Getting a Yellow-Rank weapon. Not bad.

Didn’t get any Supernatural Ability Fragments—a bit of a shame, but in reality, a weapon is what he needs right now.

A blade appeared silently in Lu Yao’s hand; including the hilt, it was over fifty centimeters long.

The blade was silver-gray, with faint dark yellow patterns visible on the metal surface. The spine was thick, the edge tapered sharply, and it felt well-balanced in his hand, with the center of gravity slightly forward, making it ideal for slashing and chopping.

The hilt was tightly wrapped in animal hide, making it non-slip and sweat-absorbent.

Lu Yao swung it twice in the air and could feel the airflow being sliced through and clinging to the blade.

It looks good, feels comfortable to use, and looks intimidating.

“Alright, add them to the inventory.”

Then he tipped out the tranquilizer rounds and counted them one by one.

He knew the system couldn’t lie, but taking stock of his own ammunition was Lu Yao’s way of relaxing.

The pleasant Qingming holiday had come to an end.

The thought of going back to work weighed heavier on Lu Yao’s mind than visiting a grave. 

Now that he had 50 tranquilizer rounds and a weapon, he’d go back to Linchuan Shopping Mall next weekend to check it out again. He’d better get his leave of absence or resignation sorted out as soon as possible. 

After breakfast, Lu Yao put on his gear and headed to work with Qin Ye in tow.

As he followed Lu Yao, Qin Ye consoled himself: “What the Big Boss meant by ‘going to work’ must be some abstract kind of work—like going out at set times to search for supplies, or looking for survivors like me…”

Even as he walked through the company’s back door with Lu Yao, Qin Ye still thought Lu Yao had come to look for something.

But to his surprise, Lu Yao led him all the way to the general office: “Since you’re a visitor to this company, I have to bring you here to register.” 

Qin Ye: “……”

On the desk in the General Affairs Office, a thick layer of dust lay, and there were several bloody handprints on the glass door. Documents were scattered haphazardly across the workstations—half had fallen to the floor, and half were pressed against the keyboards. One of the office doors inside was ajar; the gap in that door was as black as the mouth of a giant beast.

Qin Ye：“……”

Lu Yao snapped, “Can’t you write? Visitors should act like visitors. Hurry up and write your name and phone number at the top.”

Qin Ye obediently did as he was told. After writing his name, the tip of his pen paused over the “Reason for Visit” section: “Boss, what should I write for the reason for my visit?”

Lu Yao: “Just write whatever you’re supposed to.”

Qin Ye asked, “Then can I write ‘accompanying you to work’?”

Lu Yao: “What would my boss think if he saw that? He’d assume I’m up to no good at work. That’s way too ridiculous.” He shook his head and said, “Just write ‘came to the office to evade zombies’.”

Qin Ye：“……”

He roared inwardly: Is that reason for the visit really appropriate?! He suppressed his urge to complain and silently wrote down the reason for the visit.

Lu Yao set down his pen, glanced at what Qin Ye had written, then swiftly signed his full name.

“All right, now we can enter the company legally and in compliance with regulations.”

Lu Yao said with satisfaction.

Qin Ye: “Okay… sure…”

They pushed open the door and stepped inside. The office was very quiet; the dusty blinds sliced the light from outside into thin strips that spread across the floor like an abstract painting.

“Make yourselves at home—help yourselves,” Lu Yao said. 

Hearing Lu Yao’s words, Qin Ye suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

This was the first time he’d ever scavenged for supplies in a building like the protagonist of a post-apocalyptic novel.

He picked up his backpack and began rummaging through the first workstation in front of him:

In the drawers were wet wipes, snack wrappers, team-building registration forms… On the other side lay scattered USB drives and cables…

After a quick sweep, he realized there was hardly anything useful left.

After all, over the past month, Lu Yao had already scavenged nearly everything worth taking from the company. Qin Ye sighed as he picked up a small stuffed animal and hung it on his backpack.

“Oh, this clam—my old coworkers really liked it…” Lu Yao remarked, looking up from his recliner in the boss’s office. 

Qin Ye’s mouth twitched as he shook the plush doll he had just hung up. “Big boss, this is Usagi! It’s a rabbit!”

Lu Yao: “Oh, oh, I thought it was a razor clam. Looks pretty delicious, actually.”

“This one is Usagi, and this one is Hachiware…” Qin Ye picked up another one from a nearby cubicle. “Look, big boss, this one is Hachiware.”

Lu Yao: “Isn’t Hachiware that secret recipe hamburger guy?”

“…Big boss, that’s getting a bit foul of you.”

“Look at what you’re saying,” Lu Yao said with complete sincerity. “When am I not foul?”

Qin Ye: …

Qin Ye: “So you knew all along, big boss…”

Qin Ye：“……”

Qin Ye: “So you already knew all about it, Big Shot…”

“Go check the activity room next door—I haven’t finished searching there yet,” Lu Yao changed the subject. “Bring practical stuff: gloves, masks, bandages, a lighter, a thermos, a collapsible metal baton, and paper.”

“Paper?”

“It’s all essential. For wiping sweat, blood, pots, and your butt—and for writing and stamping, too.”

Qin Ye: “Uh, I get the first part, but what’s up with the last one?”

Lu Yao: “What, you don’t need to wipe your butt? Then you might be a little too ‘dry’—you need to drink more water.”

Qin Ye screamed, “…Let’s not talk about that! I meant writing and stamping!” 

Lu Yao: “Oh, that.” He pulled a folder out of the boss’s drawer, which contained over a dozen requisition forms, each headed “Hongda Sales Co., Ltd. Materials Management Center.” He pulled out a few and handed them to Qin Ye, only to find they were already densely filled with entries.

‘Items borrowed: boxed meals x10, bandages x5, disposable gloves x10. 

Borrower: Lu Yao.

Date: April 2

Note: Urgently needed in the apocalypse, thank you, boss.

Return: After the Reconstruction of Civilization

Qin Ye couldn’t help but gape, even though he knew his reaction was a bit silly: “Boss, you—I mean, you… You’re not seriously going to make me sign in every time I come to pick up supplies, are you?”

“Legality and compliance— a virtue,” Lu Yao snapped his fingers. “Even if there’s no immediate result, we still have to follow the proper procedures.”

Qin Ye felt completely convinced.

“Let’s go rummage through the activity room,” Lu Yao said, having rested enough, as he stood up from his seat. “You’ll need to wear shoe covers to enter the activity room to avoid dirtying the floor.”

Lu Yao stopped Qin Ye just as he was about to enter and said.

Qin Ye looked at his relatively clean shoes, then glanced at the zombie fragments on the shoe covers, and fell silent.

“I… guess… okay…” he said with some difficulty.

The two of them walked across the clean floor wearing their dirty shoe covers.

In the activity room, they found a few useful items: a jump rope, a box of tissues, and a folding yoga mat—the mat could be used as a damp-proof pad.

“That’s about it.” Lu Yao stuffed his things into his backpack. “That’s it for today’s shift.” 

“Already?” Qin Ye blurted out, then immediately berated himself for speaking so hastily.

“We’ve still got overtime.” Lu Yao slung his new knife over his back. “Let’s head down to the basement.” 

“What are we doing down there, boss?”

“To test the knife.” 

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“Aren’t there a lot of zombies down there?”

The elevator was without power, and the fire exit arrow on the wall glowed a dull green. As Qin Ye descended the stairs, his voice couldn’t help but tremble.

“…”

Lu Yao made no attempt to hide the truth.

“Although zombies aren’t afraid of the sun, they instinctively dislike glaring light. So they tend to gather in dark places—the underground parking garage is the most typical example. In the future, places like this will only become more common.”

“Plus, zombies underground move a little faster than those above ground.”

Qin Ye: “Big Shot, are you educating me or scaring me?”

Lu Yao: “Both, I guess.”

“Big Shot… this is actually hard to say, but… I’m scared…” Qin Ye swallowed hard. 

“I’m scared too,” Lu Yao said with rare candor, “but some things just have to be done.” 

Those words were more helpful than simply saying, “Don’t be afraid.” 

Qin Ye paused for a moment, then nodded. “Got it, Big Shot.”

One in front, one behind, they quietly made their way down the stairs.

At each flight of stairs, Lu Yao would first hold a mirror out to take a look, then reach out and tap the wall twice lightly with his fingertips to listen for an echo. Qin Ye followed behind, watching and learning intently.

They reached the basement level.

The steel roll-up door was half-open, revealing a pitch-black void inside. A few emergency lights hadn’t completely burned out yet, and their pale glow illuminated rough patches on the pillars. The air was thick with the smell of gasoline, dampness, rust, and a faint stench of decay; Lu Yao felt his hay fever about to flare up.

“Stay calm,” Lu Yao said, drawing the Yellow-Grade Alloy Bone Knife from his back. “Then fight with everything you’ve got.”

Silence. Then, from deep within the darkness, came the sound of faint, shuffling footsteps, as if someone were dragging the soles of their shoes across the concrete floor. Immediately after, a guttural “Ugh…” sounded, broken and intermittent.

The car had been scrapped. The battery still had a little charge left, but the alarm wasn’t very loud; because it was nearly dead, the sound was extremely distorted, making the scene even more terrifying.

The first zombie emerged from behind an SUV. It slowly turned toward the two of them, sniffed sharply, and began to move faster and faster, almost breaking into a run.

Qin Ye’s scream was stifled in his throat.

Because a second zombie appeared from the side.

Lu Yao charged forward with his knife, slashing straight at the first zombie. The blade traced an arc through the air; the sensation of the blade cutting through the skull felt like slicing through meat that had been thawing in the fridge for an hour.

With a hiss, the blade withdrew, blood spurted out, and the zombie fell silent.

The second one charged forward, but his swing had already lost its momentum, so he kicked the zombie in the knee.

With a click—neither too loud nor too soft—the zombie’s legs gave way, and its body lurched forward.

Lu Yao withdrew his knife and, with a backhand upward slash, ran the blade from the zombie’s jawline to behind its ear. The blade was razor-sharp, cutting through like a hot knife through butter; the motion was clean and precise, and blood spurted onto the pillar in a fan-shaped spray. 

Lu Yao then took half a step back, keeping his breathing confined to his chest to prevent any unnecessary sounds from escaping his throat.

This Yellow-Rank alloy bone knife is simply fantastic to use. 

It truly lived up to its reputation as a weapon from the Yellow-Rank Big Wheel. Qin Ye, standing nearby, was completely mesmerized.

Lu Yao tapped him on the head with the hilt of the knife: “Snap out of it. Time to get to work.”

Qin Ye: “Okay, okay.”

Lu Yao gave one final instruction:

“Stay close to me, use your surroundings to your advantage, don’t get bogged down in a fight—when you strike, first disable their mobility, then finish them off with a headshot. Remember: conserve your energy and keep it clean.”

Qin Ye nodded vigorously, already imagining himself as dashing and heroic as Lu Yao.

But five minutes later, his machete was lodged in a zombie’s head, and it took him ages to pull it out…