The zombie evolution lab was located in S City, about a three day drive from the B City base. For this mission, the base had specially provided them with a high-performance military off-road vehicle the one built to handle rough terrain and long-distance travel in dangerous conditions.
Because S City was the provincial capital, densely populated even before the apocalypse. It had also been one of the very first cities to fall when everything began. Now, three months had passed. By this point… it had likely become nothing less than a paradise for zombies.
Fortunately, the lab itself wasn’t located in the city center, but on the outskirts of S City. So as long as they avoided large-scale zombie hordes, completing this mission was still within reach. To ensure success, the base had also dispatched their second-ranked superpowered squad to assist them.
But… the arrangement of this squad felt subtly off. Lu Xi’s gaze shifted cautiously. She glanced at Grandpa Gu(calling Gu Wang grand ap Gu because of his bad temper ) his face already lined with impatience and a faint killing intent flickering in his expression. Then she looked at Lin Bai and Xu Yiyi, both of whom seemed on the verge of drawing their weapons at any moment. For a second, she felt a headache coming on.
Why had the base sent those three people they had run into just a few days ago? Across from them, the Crimson Flame Squad stood in a loose formation. There were eight people in total and three of them were all too familiar.
The burly man who had openly ogled Lu Xi at the trading market. His follower, who had laughed along. And then… there was Gu Wang’s rotten love history. At that very moment, the woman was still staring at Gu Wang with undisguised resentment, her gaze sharp and accusing as if he were some shameless scumbag who would deny everything after getting what he wanted (a blunt, slightly crude expression in Chinese webnovels implying a man who refuses responsibility after an intimate relationship). “Brothers, I’m really sorry about what happened last time.”
Zhao Gang stepped forward as he spoke, his tone apologetic. “I’m Zhao Gang, captain of the Crimson Flame Squad.”
His build was rugged, his expression sincere enough to pass at a glance but in the depths of his eyes, there was a faint, shadowy glint that refused to be ignored. But before he could get any closer, Lin Bai stepped forward. He stopped him at a distance of two meters. His tall figure stood firmly in place, effortlessly cutting off Zhao Gang’s line of sight. “No need for apologies,” Lin Bai said calmly.
“We’re all on a mission. Once it’s over, we won’t interfere with each other.” His tone was cool, almost indifferent. But the moment his eyes met Zhao Gang’s something changed. A sharp, dangerous edge surfaced beneath that calm, like a blade slipping free of its sheath. “However,” Lin Bai continued, his voice lowering just slightly, “if you do anything you shouldn’t… or cross any lines you shouldn’t…”
“Then once you leave the base… you might not make it back.” His voice remained clear and even. Yet every word carried an unmistakable threat.
Zhao Gang’s expression darkened instantly. Behind him, the others also stiffened, the atmosphere tightening without a sound. The air between the two groups grew tense like a bowstring stretched to its limit, ready to snap at the slightest movement. Behind them, Lu Xi instinctively shrank back, pressing closer to Gu Wang. Her face was filled with disbelief, her thoughts in complete chaos. 003—003! Did you hear that?! she shouted frantically in her mind. Your male lead just leveled up!
“…Your focus always seems a bit strange,” 003 replied flatly. It really wasn’t strange that Lu Xi was so shocked. Because just now Lin Bai’s tone, those words, that cold and effortless threat… they had sounded exactly like Gu Wang. In the original novel, the male lead had always been portrayed as a gentle, refined gentleman someone who wouldn’t easily take a life, even when facing villains. His entire focus had been on protecting the human survivor base, placing responsibility above everything else. He was the kind of person who would hesitate. Who would endure. Who would choose mercy, even when it wasn’t deserved. For Lu Xi, who preferred fast-paced, tension-filled stories packed with action and sharp turns, the novel had nearly been enough to make her drop it entirely. It could even be said that the only real source of twists in the plot… had been Gu Wang.
The villain. And also the only character whose personality felt vivid, unpredictable alive in a way the others weren’t. And now…
after spending three months with him, Lin Bai that same person was beginning to change. His words and actions were becoming more and more like Gu Wang’s. Lu Xi watched this change unfold with the corners of her lips slowly lifting in quiet satisfaction.
My son has finally grown up well, she thought. (“My son has grown up” [我的大儿长大了] is a playful Chinese fandom expression, used to show proud, almost maternal affection toward a character—regardless of actual age.) Gu Wang: …So now my name’s being used to describe people?
After that brief episode, the group departed. Three military off-road vehicles moved steadily along the national highway, their engines humming low but powerful against the empty, desolate road.
The sound quickly drew attention. From behind, a scattered group of zombies began to give chase. Their clothes hung in tatters, barely clinging to their decaying bodies. Their grayish-blue skin stretched tightly over bone in some places, while in others, rotting flesh sagged loosely, trembling with each uneven step. As they ran, pieces of their bodies fell away—small chunks of flesh dropping onto the road, left behind without notice.
And yet, they kept coming. Inside the vehicle, Lu Xi leaned comfortably against Xu Yiyi, one arm looped around her as she peered out the window with bright curiosity. “Look, look!” she said, pointing excitedly. “That zombie is wearing high heels and still running that fast—truly a symbol of urban elegance!”
(“Urban elegance” is said jokingly here, mimicking the way people humorously praise modern city women in Chinese internet culture.)
“And that one—he’s wearing Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing from ancient dynasties)… Even as a zombie, he still looks so handsome. What a pity such a face, wasted so early…” Her tone was filled with exaggerated regret. “And that one—wait…” She suddenly paused. “…Holy—?!”
A thin, grayish-blue hand suddenly slammed against her car window. The fingers on it were long and stiff, the nails black and sharp like claws. The body it belonged to was clinging upside down to the roof, its face twisted as it bared its bloodied mouth, letting out a harsh, rasping hiss at Lu Xi.
Before anyone could react, the zombie clenched its fist and slammed it hard against the glass. Bang! Xu Yiyi and Xu Qiaoyun’s expressions changed instantly. They both reached out at the same time, pulling Lu Xi back toward them. “Careful!” In the front seat, Lin Bai immediately noticed the disturbance. The gentleness on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by something sharp and focused. Without hesitation, he jerked the steering wheel and the SUV spun violently. The sudden force sent half of the zombie’s body flying off the vehicle but one pale, stiff hand remained tightly hooked onto the roof railing, refusing to let go.
The noise jolted Gu Wang awake. His brows furrowed slightly, irritation flashing across his face but the moment his gaze landed on the zombie clinging near Lu Xi’s window, his expression turned completely cold. “Damn it…” he muttered under his breath. Without wasting a second, he pushed open the passenger window and leaned out. The moment the zombie sensed the fresh scent of blood and living flesh, it abandoned Lu Xi without hesitation, letting out a hoarse roar as it lunged toward Gu Wang. Gu Wang’s movements were swift and decisive. In his left hand, a ball of lightning condensed almost instantly crackling, violent, and unstable.
Without pause, he hurled it forward. The sphere of electricity, roughly the size of a football, tore through the air and slammed directly into the zombie’s frail, decaying body. In the next moment, it was sent flying backward its entire form engulfed in flickering purple lightning. Behind them, Zhao Gang and his group only had time to glimpse a grayish mass wrapped in crackling energy hurtling toward them. Before they could react— Bang! The object slammed heavily into the windshield of the vehicle in front.
Zombies didn’t feel pain. And Gu Wang had deliberately avoided destroying its head. Now, sensing nearby flesh, the creature twisted its body unnaturally and crouched directly on the shattered windshield, its sharp teeth bared as it hissed at the people inside. With that chaos exploded within the car. Cheng Hui, sitting in the passenger seat, let out a piercing scream, tears instantly streaming down her face. “A zombie! There’s a zombie here!!” Zhao Gang’s heart skipped a beat, his foot almost slamming the brakes. His legs trembled uncontrollably, but he forced himself to stay calm, gripping the wheel tightly as he accelerated instead.
The vehicle swerved violently left and right but the zombie clawed at the glass again and again— Until finally—
Crash! The windshield shattered completely. Only after several more desperate swerves did Zhao Gang finally manage to throw the creature off.
“Gu Wang—you’re asking for death!” Breathing heavily, Zhao Gang’s face twisted with rage. That lightning-covered zombie , there was no doubt.
Gu Wang had thrown it on there way on purpose. His already fierce features darkened further, a cold fury gathering in his eyes. This brat had humiliated him again and again. This time… he would definitely make him pay.
In the vehicle ahead, Gu Wang glanced lazily into the rearview mirror. The chaotic state of the two cars behind him reflected clearly in his eyes and the corners of his lips curved slightly. Calm. Unbothered. Almost amused. “Lu Xi,” Xu Yiyi’s voice came softly, filled with concern as she looked down at the girl in her arms, “are you alright?” Lu Xi’s small face was pale, her expression unfocused, her eyes slightly dazed. Gu Wang caught those words. His brows lifted faintly as he shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror. There reflected in the glass was Lu Xi’s face.
Pale. Still. Shaken For a brief moment, his gaze stilled. Then, slowly… it darkened. He should have crushed that zombie’s head completely.
On the other hand Lu Xi was dazed. But not because she was afraid. Her mind was racing. Because just now— when the zombie had bared its teeth at her she had clearly seen it. At its throat… there had been a strange, swollen protrusion. Dark. Blackish-red. Slightly bulging beneath the decaying skin. Her fingers tightened unconsciously. Because she knew exactly what that meant. That kind of blackish-red, rotting, rounded growth… was a sign that the zombie was about to evolve. According to the original novel, when zombies were about to evolve, a festering, marble-like protrusion would form at their throat.
It would bulge unnaturally beneath the skin—dark, swollen, and rotten-looking. At that stage, the zombies would fall into a frenzy. Driven purely by instinct, they would crave fresh flesh and blood, roaming wildly in search of living prey to fuel their advancement. And the moment that protrusion disappeared…that was when the evolution was complete. This detail had only been discovered much later in the story, when the male protagonist was accidentally trapped within a horde of zombies and forced to observe them closely. Back when Lu Xi had read the novel, she had only skimmed over that part. It hadn’t been emphasized much, just a small detail buried within the larger plot.
So naturally… she hadn’t remembered it clearly. If she hadn’t just seen it with her own eyes she might never have recalled it at all. That zombie just now… Its movements were swift. Its strength was abnormal. It was most likely already at the second-tier level. And if it advanced further to a third-tier zombie… Lu Xi’s heart began to pound violently in her chest. “003,” she called out in her mind, her thoughts racing, “I remember that in the original novel, third-tier zombies didn’t appear until half a month later. But that zombie it’s about to evolve!” And they hadn’t even entered the city yet.
They hadn’t even encountered the true main force of S City. It was just a stray zombie in some roadside area— and it was already on the verge of becoming third-tier! “Host,” 003’s mechanical voice responded calmly, yet its words struck like a sudden explosion in her mind, “third-tier zombies were only first discovered by the male and female protagonists at that point in the original novel. That does not mean they only began to exist half a month later.” It paused, then added in the same steady tone—
“Besides, a book is only a book. It merely records a fragment of this world.” Those words hit Lu Xi like a cannon blast. For a moment, everything seemed to fall into place. Yes… The novel was never the full picture. It was only the background of this world a limited perspective centered around the main storyline of the male and female protagonists. And they… had long since deviated from that storyline. Which meant—
everything she had been relying on until now… was flawed from the very beginning. “Lu Xi? Lu Xi?” Xu Yiyi’s voice broke through her thoughts. A pair of hands gently shook her shoulders, pulling her back to reality. Lu Xi blinked, her vision clearing. In front of her, Xu Yiyi and Xu Qiaoyun were both looking at her with concern, their brows tightly drawn. Even Gu Wang, seated in the front passenger seat, had turned slightly, his gaze falling on her.
His expression was cold. Quiet. But there was something heavy in it. Lu Xi slowly pushed Xu Yiyi’s arms away and sat up straight. Her face was pale, her expression still carrying traces of shock. Gu Wang’s eyes lingered on her reflection for a moment. She’s really that scared? For some reason, the thought made his mood sink even further. A faint irritation stirred in his chest. Lu Xi shook her head lightly at them, as if to reassure them. “I’m fine,” she said, though her voice carried a trace of seriousness that hadn’t been there before. “It’s just… that zombie felt different.”
She paused briefly, her brows tightening.
“I have a feeling… zombie evolution might be far beyond what we imagined.” The moment her words fell, silence filled the car. Outside, only the distant, hoarse roars of the pursuing zombies could be heard. Everyone’s thoughts instinctively returned to the zombie they had just encountered. It hadn’t been like the others. Most zombies only relied on instinct, mindlessly slamming themselves against obstacles. But that one it had used its fists. It had targeted. It had even ambushed them from above. Its body had been leaner too, with less decayed flesh clinging to it. Its movements were faster, more coordinated—almost deliberate. There was no doubt about it. That zombie… was different.
Lin Bai’s expression darkened. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, the veins on the back of his hand standing out faintly. Through the rearview mirror, his gaze swept over the scene behind them and locked onto that same zombie, still chasing relentlessly within the horde. In an instant, the gentleness in his eyes vanished, replaced by something cold and resolute. “Hold on,” he said.
“We need to speed up.” His voice was clear, calm but carried an undeniable edge of urgency. Before anyone could respond, his foot pressed hard on the accelerator. The engine roared. The military off-road vehicle surged forward, instantly widening the distance between them and the horde and pulling away from the two vehicles of the Crimson Flame Squad behind. In the following car, Zhao Gang saw the sudden acceleration.
His gaze shifted to the dense swarm of zombies closing in behind them. Gritting his teeth, he made a quick decision. He slammed down on the accelerator as well, grabbing the walkie-talkie to bark orders at his team.
“Keep up!” Fuel was scarce in the apocalypse. The journey to S City was long. Until now, they had deliberately maintained a steady speed fast enough to avoid being caught, but slow enough to conserve gasoline for the return trip. But Lin Bai’s sudden decision to accelerate meant something had changed. And soon, they noticed it too. The number of zombies behind them was increasing. And the closer they got to S City…
the harder those zombies became to deal with.
A quiet unease spread through the Crimson Flame Squad. As regret crept into their hearts. Why had they listened to Zhao Gang? Why had they agreed to take on this mission—to scheme against Gu Wang and his group? At the time, it had seemed simple. Manageable.
Something they could walk away from unscathed. But now… the danger surrounding them was far greater than they had expected. Inside the three vehicles, no one spoke.
Each person was lost in their own thoughts. The engines roared as they pushed their speed to the limit, racing desperately down the empty highway trying to shake off the ever-growing tide of corpses behind them. At this moment there was only one thought left in their minds. They just hoped… that they would make it back alive.