Chapter Summaries

Not yet five years old, Zhang Ruiyang lived with his father Zhang Yi in a makeshift shack amid the apocalypse, where ordinary people struggled to survive. When an intruder came to search their home, Yangyang hid in a concealed hole, following his father’s instructions and fearing that strangers might take him away.

• Zhang Ruiyang sat alone in the shack, saving the cloudy water because his father had not yet drunk any.
• He remembered his grandmother’s illness and death, and how his father had eventually returned home.
• Hearing someone approach, Zhang Ruiyang hid his toy and water, then crawled into a small hole behind the shack.
• The intruder rummaged through their belongings, cursed, and kicked an object against the earthen wall.
• Zhang Ruiyang stayed hidden, recalling Zhang Yi’s warning that people might steal and eat children.

Zhang Yi returned to the shack with food and water, where Zhang Ruiyang shared his precious water and tried to feed his father. As Zhang Yi remembered his lost family and the moment he found Yangyang after the apocalypse began, the two stayed together in their harsh new life.

• Zhang Ruiyang hid in a hole until Zhang Yi returned and called him out.
• Zhang Yi gave Zhang Ruiyang biscuits and a bran cake, and Zhang Ruiyang brought out the water he had saved for his father.
• Zhang Ruiyang offered Zhang Yi a biscuit, but Zhang Yi told him to eat it himself.
• Zhang Yi remembered his past as a criminal investigation captain, his imprisonment, and his mother's death before the apocalypse.
• Zhang Yi recalled finding Yangyang hiding beside his grandmother's body, and kissed his son when Yangyang said the biscuits were delicious.

Zhang Yi comforted Zhang Ruiyang and explained why he had returned late, while the family photographs brought back painful memories of his mother. He promised to check on the injured uncle the next day, then left Zhang Ruiyang in hiding as he went out for supplies.

• Zhang Yi told Zhang Ruiyang that the handsome uncle who had saved him was feverish after a monster bite, so he had hidden him somewhere safe.
• Zhang Ruiyang showed Zhang Yi photographs of his father and grandparents, and Zhang Yi broke down at the sight of the family portrait before pretending his flatbread was stuck in his throat.
• Zhang Ruiyang asked whether the uncle would turn into a monster and whether he could visit him, but Zhang Yi said he did not know and refused to take his son along.
• The next morning, Zhang Yi ate his saved flatbread and repeated his safety instructions while Zhang Ruiyang recited them along with him.

Zhang Yi freed Nan Shao, a man who had survived a zombie bite, because Nan Shao had once saved his son, Yangyang. After sharing food and water, Zhang Yi explained the rules for entering Wangyang Town, leaving Nan Shao to decide what to do next.

• Zhang Yi left town alone and traveled to a village that had already been picked clean.
• Zhang Yi found Nan Shao bound in a bathtub and confirmed that he could talk before untying him.
• Nan Shao asked why Zhang Yi had saved him, and Zhang Yi explained that Nan Shao had once saved Yangyang from a car.
• Nan Shao introduced himself, and Zhang Yi gave him water and a piece of bran cake.
• Zhang Yi told Nan Shao that ability users could enter Wangyang Town for free if they joined clearing operations or group missions, while others had to pay three Corpse Crystals.

Zhang Yi took Nan Shao toward Ziyun County after Nan Shao discovered he had a weak wood-type ability that could barely sprout a radish seed. Nan Shao agreed to stay with Zhang Yi and his son, while recalling how his former group had turned against him before he was bitten by a zombie.

• Nan Shao found radish seeds and managed to produce only a tiny green shoot before his ability left him exhausted.
• Nan Shao explained that his weak wood-type ability was useless without living plants, and Zhang Yi sympathized with him.
• As Zhang Yi drove them toward Ziyun County, Nan Shao said that the people from his former life already considered him dead.
• Zhang Yi told Nan Shao about his five-year-old son, his lack of an ability, and his injured right leg, and Nan Shao agreed to join him.
• Nan Shao recalled how his group split after its bodyguards developed abilities, how the others resented his protection of Xiao Wei, and how he was bitten while seeking an apple for Xiao Wei.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao searched a bathhouse for food and supplies, where they recovered Nan Shao’s hidden Corpse Crystals and offerings left before the God of Wealth. After a group of zombies passed, they left with their haul.

• Nan Shao led Zhang Yi to the bathhouse where he had been bitten while searching for an apple.
• Nan Shao recovered a velvet pouch containing about twenty Corpse Crystals from beneath the cashier’s counter, and Zhang Yi found apples and other offerings near a statue of the God of Wealth.
• Zhang Yi gave Nan Shao an apple and cookies, then packed the remaining food, liquor, cola, and clean clothes.
• Nan Shao spotted a dozen or so approaching zombies, so the men hid in a bathing cubicle until the zombies shuffled past.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao left the bathhouse with their supplies.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao returned from the town with food and paid their way onto the bus, where Zhang Yi encountered his former informant Meat Tower Chen. After the bus reached town, Nan Shao passed an inspection and entered with Zhang Yi.

• Nan Shao dug two Corpse Crystals from the zombies, and Zhang Yi wrapped their food to conceal it.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao reached the pickup point and paid two crystals each to ride the bus.
• Zhang Yi led Nan Shao to the back of the bus, where the passengers left the front seats for a group of burly men.
• Meat Tower Chen greeted Zhang Yi, while one of his companions insulted Zhang Yi for his past and present status.
• The bus fought off zombies along the road and reached town before sunset.
• Nan Shao paid three Corpse Crystals, passed a full-body inspection, and entered town with Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi brought Nan Shao to his shack on the edge of Wangyang Town, where Nan Shao met Zhang Yi’s young son, Zhang Ruiyang. Sharing an apple with the boy softened Nan Shao, and Zhang Yi left to trade for water and food.

• Nan Shao saw the cramped shack where Zhang Yi and Zhang Ruiyang lived among the town’s poorest survivors.
• Zhang Ruiyang greeted Zhang Yi as his father and shyly called Nan Shao “Uncle.”
• Zhang Yi gave Zhang Ruiyang an apple, and the boy insisted that Zhang Yi and Nan Shao each take a bite first.
• Nan Shao accepted the apple and remembered how differently Nan Wei had treated him.
• Zhang Yi asked Nan Shao to stay with Zhang Ruiyang while he went to trade for water and food.

Nan Shao shared food and water with Zhang Ruiyang, growing closer to the child while learning about his grandmother’s illness and the family’s hardship. Zhang Yi cautioned him against attracting attention, and Nan Shao noticed the purchased water tasted unusual.

• Nan Shao and Zhang Ruiyang traded bites of apple and agreed to save Nan Shao’s apple to eat together later.
• Zhang Ruiyang told Nan Shao that Grandma had gone to get her sickness treated.
• Zhang Yi returned and gave Nan Shao two bottles of water and two bran cakes bought with the Corpse Crystals.
• Nan Shao used some water to wash Zhang Ruiyang’s hands, while Zhang Yi warned him that conspicuous spending and cleanliness could bring trouble.
• Nan Shao tasted the water and said it did not seem to have been made by a water ability user.

Zhang Yi explained why he and Zhang Ruiyang lived in a cramped shack, while Nan Shao worried about the child’s safety and their lack of money. After Zhang Yi traded liquor for supplies, Nan Shao shared cola with Zhang Ruiyang, and the adults divided the food and water.

• Zhang Yi fed Zhang Ruiyang purified river water, and Zhang Ruiyang retrieved the rest from a hiding hole where he sheltered from the chaos outside.
• Nan Shao learned Zhang Ruiyang hid in the hole and asked about safer housing, but Zhang Yi explained that rent was unaffordable and living outside was dangerous.
• Zhang Yi set aside food for Zhang Ruiyang and went to trade liquor for supplies, leaving the cola behind at Nan Shao’s request.
• Nan Shao poured cola for Zhang Ruiyang, who tried it, called it sweet medicine, and offered some to Zhang Yi and Nan Shao.
• Zhang Yi divided the traded food and water with Nan Shao, explaining that giving Zhang Ruiyang everything would harm him, and Nan Shao stopped arguing.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao prepared to join an attack on Small Shop Street, and Zhang Yi mapped the old district to plan a safe route. The chapter ended with them readying to raid shops for food and supplies.

• Nan Shao recognized the books Zhang Yi had collected as martial arts manuals, then helped Zhang Ruiyang practice reading.
• Nan Shao reflected on the worsening drought and his uncertain past as he followed Zhang Yi toward the hunting party.
• Zhang Yi agreed to join the Vanguard Squad’s planned attack on Small Shop Street to find nutritious food for Zhang Ruiyang.
• After the group dispersed, Zhang Yi took Nan Shao to a sand storehouse and drew a map of the old district.
• Zhang Yi pointed out dangerous locations, likely supplies, and a narrow escape route through the old neighborhood.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao headed toward the old cinema to join the Vanguard Team, while planning to stay alert and rely on their own escape route. They picked up a woman following them and reached the old cinema’s sports court.

• Zhang Yi set strict limits on what supplies they would carry and planned to find weapons at a blacksmith’s shop.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao left the sand depot, killed a zombie, and spotted someone following them along a shortcut.
• Zhang Yi confronted a woman carrying a bloodied pickaxe, learned she was looking for the old cinema, and let her follow at a distance.
• Zhang Yi led Nan Shao and the woman along a concealed route past a brickworks and fields toward the old town.
• Zhang Yi recognized that the Vanguard Team might use them as cannon fodder, so he and Nan Shao planned to prioritize their own survival.
• Zhang Yi and his companions reached the sports court in front of the old cinema.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao joined the Vanguard Team’s supply raid on Small Shop Street, but Meat Tower Chen’s warning made Zhang Yi plan to leave as soon as they had what they needed. The raid began with the group gathering supplies, and Zhang Yi packed food and overlooked vegetable seeds into his backpack.

• Zhang Yi recalled how his mother had stayed in their old home, leaving it and its memories as a fallback for him and Yangyang.
• Meat Tower Chen quietly warned Zhang Yi, who told Nan Shao they would leave as soon as they had their supplies instead of waiting for the group’s planned evacuation.
• Zheng Kun gathered the scavengers, declared the Vanguard Team would lead, and ordered everyone to leave at four without fighting over supplies or holding the team back.
• The Vanguard Team led the group through two alleys toward Small Shop Street while Zhang Yi and Nan Shao dealt with zombies at the rear; the woman traveling with them used her practiced pickaxe attack to kill zombies.
• At Small Shop Street, Zhang Yi and Nan Shao gathered supplies without taking much, and Zhang Yi packed loose rice, dried noodles, pickled vegetables, and scattered vegetable seeds.

Nan Shao and Zhang Yi escaped a supermarket after discovering a zombie horde approaching, leaving the other survivors to flee or scramble for supplies. In a secluded alley, they encountered several more zombies and faced another fight.

• Nan Shao saved a woman from a zombie in the supermarket, and she gave him the zombie crystal; his wooden club broke during the fight.
• Zhang Yi gave Nan Shao his cleaver after learning he had lost his club.
• Nan Shao and Zhang Yi realized the vanguard was missing and suspected it had gone toward the old public security bureau and armed police squadron.
• A horde of zombies appeared, so Zhang Yi pulled Nan Shao away from the grocery store and they warned the other survivors before fleeing.
• The survivors panicked when they saw the horde, while Zhang Yi and Nan Shao escaped through a secluded alley.
• Several wandering zombies, including ones that had once been elderly people and children, approached Zhang Yi and Nan Shao in the alley.

Zhang Shao and Nan Shao split up to escape into nearby courtyards and fight off the zombies closing in. After killing the zombies and securing their heads for later, they prepared to continue to the smithy for weapons.

• Zhang Shao and Nan Shao ran into separate courtyards, with Nan Shao climbing over a locked gate and Zhang Yi entering through a broken door.
• Nan Shao fought and killed the zombies that followed him, using a shovel and machete.
• Zhang Yi immobilized two zombies trapped inside the house and killed them before the others reached him.
• Zhang Yi fought the zombies in the courtyard, aggravating his injured leg, while Nan Shao arrived and helped finish them off.
• Nan Shao checked the fallen zombies, killed the two still moving, and cut off their heads to save for later.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao collected weapons and Corpse Crystals while traveling toward the factory, with the woman secretly following them. They reached the factory after the last ride back to town had left, forcing them to spend the night away from Yangyang.

• Nan Shao and Zhang Yi entered the blacksmith shop, chose weapons, and left with a heavy hammer, billhooks, an axe, and a crutch.
• The woman took a machete from the shop and continued following them, hoping to repay their earlier help while using their strength to clear the road.
• Nan Shao and Zhang Yi killed zombies along the route and recovered their Corpse Crystals.
• They reached the factory after the last vehicle had departed and realized they could not return to town before its gates closed.
• Zhang Yi decided to spend the night at the factory, and he and Nan Shao secured a room in the office building.

Nan Shao and Zhang Yi discussed the day’s haul and the cost of renting a safer apartment, then agreed to keep working together. Nan Shao practiced his wood-type ability and managed to sprout two Chinese cabbage leaves before running out of strength.

• Zhang Yi explained that Nan Shao had saved Zhang Ruiyang from a Ferrari six months earlier.
• Nan Shao counted twenty-six Corpse Crystals and asked Zhang Yi how much a safe apartment with a bathroom would cost.
• Nan Shao proposed working together to earn enough for an apartment, and Zhang Yi warned him that he needed to keep getting stronger.
• Zhang Yi showed Nan Shao a bag of vegetable seeds, and Nan Shao used his wood-type ability to sprout two Chinese cabbage leaves.

Nan Shao absorbed a Corpse Crystal while Zhang Yi kept watch, and the two returned to their shack the next morning. They found Yangyang overheated but alive in his hiding place, and Nan Shao urged Zhang Yi to get water.

• Nan Shao absorbed a Corpse Crystal overnight while Zhang Yi watched over him.
• Zhang Yi kept the sprout Nan Shao had grown and advised him to absorb Corpse Crystals only in town or with someone nearby.
• Zhang Yi and Nan Shao shared biscuits, packed their supplies, and caught the morning ride back from town.
• Zhang Yi panicked when Yangyang did not answer from the shack, but Nan Shao found the child hidden beneath a woven sack.
• Nan Shao carried the overheated Yangyang outside and told Zhang Yi to trade for water.

Zhang Yi returned with water and found that Zhang Ruiyang had awakened, then comforted his son as the boy grew dizzy and fell asleep in his arms. Li Muran, moved by her encounter with Yangyang, decided to join them.

• Nan Shao cooled Zhang Ruiyang with water and stayed with him until he woke up.
• Zhang Yi returned carrying water, and Zhang Ruiyang ran to him; Zhang Yi hugged his son and reassured him.
• Zhang Ruiyang told Zhang Yi that his head felt dizzy, so Zhang Yi carried him outside and promised to stay nearby while he slept.
• Nan Shao fetched water and shade materials while Zhang Yi sat with his son outside the shack.
• Li Muran, a solitary survivor who lived nearby, decided to join them after meeting Yangyang.

Li Muran joined Zhang Yi and Nan Shao’s team, and Zhang Yi decided to bring Yangyang along on their outings. As Nan Shao went to exchange Corpse Crystals for water, he saw how sharply life differed between the shantytown and the rest of Wangyang Town.

• Li Muran agreed to team up with Zhang Yi and Nan Shao, and Zhang Yi announced that he would take Yangyang out with them the next day.
• Nan Shao suggested finding a place to rent and storing more food, while Li Muran said she would follow their plans as long as they respected her limits.
• Li Muran gave Zhang Yi two braised eggs for Yangyang before returning to her shack.
• Nan Shao fetched water and a towel so Zhang Yi could cool and clean the sleeping Yangyang, then offered to exchange Corpse Crystals for more water.
• Nan Shao walked through the shantytown and saw its starving residents before reaching roads lined with buildings and able users heading out to hunt zombies or search for supplies.