Xu Duoduo sat down on the carpet beside the sofa with Qin Luo, looking at the table full of food. Silently, she pulled out several more large boxes of food.

Thinly sliced beef, lamb rolls, assorted meatballs, duck blood, wide glass noodles, crispy fried rolls, tofu puffs, enoki mushrooms, shrimp paste—everything was there.

Qin Luo and Bai Shu Tian stopped talking and just stared at her as she kept taking out more food. This was amazing!

“Squad Leader, your bag is literally a treasure chest! You’ve got everything! And these are all in fresh-keeping boxes. Look at this beef—it’s clearly real, not some processed meat!”

Chen Xiaofei came out holding a small bowl of vegetables, his face full of surprise.

The little zombie finally pulled out a giant can of canned yellow peaches. The three of them gasped in unison, “Wow!” and couldn’t help but applaud. This was a real treat.

Bai Shu grinned. “Squad Leader, can we request some alcohol? Old Wang loves white liquor. A few bottles of beer will be enough for us—we promise we won’t overdo it.”

Xu Duoduo nodded reservedly and took out a whole pack of beer, then finally, a bottle of Maotai.

Dun-dun-dun-dun! Wow! The table practically glowed with golden light.

Bai Shu laughed, “Old Wang, come look! The Squad Leader got you Maotai!”

“What?!” Wang Weihu rushed out of the kitchen in a hurry, saw the bottle, and was instantly overjoyed. “Squad Leader, you are a lifesaver!!”

He really loved his liquor.

But then, from the kitchen, Chen Xiaofei suddenly shouted, “Old Wang! Your water is about to overflow!”

Wang Weihu hurried back to rinse the vegetables. His mood was so good that he even started humming a tune. With an apron tied around his waist, he looked downright domestic.

Dinner Time

After all the preparations, they were finally ready to eat. By then, it was already 8 PM.

Bai Shu placed a tablet on the table, playing the latest research report on speaker.

Then, they all started eating and drinking.

“Squad Leader, do you have sesame sauce? Hotpot without sesame sauce has no soul.”

“Throw some beef in for me.”

“Squad Leader, I need the clear oil dipping sauce.”

“Damn, this beef is amazing! Good beef really shines in a clear broth!”

“I’m Team Spicy, and I completely disagree!”

“Xiaofei, what the hell did you buy?! Why does this meat look all pink and weird?”

“I’m not eating that.”

“Ugh, it’s shrimp! Shrimp! Mutated shrimp! Another squad brought it back, and the research center confirmed it’s safe to eat. Plus, it’s extra delicious! Do you even know? I barely managed to grab a piece! This stuff sells for 300 points a box!”

The little zombie stared at the so-called shrimp meat. It was shrimp, just massively enlarged. Each chunk was as big as a fist.

This was the “good stuff” Chen Xiaofei had fought over at the supermarket.

“Damn, it’s really delicious!”

“Eating shrimp like this is the best!”

“Squad Leader, do you want to try a piece? Is it safe for you to eat mutated shrimp?”

Qin Luo had already placed a piece of shrimp meat in front of Xu Duoduo. “Want to eat it raw?”

Xu Duoduo stared at the raw shrimp but didn’t seem interested. Instead, she eyed the cooked shrimp in his bowl—an unusual craving showing on her face.

Qin Luo immediately understood. Without hesitation, he dunked the shrimp into the spicy hotpot for a minute, then fished it out to cool. While it was cooling, the little zombie rested her claws on his arm, silently drooling.

Chen Xiaofei and the others started laughing. “So the Squad Leader does get cravings?”

Bai Shu took off his glasses and set them aside. “Why wouldn’t she? But we don’t know if she’ll actually like the cooked version. The latest research says that mutated beings prefer eating other mutated creatures, right?”

Wang Weihu took a sip of his white liquor, looking completely relaxed. Watching everyone eat and drink like this—it was pure bliss.

Qin Luo glanced at his teammates, then at the little zombie practically glued to his side. Of course, she’s craving it. The other night, she had even climbed into his lap to gnaw on his wrist.

“Alright, it’s cooled down. Eat up.”

Since the shrimp was already at her lips, Xu Duoduo immediately took a bite. The moment the juicy, sweet shrimp hit her tongue, her eyes lit up!

She could taste it!!

For the first time, she tasted something other than crystal cores—shrimp!

Her expression was pure astonishment.

Even the other zombies in the room froze.

Chen Xiaofei, biting his chopsticks, was startled. “Squad Leader? What happened? You’re lagging like a bad internet connection!”

Bai Shu and Wang Weihu also looked at her nervously. This was the first time she had eaten something other than a mutation core.

Qin Luo remained calm. He had been around her long enough to understand her thoughts. “Probably too delicious to process. Give her a minute.”

Sure enough.

After a brief moment of shock, the little zombie resumed chewing, her eyes shining brightly. Her claws remained firmly latched onto Qin Luo’s arm.

Xu Duoduo didn’t mind feeding herself, but while she could grab things, she wasn’t skilled with chopsticks yet—her hands weren’t used to such delicate movements.

But that was fine.

She had an automatic feeder right beside her.

Qin Luo continued eating while casually boiling more shrimp for her.

Chen Xiaofei and the others finally relaxed, laughing as they resumed eating and drinking.

The Research Report

“So… what exactly does the latest report mean? I don’t really get it.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

Hearing Wang Weihu and Chen Xiaofei’s complaints, Bai Shu sighed. “Did you two even listen properly?”

The report had basically become background music.

The two of them just chuckled sheepishly. They definitely hadn’t been paying attention.

Bai Shu glanced at them, then at their captain, who was busy playing a “Feed the Little Zombie” game. Seeing that no one else was reliable, he sighed, took a sip of beer, and started explaining.

“Basically, one of the latest discoveries is about the function of mutation cores. These things are the key to the evolution of all infected biological and non-biological entities on Earth.”

So far, no one had pinpointed the exact origin of the global infection.

However, all infected organisms—whether living or inanimate—evolved through devouring. That’s why zombies bite people, why mutated animals hunt humans, and why mutant creatures eat anything they can find.

They do it to gather enough energy to evolve and become stronger.

Every infected being contains these energy elements. Lower-level entities have very little, while higher-level ones have much more.

For example, ordinary zombies and common mutated animals don’t have mutation cores. They rely on devouring to improve themselves.

Eventually, as they consume more, mutation cores will start forming inside them.

“Devouring is also one of the primary abilities of all mutants. It’s incredibly common.”

“The second major discovery is that a diluted version of mutation core energy has been approved for mass production. Ability users can now inject this diluted serum to enhance their powers. However, whether they can truly control and integrate the power depends on their own abilities. Pushing personal limits is still the fastest way to grow stronger.”

Using the serum was like using spiritual stones in cultivation.

Without it, people could still absorb energy from the infected world naturally. After exhausting their abilities, they could potentially break through their limits.

But using the serum accelerated the process—though it could create a hollow foundation.

Power was like a blade—it had to be forged through countless trials to become truly sharp.

Relying solely on artificial enhancements would only result in an empty shell.

The group sat in stunned silence.