Chapter Summaries

Nan Shao found Meat Tower Chen badly injured near a rubbish heap and told Zhang Yi, who decided to rescue his friend. Zhang Yi and Nan Shao carried Chen back while Li Muran watched Zhang Ruiyang.

• Nan Shao found Meat Tower Chen naked and badly wounded near the rubbish heap after recognizing the men who had dumped him there.
• Nan Shao told Zhang Yi about Chen, and Zhang Yi immediately decided to save him.
• Zhang Yi left Zhang Ruiyang with Li Muran and took weapons with Nan Shao to the rubbish heap.
• Zhang Yi claimed Chen as his friend, and the starving onlookers backed away from them.
• Meat Tower Chen recognized Zhang Yi and began sobbing, so Zhang Yi and Nan Shao prepared to carry him back.

Zhang Yi calmed Meat Tower Chen, examined his gunshot wounds, and promised he would survive. As he and Nan Shao bandaged Chen, Chen began explaining that Zheng Kun was responsible for his injuries.

• Meat Tower Chen’s cries drew a crowd until Zhang Yi ordered him to stop.
• Zhang Ruiyang recognized Meat Tower Chen, comforted him, and told him that Zhang Yi had returned and taken his grandmother to get treatment.
• Zhang Yi sent Yangyang away with Li Muran, then examined Meat Tower Chen’s two gunshot wounds and assured him he would not die.
• Zhang Yi asked how Meat Tower Chen had been injured, and Chen angrily cursed Zheng Kun and his family.
• Nan Shao brought towels, and Zhang Yi and Nan Shao used them and strips of sheet to bandage Chen’s wounds.

After learning why Zheng Kun had crippled Meat Tower Chen, Zhang Yi set out to find medical help and medicine for him. Nan Shao and Li Muran joined the trip, leaving Zhang Ruiyang to stay with Meat Tower Chen.

• Meat Tower Chen explained that Zheng Kun had attacked him because he had taken up with Bai Mei, whom Zheng Kun had pursued before the apocalypse.
• Zhang Yi promised to find a way to treat Meat Tower Chen’s legs and went to look for a surgeon and medicine.
• Nan Shao insisted on accompanying Zhang Yi, and Zhang Yi thanked him for standing by him.
• Zhang Yi told Zhang Ruiyang he would be away, and the boy agreed to stay with Auntie Li and help care for Meat Tower Chen.
• Li Muran revealed that she had studied medicine and joined Zhang Yi and Nan Shao to help choose supplies.
• The three exchanged for bran cakes and boarded the last vehicle to the county town before eleven.

Zhang Yi, Li Muran, and Nan Shao made their way to the old county hospital to search for medicine and a vehicle. After entering through the back gate, they found zombies trapped in the upper floors, but the windows began breaking and zombies started falling into the courtyard.

• Li Muran recommended the old-town county hospital because its pharmacy and operating rooms were likely less crowded than those in the new town.
• Zhang Yi led Li Muran and Nan Shao through back streets to avoid the zombie-packed main road.
• Nan Shao boosted Zhang Yi over the hospital wall, and Zhang Yi broke the back gate's padlock to let Li Muran inside.
• The group saw zombies crowding the second- and third-floor windows and a pregnant zombie in a first-floor ward.
• Windows shattered, and several zombies fell into the courtyard; two survived and began approaching as more panes broke.

Zhang Yi, Nan Shao, and Li Muran secured their way into the hospital lobby and collected medical supplies while zombies gathered outside. After deciding to risk the pharmacy for more medicine, they killed the zombie trapped inside and prepared to leave as the courtyard filled with zombies.

• Zhang Yi picked the locked inner door, and the three entered the hospital lobby and secured its main doors against the zombies.
• Li Muran surveyed the hospital and gathered medical supplies, while Zhang Yi and Nan Shao helped keep watch.
• Li Muran proposed raiding the pharmacy for more medicine, and Zhang Yi and Nan Shao agreed to take the risk.
• Nan Shao pinned the pharmacy zombie's hands to the ledge and chopped them off, then Zhang Yi unlocked the door and killed it with a steel rebar.
• Li Muran filled a backpack with medicine and urged the others to leave as zombies gathered at the hospital's main doors.

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.