Chapter 0060: The Brothers Who Survived the Catastrophe

The usually bustling streets were eerily quiet, as if humanity had vanished overnight. A gust of wind blew through, causing the trash bags on the ground to roll and flutter in the breeze, creating a rustling sound that echoed between the buildings, heightening the feeling of desolation, as if the prosperity of the past had entirely faded away.

"Gina, be careful!"

Without turning around, Di Ping called out to Gina.

The environment made him feel uneasy, as though they were walking on an ancient, desolate land. A sense of deathly silence enveloped them, suffocating the air and making it difficult to breathe.

"Yes, master."

Gina, aware of the danger, responded seriously, her eyes alert as she carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Looking at the map, Di Ping estimated that the underground mall was still about three kilometers away—it was not far now. He believed that if they stayed cautious, they should be fine.

Carrying his longsword, Di Ping moved cautiously forward, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, while his ears remained alert for any sounds. He had discarded the sword sheath after their recent battle, finding it cumbersome. He preferred using the sword without it—it was more practical than having to unsheathe it in moments of danger. He had originally thought of mimicking the heroic swordplay from martial arts movies, but it proved to be ineffective in reality.

Crash!

As they passed by a supermarket, a sudden sound of breaking glass rang out from inside. In the stillness of the environment, the sound was jarring. Di Ping jumped in surprise, and he and Gina exchanged a quick glance. In one fluid motion, they ducked behind a large tree, peering cautiously toward the supermarket.

The supermarket was small, with only three storefronts, all of which had large glass windows. Despite the absence of lighting inside, the space was unusually bright. Di Ping carefully moved to the entrance and peeked inside. The supermarket was silent now, with rows of shelves that blocked his view of the interior, making it impossible to see what was happening.

Yue Lie was originally a member of the underground food collection team. Their team of ten had already gone out two or three times, each time returning with a good haul and no significant issues. On their second trip to collect food, they had hoped for another routine mission, but they encountered disaster instead.

As they happily carried large bags of food back to the underground base, they were attacked by mutated dogs as they reached the plaza of a mall. The three people in front had no time to react before the mutated dogs pounced, tearing into them with savage ferocity, spilling blood everywhere.

Terrified, the others turned and ran, while two or three were so paralyzed with fear that they froze, trembling uncontrollably, unable to move. In that moment, no one cared about anyone else—those who could run were desperately sprinting for their lives, terrified of being caught by the dogs.

Yue Lie, reacting quickly, grabbed his frightened companion Liu Han and pulled him along, helping him regain his senses. Together, they began to run for their lives.

In the distance, the violent barking of the mutated dogs grew louder, and soon, more than ten more mutated dogs emerged from the shadows, drawn by the noise. The few who hadn't managed to escape were swiftly overtaken and viciously attacked, with blood splattering everywhere and their screams echoing in the air.

Several mutated dogs, not involved in the initial attack, started chasing after the fleeing humans, causing those being pursued to panic further. With the terrifying cries of the others in the background, they ran even faster, wishing they had more legs to escape.

However, their speed could not compare to that of the mutated dogs. The mutated dogs soon caught up to the two lagging behind, and in an instant, they were torn apart with horrific screams.

"Run!"

Yue Lie shouted over his shoulder at the remaining four, urging them to pick up their pace. He accelerated, leaving them behind, quickly putting distance between himself and the others. His physical strength proved advantageous, as he had been a competitive runner back in college. He quickly surpassed everyone and gained speed.

Only Liu Han, who was also relatively athletic and loved playing basketball, was able to keep up.

The two others, however, were office workers who didn't engage in physical labor. After running a short distance, they were already out of breath. Their faces went pale as they slowed down, shouting behind them, "Wait for me!"

Yue Lie and Liu Han had already rounded a corner, more than fifty meters ahead of the others, when two more screams rang out from behind them. It was clear that the two had not escaped either.

Without daring to look back, they ran toward a nearby hotel with its doors ajar. They bolted inside, quickly finding the staircase and rushing upstairs to hide in a room.

Unbeknownst to them, the mutated dogs that had caught the two lagging behind had not pursued them into the hotel. Instead, they were still consumed with tearing apart the two unfortunate individuals on the ground, allowing Yue Lie and Liu Han to escape unharmed.

Yue Lie and Liu Han, however, had no idea about this turn of events. They hid in the hotel, too scared to leave. They stayed there all day, only venturing out when their hunger became unbearable. But to their dismay, the hotel had already been looted, and not a single scrap of food remained.

Feeling desperate, they decided to risk it. They ventured out again, hoping they wouldn't be caught.

After several cautious checks to ensure no mutated dogs were nearby, they ventured downstairs in search of food.

The area had already been thoroughly scavenged by others, and there was nothing left to find. They had no choice but to head further out. After walking for a while, they finally discovered an unvisited supermarket.

They quickly pried open the door and found shelves stocked with food. With hunger driving them, they snatched up some bread and began eating. However, in his haste, Liu Han choked on the food, and in his panic, knocked a glass jar off a shelf.

The jar hit the floor with a loud crash!

The noise startled the two men, and their hearts raced. If mutated animals heard this, it would spell disaster. Immediately, they froze, holding their breath in fear.