran tried using the black stone, but neither could channel an ability into it.
• Nan Shao studied the stone overnight and absorbed three Corpse Crystals before pain forced him to stop.
• Zhang Yi found Nan Shao covered in bloody sweat, and Nan Shao suspected his body could not withstand such intense cultivation.
• Zhang Yi traded for water so Nan Shao could clean himself, while Li Muran and Meat Tower Chen commented on his condition.

Nan Shao, Zhang Yi, and Li Muran set out into the county seat after learning that Zheng Kun planned to kill them. They agreed to deal with Zheng Kun and the man who had reported them, then fought their way toward their destination as zombies appeared.

• Nan Shao, Zhang Yi, and Li Muran left their lodging and encountered a confident group of ability users on the way out.
• At the pickup point, Nan Shao overheard that Zheng Kun suspected them of helping with the attack on Small Shop Street and planned to kill them.
• After leaving the vehicle, Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Li Muran agreed to strike against Zheng Kun and the subordinate who had tattled.
• Nan Shao drew his Tang saber and led the group against the approaching zombies.
• The three entered the county seat, advancing through abandoned vehicles and looted shops while killing zombies in their path.

Nan Shao, Zhang Yi, and Li Muran entered an apartment complex to search for supplies and Corpse Crystals. After Zhang Yi froze while facing an old woman and child zombie, the group continued searching, and a young man appeared on the fourth floor.

• Nan Shao led Zhang Yi and Li Muran into an apartment building, where they killed zombies and extracted Corpse Crystals.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao searched an empty apartment and found tools but no food or clean clothes.
• Zhang Yi hesitated when he saw an old woman and child zombie, and Nan Shao pulled him out of danger while Li Muran killed the child.
• The group searched the apartment, collected food and children’s clothes, and Zhang Yi said he wanted to retrieve his mother’s pickled vegetables another day.
• After finding little on the next two floors, Zhang Yi and the others encountered a young man stepping out of an apartment on the fourth floor.

A mysterious young man stole Nan Shao’s Tang sword and disappeared, while Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Li Muran searched an apartment and discovered he had taken a zombie’s Corpse Crystal. With zombies closing in, the three escaped to the roof and prepared to practice killing them.

• A handsome young man disarmed Nan Shao, took his Tang sword, and vanished down the stairs.
• Zhang Yi and the others found a dead zombie with its Corpse Crystal missing and gathered useful supplies from the apartment.
• Li Muran spotted zombies climbing the stairs, so Zhang Yi led the group up to the roof and locked the iron door behind them.
• Nan Shao counted dozens of zombies below and proposed staying on the roof to practice fighting them.
• The three agreed on a fallback route and took turns resting and using their weapons, with Nan Shao taking the machete first.

Nan Shao, Li Muran, and Zhang Yi retreated from the zombie-filled building after losing a blade and collecting too few Corpse Crystals. Back in Wangyang Town, they reunited with Zhang Ruiyang and Meat Tower Chen, who had failed to find a radio station, and Nan Shao asked where the Vanguard Team was staying.

• Nan Shao killed six zombies at the iron gate, while Li Muran struggled to use the chipped machete and wore herself out.
• Nan Shao stopped Zhang Yi from fighting on, and the three left through the stairwell and returned to Wangyang Town with only fifteen Corpse Crystals.
• Zhang Ruiyang ran to Nan Shao by mistake, then called for Zhang Yi, and his tiger game made everyone laugh.
• Meat Tower Chen told them he had spent the day tuning the radio without finding a station.
• Nan Shao asked where the Vanguard Team was staying.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao prepared to kill Zheng Kun and went to the Vanguard Team’s house at night to scout it. They reached the building and began observing the rooms through an open window.

• Nan Shao questioned Meat Tower Chen about the Vanguard Team’s house, Zheng Kun’s room, and its night-watch arrangements.
• Meat Tower Chen told Zhang Yi that Zheng Kun’s team had taken guns and ammunition from the old Public Security Bureau, and explained the rivalry between Zheng Kun and Wang Yuanwei.
• Zhang Yi considered how Zheng Kun’s death might affect the Vanguard Team and decided the operation needed to leave no clues.
• After dark, Zhang Yi and Nan Shao went to scout the Vanguard Team’s house without Li Muran.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao slipped behind the house and watched the occupants through an open window.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao secretly watched Zheng Kun’s room and learned he planned to cripple Yangyang and the others after they left. As Zheng Kun approached the balcony with a gun, Nan Shao pulled Zhang Yi up to the third floor to escape detection.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao climbed onto the second-floor balcony and spotted Zheng Kun inside his room.
• Zheng Kun ordered a subordinate to break the fatty’s and Yangyang’s arms and legs and dump them in the slums.
• Nan Shao restrained Zhang Yi and calmed him by reminding him that Yangyang was waiting at home.
• Bai Mei argued with Zheng Kun over his plan to hurt Meat Tower Chen, and Zheng Kun attacked her.
• Bai Mei noticed someone on the balcony, so Nan Shao helped Zhang Yi climb to the third floor as Zheng Kun came to investigate.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao killed Zheng Kun while he was with Bai Gong, then staged the scene to make her death look like suicide. They left the gun behind and postponed killing Zheng Kun’s subordinate.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao hid on the balcony and overheard Brother Wei and the others discussing Zheng Kun, Bai Gong, and their hunt planned for the next day.
• When the power went out, Zhang Yi and Nan Shao climbed down and waited until the man outside had returned to the front of the house.
• Nan Shao stabbed Zheng Kun in the heart while Zhang Yi silenced and restrained Bai Mei.
• Nan Shao and Zhang Yi forced the knife into Bai Gong’s hand and staged her death as a suicide after she killed Zheng Kun.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao left Zheng Kun’s gun behind and decided to delay killing his subordinate.

After Zhang Yi and Nan Shao killed Zheng Kun, they returned home and learned that the Vanguard Team had turned on itself, leaving Wang Yuanwei in control. The group trained and recovered while Zhang Yi looked for ways to compensate for his injured leg and Meat Tower Chen struggled with the truth about Bai Mei.

• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao returned home after killing Zheng Kun, and Li Muran and Meat Tower Chen relaxed when they heard they were safe.
• Nan Shao and Zhang Yi struggled with having killed people, then trained through the night while Meat Tower Chen and Li Muran cultivated Corpse Crystals.
• Li Muran exercised with Zhang Ruiyang, and Zhang Yi reported that Zheng Kun had been killed by Bai Mei, who had then died by suicide, while infighting left Wang Yuanwei in control of the Vanguard Team.
• Zhang Yi explained how he and Nan Shao had arranged to frame Bai Mei, leaving Meat Tower Chen stunned by the truth about her.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao practiced with their machetes, while Zhang Yi tested ways to work around his injured leg and Meat Tower Chen focused on recovering.
• Zhang Ruiyang blew on Meat Tower Chen's wounds and wished him a speedy recovery so they could play bear together.

Nan Shao, Zhang Yi, and Li Muran returned to the residential complex to hunt zombies and collect Corpse Crystals. After gathering twenty-three crystals, Nan Shao’s unresolved attraction to Zhang Yi made him act awkwardly, and he left to kill more zombies while Li Muran wondered what was wrong.

• After staying home for two extra days without trouble from the Vanguard Team, Nan Shao, Zhang Yi, and Li Muran went out to hunt zombies.
• The three lured zombies toward an open stairwell, killed them nearby, and tossed their severed heads inside so they could retreat safely.
• After half an hour, they barricaded themselves in a cleared apartment and extracted crystals from the heads they had collected.
• Nan Shao saw forty or fifty zombies gathering outside, and the three discussed whether to head for the rooftop or gather more crystals first.
• Nan Shao avoided explaining his discomfort around Zhang Yi and abruptly went outside to kill more zombies, prompting Li Muran to silently ask Zhang Yi what was wrong with him.

Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Li Muran cleared the zombies from the residential complex and collected nearly two hundred Corpse Crystals. After returning home, Zhang Yi proposed dividing their remaining crystals so each person could save and spend their own share.

• Nan Shao killed zombies while Zhang Yi and Li Muran helped clear the bodies from the stairwell.
• The three confirmed the complex was almost free of zombies and collected Corpse Crystals from the street and a nearby stairwell.
• They gained nearly two hundred Corpse Crystals and encountered the less-arrogant Vanguard Team on their drive home.
• Zhang Yi proposed setting aside rent and shared expenses before dividing the remaining Corpse Crystals among themselves.

After the group divided their Corpse Crystals, Zhang Yi gave Meat Tower Chen some crystals to train and rested from his exhausting hunt. Nan Shao massaged Zhang Yi while Zhang Ruiyang watched, leaving the child confused by his father’s mixed reactions.

• Zhang Yi and the others counted 189 Corpse Crystals, set aside 89 for expenses, and divided the rest among themselves, giving Nan Shao the extra crystal.
• Zhang Yi gave Meat Tower Chen ten of his crystals so he could train until he could hunt zombies.
• Nan Shao and Li Muran recovered their strength by absorbing crystals, and Nan Shao cooked dinner for the group.
• Zhang Ruiyang noticed Zhang Yi’s soreness and tapped his arms, prompting Meat Tower Chen to offer him a massage.
• Nan Shao took over the massage, and Zhang Ruiyang became confused when Zhang Yi alternately moaned in comfort and cried out in pain.