They descended the stairs of the unfinished building floor by floor. Their luck seemed to be at its peak, as they didn’t see a single zombie along the way.

The building had many exposed steel bars, some of which were already broken. Si Nan tried a few times and pulled out a half-meter-long bar to use as a weapon. In such a place, having something in hand made him feel much safer.

When they reached the fifth floor, Yu Sen suddenly spotted a bed covered with a gray blanket that was almost blackened in the corner. He was momentarily stunned and felt a strange sensation.

Before his mind could fully register, danger quietly approached.

In his daze, a cold and decayed figure suddenly sprang out from beside a large stone pillar, charging straight at him, with their faces just centimeters apart.

The zombie’s grayish, weed-like hair covered half its face. The exposed eye was gray and lifeless, like a dead fish. The flesh around its mouth had rotted away, revealing crimson gums as if they had grown onto its face, slowly opening toward Yu Sen.

A chill and stench of decay assaulted Yu Sen.

His heart tightened instantly as if gripped by a large hand, pounding painfully.

“Be careful!”

With a sharp, urgent shout, Yu Sen felt a force firmly wrap around his waist and pull him quickly backward. The zombie’s rotting, gaping mouth lunged toward him, its face twisted and terrifying, like a vengeful ghost climbing out of an endless abyss, sending shivers down one’s spine.

But in the next second, the ghostly figure was cleanly split in two by a blood-red axe.

The severed half of its head fell to the ground.

Yu Sen blinked twice, cautiously extended two fingers in a dainty gesture, and wiped the dirty blood that had splattered on his face. Then he turned to look at Si Xuanyang, who was close by, and said softly, “Yang Yang, you really are my savior.”

Si Xuanyang just regained his composure, met his gaze, and immediately pulled his hand away from Yu Sen’s waist as if shocked by electricity. He awkwardly took two steps back, glancing at Si Nan with a guilty look, and coughed twice, “It’s nothing. I just saw you didn’t react in time, so I helped out. Hmm… this zombie was probably a homeless person who used to live here. It’s a lone zombie, not much of a threat. No psychological burden, so it’s fine to cut it.”

After finishing, he felt a bit regretful: he didn’t have any ulterior motives towards this weird in-law! Hugging and holding him was just to save him, what’s there to feel guilty about? Why stutter so much!?

Si Nan, reacting slower, jumped three feet high, shaking his hand as he pointed at Yu Sen: “Shit! Shit! That thing almost bit you, Yu Ge! You almost got disfigured!”

What kind of nonsense is this? Si Xuanyang’s face darkened: Is it about disfigurement?

This is a matter of life and death!

How could a boyfriend who only cared about appearance and not life not be dumped?

“Yeah, I almost became ugly,” Yu Sen said seriously.

Si Xuanyang: “……” He felt that his lack of abnormality made him somewhat out of place with these two.

“But still, thanks to my savior Yang Yang!” He winked at Si Xuanyang and then suddenly became curious, “Why does your face always twitch, Yang Yang? Have you had an injection or something?”

Si Xuanyang stared at Yu Sen, his mouth twitching a few more times, his gaze showing irritation, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “You’re welcome. Do you want to repay me?”

Yu Sen’s eyes sparkled: “I do. Do you want me to pledge my body in gratitude?”

“……No need,” Si Xuanyang’s expression became even more stiff, “Just don’t talk to me in the future.”

“……Oh.”

Yu Sen lowered his eyes, turned his head, and walked forward without saying a word.

Hearing Si Nan’s soft murmurs behind him, “Yang Yang, you’re being really impolite,” Yu Sen’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.

Thanks to him, the atmosphere became awkwardly silent for a short while until they exited the abandoned building.

At this time, around four or five in the afternoon, the sunlight hadn’t diminished at all; the air was stifling, and the metal absorbed the heat. When Yu Sen walked past the cars on the street, he felt as if he might get burned in just a few seconds.

After circling around a street and killing three zombies roaming the main road with his crossbow, he and the two brothers finally reached the subway entrance.

While hiding behind a flower bed, Si Nan analyzed the situation seriously: “I think we’ll make it back alive. The zombies here don’t seem as fierce as they do in the movies.”

Yu Sen adjusted his gear and agreed: “Yes, their intelligence and fighting ability are about the same as yours.”

Si Nan: “… I should be a little stronger than them.”

“Alright, I admit it just a bit.”

“Hey, don’t admit it so reluctantly!” Si Nan was upset, “It sounds like I’m forcing you to admit it!”

“Shh! Don’t talk!” Si Xuanyang elbowed Si Nan and cautiously watched the subway entrance.

“Why only hit me and not him…”

“…”

A half-naked zombie staggered past the subway entrance. It looked almost like it had been baked into a mummy, with its feet twisted at an impossible angle and its tendons broken. Even Yu Sen felt pain just looking at it.

After the zombie slowly walked away, Yu Sen picked up a few small stones from the ground and threw one into the subway entrance.

The stone bounced and clattered down the stairs, its faint sound echoing inside.

After waiting a while, with the stone probably having landed for about five minutes and no zombie swarm appearing, Yu Sen made a hand signal, and the three of them carefully walked down the stairs into the subway.

The inside looked better than outside; there were blood stains on the ground and some scattered human remains, but it seemed like it had been a while. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickered, casting a pale, grayish light.

This was once the busiest place in the city, but now it was deserted, like a location from a horror movie.

They found the line heading toward the city center. The tunnel was devoid of train cars, with some advertising light boxes still flickering with weak light. It wasn’t as dark as Yu Sen had expected.

As before, he threw a stone into the tunnel. The stone hit the ground with a ‘clunk,’ startling Si Xuanyang, who slightly opened his mouth but, recalling what had happened earlier, held back from speaking.

Tch, trying to act all tough! Yu Sen smirked at Si Xuanyang’s hesitant expression, then wiped his face of any emotion and nodded at them: “It should be safe to go down.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Si Nan waved his hand, “Let’s go!”

Yu Sen jumped down third. He twisted his ankle slightly and reflexively grabbed Si Xuanyang for support.

Si Xuanyang, startled, lifted him up: “Are you okay?”

Oh ho, seems like you’re still quite soft-hearted! Yu Sen straightened up, a smile playing at his lips: “I’m fine, thanks, little brother.”

The strength supporting him suddenly withdrew, and Si Xuanyang glared at him as if he had seen a ghost, then walked forward with the axe.

Hehe, keep pretending! Yu Sen chuckled, shrugging—let’s see how long you can keep it up.

The feeling of walking in this tunnel was very chilly. Although it was shielded from the scorching heat outside, it felt like being buried in a cold, muddy mire for a long time. Even the breeze carried a cold, decayed odor, making one shiver unexpectedly.

The advertisement light boxes on both sides revealed some exposed cables and light tubes, some sparking with electricity, and wires twisted on the ground like snakes.

After walking for a while, the light boxes became sparse. Yu Sen took out a flashlight and handed it to Si Xuanyang to lead the way while he stayed close by, occasionally tugging at Si Xuanyang’s clothes.

There were only the three of them in the tunnel, and every sound was clear.

Yu Sen glanced at Si Xuanyang’s expression in the dim light. Sure enough, he looked like he was on the edge of exploding with frustration, clearly unwilling to speak, probably to avoid being heard by Si Nan.

He pressed closer to Si Xuanyang, now able to clearly sense each other’s body temperature.

Si Xuanyang suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong, Yang Yang?” Yu Sen pretended to be ignorant and pulled him.

“… How about Yu Ge, you take the flashlight and go in front,” Si Xuanyang shoved the flashlight into Yu Sen’s arms.

“Can’t,” Yu Sen looked innocent, “I have a bit of night blindness and can’t see clearly.”

“…”

“I’ll do it!” Si Nan volunteered, quickly arranging them, “Yang Yang, hold onto Yu Ge. Remember to keep an eye on the back and don’t let anything go wrong.”

“Don’t worry, Yang Yang is quite reliable. Look at those arm muscles, smooth and strong without being too bulky, very good.” Yu Sen smiled happily at Si Xuanyang.

Si Xuanyang: “… Aren’t you night blind?”

Yu Sen maintained his composure, casually felt around Si Xuanyang’s body, and then retracted his hand before Si Xuanyang could get too frustrated and twist it. Calmly, he said: “I can’t see, but I can feel it.”

Si Xuanyang: “…” Shocked! Truly shameless!

Whether it was their luck or not, they managed to avoid several zombies on various platforms they passed, even seeing some on the platforms, but they navigated through without incident.

Yu Sen held onto Si Xuanyang’s arm, his fingers brushing over the slightly warm skin, feeling quite satisfied with the route he had planned.

Of course, it would have been better if the person beside him wasn’t glaring angrily, twisting his fingers, and making gestures to indicate “behave.”

Yu Sen shifted his gaze from Si Nan’s back to Si Xuanyang beside him, who silently repeating that word. Then, with a light smile, he exaggeratedly made a three-word mouth shape at Si Xuanyang:

“I can’t see!”