“This is a map.”

“Exit through the west gate of our complex, take Wenhua Road, and pass the T-junction by the library—it’s best to take a detour here. When you reach the intersection with Xueyuan North Road, wait for the traffic light.”

Qin Ye: “Huh? Do I have to wait for the traffic light, too?” 

“It’s up to you whether you wait or not. If I were making the plans, I’d say you need to wait for the traffic lights. Got it?” Lu Yao tapped Qin Ye on the head with his pen.

“Got it, got it.” Qin Ye wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t pick up on the subtext.

“Head to the underground entrance on the north side of Linchuan Shopping Mall. There are usually three to five guards there, but it depends on the situation on the ground. You and I will take care of them in a few minutes, then I’ll leave. You stay at the entrance without going inside and toss the kite string inside.

When you hear the zombies’ footsteps, run back—don’t take a straight line; choose the path with more trees.

It’ll take you about four minutes to reach this bus stop pole. Tie the kite here with a tight knot; our friends will be drawn and gather in this open area. You retreat along the back alley and meet me at this entrance. Remember, don’t look back.”

Lu Yao scribbled on the whiteboard with his marker, drawing in great detail and pointing out landmarks for every turn to Qin Ye.

Qin Ye watched the marker, watching the map gradually fill in, as the fear in his heart slowly took on a visible shape. Once fear was named, it seemed to become just a tiny bit more manageable.

At least his heart wasn’t racing quite as fast anymore.

After listening, Qin Ye replied honestly, “Boss, I think this plan is awesome, but I can’t remember it.”

Lu Yao set the voice recorder on the table: “I know you won’t be able to remember it, so I recorded it. Use the map to go over it a few times tonight.”

Qin Ye paused for a moment: “Man, you’re so thoughtful. I’m gonna follow you for the rest of my life.”

“Alright, alright, take your time following me. I’ve got to run an errand.” Lu Yao headed toward the door: “I need to get ready, too.”

Qin Ye: “Boss, are you heading out to scout the location?”

“No, I realized I forgot to make my resignation letter. I’m heading to the office now to write it up and get it stamped.” Lu Yao said in a matter-of-fact tone: “I’m a regular company employee, unlike you, a temp worker.” 

Qin Ye：“……”

Qin Ye: “O-okay…”

Qin Ye: “Boss, stay safe…”

“I’ll be right back.” Lu Yao put on his helmet, gripped his alloy bone blade, and chambered a round in his tranquilizer gun.

Qin Ye hesitated for a moment and asked, “Wait, Boss, I have a question. What if the kite doesn’t take off?”

As for why the kite would attract the zombies’ attention, that wasn’t something he was concerned with. Since the boss had said so, then it must be true.

“If the kite doesn’t fly,” Lu Yao stared at him for a few seconds, then flashed a friendly smile, “I’ll visit your grave next Qingming Festival.”

“When the time comes, I’ll bury you a little deeper so the broom won’t hit your head.”

Qin Ye：“……”

Qin Ye: “Got it, boss! I’m definitely going to make it!!!”

Going out at night is very dangerous.

Lu Yao knew this, but he went out anyway.

The office was very quiet at night. Holding a flashlight, Lu Yao found the resignation form in a drawer in the HR office. Then he began scribbling away.

“Applicant: Lu Yao.

Department: General Management Center

Position: Administrative Clerk

Reason for Application: Job reassignment due to disaster period 

Items to be returned: Employee ID card, access card 

Supervisor’s Comments:

He took out the company’s official seal and stamped the form.

To avoid any issues, he prepared two copies.

 All that’s left to do is hand this over to the manager.

It was very quiet in the General Affairs Office. Lu Yao turned off his flashlight and let his eyes quickly adjust to the darkness. 

It was windy today, with moonlight, and visibility was pretty good. The scene in front of him quickly came into view. 

At the end of the hallway, the glass door was closed.

He remembered they’d been open when he came this way.

The wind? No. The wind wouldn’t know to avoid the mop bucket and then close the door. He sensed a scent in the air that didn’t belong in this building.

The familiar smell of paper, dust, and a faint, fishy stench.

Lu Yao pulled out his alloy bone blade, reached into his pocket for a Qingming green rice ball, and ate it right away.

【Qingming green rice ball: Provides protection against low-level zombie virus infection for 1 hour after consumption, during which stamina is slowly restored.】

“Sir,” he said, “visits outside office hours require an appointment.” 

A low growl from the depths of darkness answered him. Jackpot, he thought.

You can’t walk along the riverbank without getting your shoes wet—let’s just hope he doesn’t get them too soaked today. 

He shifted half a step to the side, braced the back of his hand against the wall, and instantly turned the flashlight to its brightest setting.

The flashlight, a system reward, was astonishingly bright; for a moment, it was as if the sun had risen inside the office. 

Just then, a shadowy figure plummeted from the fire sprinkler pipe on the ceiling, its limbs splayed outward in an unnatural stance—it didn’t look human at all. Damn. It’s actually a zombie, not a human.

So that meant Plan A—kneeling down and begging for mercy—wasn’t going to work! Damn it, it was forcing him to change his plan! 

He didn’t know how this zombie would attack, so he didn’t dare charge straight at it with his sword. Its skin was thin and taut, with a grayish-blue tint, and muscle fibers bulged at the joints.

There are two possible explanations for this condition:

First, this zombie must have spent its days in life idly cracking its joints for fun; repeated blood congestion in the joint capsules and the gradual thickening of the synovial membrane over time caused the joints to grow larger and larger.

The second possibility: this particular zombie has evolved.

Using his exceptional intelligence, Lu Yao painstakingly deduced this second reason.

He immediately grabbed a chair and hurled it at it.

An ordinary zombie would probably have been knocked off balance by such a brutal blow, but this thing barely even looked up; it simply twisted sideways, and the swivel chair whizzed past it, crashing into the glass wall and shattering into a huge pile of shards.

“Are you kidding me—you twisted that fast?”

Lu Yao grumbled as he gripped his alloy bone blade tighter. The zombie twisted even faster than he’d expected; the moment it turned to dodge the chair, it was already lunging at him, its speed creating a trail of cold wind.

The first strike was a direct clash.

The bone blade struck its forearm; Lu Yao felt a tingling numbness in his thumb and index finger, and his grip nearly slipped. He rolled with the momentum and slashed at the zombie’s calf. The blow lacked enough force—it split the skin but didn’t completely sever the tendon.

The zombie swung back, its claws scraping across his shoulder, leaving a searing pain.

But at this distance, it was close enough for him to fire two shots from his tranquilizer gun at point-blank range.

The zombie staggered twice—it was working; its speed had slowed.

Lu Yao seized the opportunity to retreat into the conference room, reaching out to pull the door shut and lock it as he went. The zombie charged almost right up against the door; with a piercing screech, the glass door of the conference room shattered completely.

But taking advantage of this moment, Lu Yao had already reached the other exit of the conference room—the fire door. The zombie lunged at him, and Lu Yao slammed the door shut with all his might.

The door panel pinned the zombie’s forearm, and with a thud, a sickening scraping sound came from the crack in the door.

He knew he’d lose in a strength contest, so he threw his full weight against the door and quickly chained it shut.

“Sir, please wait patiently outside.”

Lu Yao even had time to throw in a cheeky remark; he had no intention of simply running away.

If he ran, the zombie had ten thousand ways to get around the door, catch up to him, and kill him. He immediately raised the alloy bone blade in his hand and began sawing through the zombie’s arm.

The zombie roared, rammed the door, and lashed out wildly—but since he’d already been grabbed once, how could Lu Yao back down now? With two sharp snaps, one of the zombie’s arms was severed. The zombie went berserk, slamming into the door; the chain looked like it was about to snap.

He switched to a two-handed grip on the blade—no flashy movie-style poses, just raw, desperate struggle.

His dark eyes were deep and still, reflecting neither the light of the sky nor the glow of blood and fire. His shoulder-length hair, disheveled from the recent battle, carried an ominous beauty reminiscent of a raven’s broken feathers.

The zombie gradually squeezed through the crack in the door. Lu Yao raised his hand and fired shot after shot from his zombie tranquilizer gun. The doorframe was pinching it painfully, and the tranquilizer was making it dizzy; it lowered its head and lunged toward him.

With perhaps less than five centimeters between them, Lu Yao didn’t back down; he lunged at it as well. In a situation like this, when two opponents meet head-on, the brave one prevails. He had created this standoff, so now he had to be the brave one. 

The zombie was screeching, and Lu Yao was screeching too. 

The alloy bone blade ripped through its chest, and it let out a scream that was neither human nor ghostly.

Lu Yao knew it would take one final blow. The spine or the head—he had to choose one.

Lu Yao raised his hand, mustering every ounce of strength, and brought it down hard on the creature’s skull. Only children have to choose; grown-ups take it all.

Thick, dark red blood splattered onto his pale skin.

His blood-stained fingertips brushed aside the strands of black hair obscuring his vision, leaving wet streaks of blood on his face.

Lu Yao exhaled slowly:

“Overtime’s over.”

“What a pity—so thoroughly soaked.”

Half an hour later, Lu Yao returned home.

He hesitated for a moment as he inserted the key into the lock, tossed the zombie corpse he was holding aside, and clenched his hand around the alloy bone blade. Then he took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

In the living room, Qin Ye hadn’t gone to sleep; he was still working out tomorrow’s plan.

“Boss, you’re back—Aaaaaah! Boss, what, what, what’s wrong with you!!!!”

Lu Yao stood where he was, watching Qin Ye’s expression for a few seconds before sheathing the alloy bone blade. This time, he trusted Qin Ye completely.

“If you yell that loud, be careful—our neighbors might complain about you,” Lu Yao said. “Go pick up the stuff from the hallway.”

Qin Ye ran over and, upon seeing the zombie’s corpse in the hallway, was startled once again: “Big, big, big boss, what is this? How did you get hurt? La la la…”

“La la la, I’m a little expert at selling newspapers,” Lu Yao replied offhandedly.

Qin Ye：“……”

Lu Yao: “I’ve got two pieces of bad news—one for you, and one for me. Which one do you want to hear first?” Qin Ye paused for a moment, looked at the wounds on Lu Yao’s body, and said tremblingly, “Big shot, tell me yours first.” 

Lu Yao: “Okay, my bad news is that I’ve finished my resignation letter—I’m about to become unemployed.” 

Qin Ye: “Um… ah… what about my bad news?”

Lu Yao: “Your bad news: I won’t get infected by the zombie virus, so you’re still going to have to be my slave and my underling.”

Qin Ye let out a sigh of relief. He slumped onto the couch, his face reflecting the relief of having narrowly escaped disaster: “Boss, what are you talking about? Isn’t this all good news?”

Lu Yao looked at Qin Ye like this and couldn’t help but laugh.

He looked around the cramped room, taking in the warm yellow light.

Seeing this scene after such a fierce battle, and hearing those words… it felt quite heartwarming. He thought.