“Insects?” Lan Shiru couldn’t immediately figure out what kind of insects they might be. In the post-apocalyptic world the virus hadn’t just affected humans but also plants, livestock, insects, and even bacteria. Over time, new species had emerged, each more terrifying than the last.

“I get it now.” Miao Miao exclaimed. “Up ahead is where they sell cooked food. In summer, it’s crawling with flies, cockroaches, and rats. Although summer’s over, there’s bound to be plenty left.” She shuddered at the thought. She hadn’t encountered sewer roaches that had evolved yet, but the regular ones were disgusting enough. Who knew how revolting they’d be after evolving?

“Right! Cockroaches!” A lightbulb went off in Lan Shiru’s mind. Cockroaches were one of the dominant species among the mutated insects in the apocalypse. The phrase “undying cockroach” wasn’t an exaggeration; their breeding ability was unparalleled, especially after evolution. “Hurry up!”

Jiang Xiang led the way, clearing the path ahead with Miao Miao in the middle. Lan Shiru brought up the rear, splitting her focus to search her spatial storage for any insecticide she might have collected.

Killing them barehanded was out of the question. Cockroaches carried countless eggs and bacteria within their bodies. Once they died, the eggs and bacteria would spread rapidly, creating endless problems.

Letting them grow unchecked wasn’t an option either. These creatures had the capability to overrun an entire city in no time, hiding in damp, dark places and emerging at night. They were impossible to guard against.

The three of them—two humans and one Tibetan Mastiff—bolted down the path, but behind them, countless fist-sized cockroaches scurried in pursuit. The sight was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.

“Sis, hurry! They’re catching up!”

“Woof! Woof!” Faster!

Lan Shiru snapped out of her spatial focus and glanced back. A cockroach had just reached her heel, its jaws open, ready to bite.

Her brows furrowed tightly as she sent a jet of water shooting out, blasting a cockroach away just in time to dodge its attack. But behind it, a swarm surged forward, countless more flooding in.

As expected, these things were truly obnoxious. “To the main entrance!”

Neither her companion nor the mastiff understood why, but they obeyed without hesitation, pivoting on their heels and heading toward the market’s entrance.

The entrance was wide open and spacious. Lan Shiru stopped in her tracks, waiting until the cockroaches closed in before pulling out a pile of bloody raw meat and insecticide, stacking them together.

In an instant, the cockroaches went berserk. The fist-sized creatures swarmed, their grotesque features now horrifyingly distinct—their deformed faces, gnashing fangs, and mandibles chewing incessantly, emitting a sickening click-clack sound.

The chaos didn’t stop there. The scent also lured nearby rotting corpses, which began staggering toward the scene. The stiff, lifeless bodies suddenly moved with unnerving agility, driven by the irresistible allure of fresh blood. Both the zombies and mutated creatures were fatally drawn to it.

“Big Sis, just tell me what to do! You two get out of here!”

“No need, I’ll handle it. Fall back!” Lan Shiru said firmly. With a quick motion, she pulled out a bow and arrows she’d salvaged from a sporting goods store. Wrapping the arrowhead with a strip of tattered cloth, she soaked it in oil, set it aflame, and aimed at the pile of insecticide and raw meat. “Run! The insecticide will explode! Not only will the flames spread, but the fumes are toxic!”

The two humans and the mastiff bolted with every ounce of strength, wishing they had extra legs to carry them faster. BOOM!

The explosion rocked half of B City, the deafening blast shaking the ground. Those cowering in nearby buildings were paralyzed with fear, not daring to move an inch. Many wondered if yet another catastrophe was about to descend upon them.

Immediately after the fire, cockroaches were burned to ashes in an instant, luckily those that did not burned by the fire did not escape the poisonous smoke, the entire market cockroaches were almost extinct.

Carrion corpses were also burned a lot, only they are tougher than cockroaches, not so easy to die, and do not know the pain, after losing the smell of blood, cloaked in fire they continue to roam aimlessly.

Fortunately, the surrounding charred black, there was no combustible material, and avoided the spread of fire.

After a long time, some of the fire on the carrion will extinguish itself, while those fire that was big enough would directly burn the zombies into a charred corpse.

The two human and a mastiff kept running until a kilometer away before stopping, the smell of insecticide in the air was still strong and smoked one’s head. “Let’s walk further, it’s almost dawn, find a safe place to rest.”

After the mad dash, all three were gasping for air, their hearts pounding so loudly they could hear each other’s. No one had the energy to joke around. Instead, they trudged forward step by step, their exhaustion palpable.

Along the way, they passed several small supermarkets and convenience stores, but everything had already been looted clean, leaving not a single scrap behind. It was a stark reminder of humanity’s sheer tenacity and desperation.

“Are we ever going to find anything again?”

“No, we won’t. Once we’ve rested, we’ll head to the outskirts. There are quite a few factories in that area. The distance is far, and vehicles can’t get through, so it’s impossible to make a round trip in a day. Most people are too afraid to stay out overnight, so not many will go there. Before others form teams to explore, we should be able to gather quite a lot.”

Relieved, Miao Miao nodded. “That sounds good. Sis, there’s a bookstore up ahead. It looks deserted. Should we rest there?”

A bookstore? Little Le Bao still needed to study, and book were essential. “Alright, are you familiar with B City?”

Miao Miao grinned. “Of course! Sis, you wouldn’t believe it. Just to try a famous local snack, I’d walk a whole day and wait in line just as long. There’s no alley or street I don’t know in this city. Anywhere I’ve been, I’ve memorized every route by heart—I could walk them blindfolded.”

All Lan Shiru could do was give her a thumbs-up. She was a bit directionally challenged herself and admired people with such strong navigational skills.

The bookstore had two floors. The door was open, and while the interior was a bit messy, it wasn’t completely trashed. The books were still salvageable, so Lan Shiru quickly stored them all in her spatial space.

After dealing with a few stray zombies that had wandered inside, they headed to the second floor to find a place to rest. Lan Shiru suggested the staff changing room.

“Sis, it’s locked.”

“Try somewhere else. See if there’s a storeroom or an office.”

Miao Miao rubbed her nose, holding back the urge to simply break the door down.

Remembering the cautious way her sister had handled things back at the mall, she decided against it—there might still be someone inside. Obediently, she searched and eventually found a storeroom. The room still held quite a few books, which Lan Shiru quickly collected. Then, she barricaded the door securely and pulled out cooking supplies and ingredients from her space, handing them to Miao Miao.

Finally, she retrieved Little Le Bao who was grumbling and pouting, clearly unhappy to be woken up.

The little one had endured the whole night—hungry and needing to relieve himself—feeling absolutely miserable.

“I’m so sorry, Little Le Bao. It’s Mommy’s fault.” Lan Shiru said softly, her voice full of guilt. “I promise I’ll pay more attention from now on and won’t let you go hungry again, okay?”

Little Le Bao let out a little whimper and smacked his lips as if to say, spare me the sweet talk and just give me food already.

Lan Shiru quickly brought some rations to his mouth, and the little guy devoured them noisily, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

“Sis, just look at him.” Miao Miao teased. “Little Le Bao’s so hungry he could probably eat a whole cow!”

Lan Shiru’s heart ached. Most babies would cry and fuss several times throughout the night for food. But her Little Le Bao had gone an entire night without a single bite and only whimpered twice—never crying outright. What a good boy. “It won’t happen again,” she promised.

As if understanding his mother’s words, the little one let out a soft snort through his nose.

Jiang Xiang tilted his head, wondering if he’d imagined the sound.

Lan Shiru chuckled and ruffled both Jiang Xiang’s and Miao Miao’s heads affectionately.

Once the two humans and the mastiff had eaten their fill and even taken quick baths, Lan Shiru pulled a bed out of her spatial space for Miao Miao. “I need to head into the space to plant some of the seeds we gathered today. Will you be okay out here alone? If you’re scared, Jiang Xiang can stay with you.”

“I’m not scared. I’m really brave, Sis. Don’t worry about me.”

“Alright then. If anything comes up, just call me—I’ll hear you. I’ll leave you a bottle of water and some snacks. Do you need anything else?”

“Can I have a bottle of yogurt? I love yogurt.”

“Sure. Now get some sleep. No rush, you can sleep until noon if you want.”

“Got it, Sis.”

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