Jiang Xiang sprang forward, moving so fast he was just a blur using his massive body to barrel through and create a path. Taking time to decapitate each corpse would’ve been too slow; knocking them down bought precious seconds as it wasn’t easy for them to get back up.

Lan Shiru seized the opportunity and dashed forward, smashing any undead heads blocking her way. The distance from the elevator to the pharmacy door was only a few dozen meters, but it felt like an eternity. Thanks to Jiang Xiang’s relentless charges, he bought her the time she needed; otherwise, they’d have been overwhelmed.

“Good job, Jiang Xiang.” She praised her panting companion briefly before preparing to break down the door, as the horde was already converging on them again.

Just as Jiang Xiang readied his claws to smash through, a panicked voice from inside called out. “No, don’t break the door! Those creatures will get in!”

Lan Shiru frowned. Survivors?

Inside, there were a dozen or so pharmacists, likely there gathering medications. They were lucky to have survived—yet unlucky, as none of them had awakened any abilities.

Fine. She decided to head for the storage room instead. “If I were you, I’d leave while you still can.”

“No, no, going outside is certain death! We’re waiting for rescue.”

Rescue? Lan Shiru gave a bitter laugh. That’s never coming.

The moment the acid rain began, the authorities responded quickly—but they hadn’t prepared nearly enough. No one had expected that amid the natural disaster, there would also be human corruption. The acid rain was a disaster, but the virus lurking within it was the real curse. This virus, arriving without warning, ravaged the planet indiscriminately, spreading fast through the air. It didn’t care about wealth or power as it treated everyone the same.

The whole world had descended into chaos while people were either scrambling for survival or hoarding wealth. Who would still be thinking of a rescue?

Just consider it: how many in high positions fell, and how many at the bottom rose up in their place?

Without looking back, Lan Shiru quickly moved on.

The people in the pharmacy opened their mouths to shout after her but held back, fearing they’d attract more of those creatures.

“Do you think she’ll make it out?”

“Hah! Even if she does, who knows what hell waits outside? She’s clueless, just courting death.”

No one else spoke; they huddled, shivering in the corner. The scent of medications masked their own scent, temporarily keeping them safe.

Lan Shiru and Jiang Xiang wove through the crowd of undead, their once-gray workout clothes now so filthy they were unrecognizable, while Jiang Xiang’s red fur was matted and stiff with grime, clumped together in uncomfortable patches.

Lan Shiru, her arms numb from swinging her weapon, decapitated an elderly corpse, pausing to catch her breath. “Hang in there a little longer, Jiang Xiang. Once we reach the storage room, we can rest.” There shouldn’t be many people there.

“Woof.” came his low grunt in response. He pounced, his sharp claws sinking into the skull of a hulking, bald corpse, splitting it cleanly in two.

The storage room was on the other side of the building, and as they made their way over, the number of corpses ahead gradually dwindled, but those following them kept growing.

When Lan Shiru spotted a large door at the end of the hall, her eyes lit up. “Jiang Xiang, quick! Once we close that door, we’re in the clear!”

“Woof!” Jiang Xiang leapt forward, smashing two zombie heads and turning back to urge her on. “Woof, woof!” Hurry up.

Lan Shiru swung her weapon down hard on a corpse’s head, but exhaustion had sapped her strength. Instead of splitting it, the weapon got stuck, wedged firmly in its skull.

Gritting her teeth, she let it go and sprinted toward the door. Weaponless, she ducked and dodged past a few more corpses, avoiding direct confrontation.

Jiang Xiang turned back to support her, barreling into the undead and knocking them aside, clearing a path for Lan Shiru to reach the door. Together, they stumbled through to the other side.

As she slammed the door shut, Jiang Xiang took care of the last few stragglers. The moment the door closed, the horde surged against it, but with the two of them out of reach, the zombies gradually lost interest and returned to wandering aimlessly.

Panting, Lan Shiru and Jiang Xiang sank down against the wall. They exchanged a glance, then burst into silent laughter.

Lan Shiru reached over to ruffle Jiang Xiang’s head but pulled back in disgust at the filth coating her hand. Jiang Xiang bared his teeth in mock irritation; he was a dog who took pride in cleanliness.

“Easy, buddy. Let’s get to the storage room first, then we can clean up.”

“Woof, woof.” Jiang Xiang whined in agreement, then stood aside and shook himself off vigorously, clearly feeling much better.

Lan Shiru watched as the pristine white walls were splattered with grime in a rainbow of colors from Jiang Xiang’s shake. She twitched at the mess, but then shrugged. In times like these, courtesy wasn’t exactly a priority.

“Jiang Xiang, let’s go.”

They pressed on. Normally, the warehouse had fixed times for resupply, and outside of those, it was usually empty except for a few managers.

The warehouse was enormous, covering most of the hospital’s ground floor with several hundred square meters of space, plus an underground storage area specifically for equipment.

From the outside, the warehouse’s main door was locked, a good sign that no one was inside. The acid rain had started at midnight and kept falling until ten that morning, so the warehouse manager might have decided to skip work—or simply couldn’t get there.

Jiang Xiang extended his claws and sliced a hole through the heavy iron door, allowing the two of them to slip inside with ease.

To be safe, Jiang Xiang took a quick lap around the interior, ensuring there were no people or zombies lurking about.

Lan Shiru turned on the lights, revealing shelves packed with supplies and medicines, all neatly organized and labeled by category. She wasted no time dismantling every security camera, just in case. Destroying them was the safest option. Then, she stowed the shelves, supplies and all, into her space. She used some discarded metal frames to block the hole in the door and proceeded to the underground storage.

The warehouse connected to the basement through a dedicated passage, which also led to an underground loading bay, designed to streamline loading and unloading. Lan Shiru had glanced at the warehouse manual, committing the layout to memory before moving on.

The path from the warehouse to the basement was a wide ramp, about twenty or thirty meters long—perfect for moving carts.

The passage was eerily empty, and even the controlled breathing of Lan Shiru and Jiang Xiang echoed loudly in the stillness.

Lan Shiru stopped and leaned close to Jiang Xiang. “Do you hear anything?” she whispered into his ear.

Jiang Xiang tilted his head, ears perking up instantly. “Woof,” he responded softly, then darted forward.

That meant something was there. Lan Shiru pressed her lips together, feeling uneasy without a weapon in hand. She hugged the wall, inching down the corridor. With the lights flickering intermittently, her nerves were on edge.

Jiang Xiang hadn’t come back yet, but she wasn’t too worried. He always prioritized her safety. If he’d gone ahead, it meant there was no immediate threat to her, and whatever he found was within his control.

At the end of the corridor, a large door stood open. Jiang Xiang had bolted through it earlier.

Lan Shiru peeked inside. The room was filled with various medical equipment, both old and new. She didn’t see any signs of movement—only Jiang Xiang returning.

He let out a low bark, “Woof, woof.”

“Two zombies?” she asked.

“Woof.” Correct.

“And you took care of them?”

“Woof.” Right.

“Good job, Jiang Xiang. Let’s take a look around.”

>>>