Chapter 105: The Badge

"Not bad. You've got a real talent for combat."

Looking at the two evolved corpses on the ground, Zhao Kuo raised his hand and patted Bai Qi's back.

After undergoing a second-stage mutation, Bai Qi's height had surpassed two meters. Zhao Kuo, who used to pat his shoulder, now found it a bit of a stretch and had to settle for patting his back instead.

Facing Zhao Kuo's praise, Bai Qi smiled sincerely and said, "I learned it all from you, Brother Zhao. Honestly, I still feel like I'm lacking."

This was the truth.

From the first time he saw Zhao Kuo in action, Bai Qi had been in awe, silently practicing and mimicking his moves in his mind.

The techniques he had just used indeed bore Zhao Kuo's influence—equally sharp and ruthless.

Zhao Kuo looked at Bai Qi's humble attitude and felt even more satisfied.

A true warrior not only needed immense strength but also a humble mindset and an unrelenting drive to improve.

"Don't be modest. You've done exceptionally well," Zhao Kuo encouraged. "And you still have a lot of room to grow. We'll keep searching for virus essences to help you achieve a third-stage evolution."

Bai Qi nodded, his eyes shining with determination. He knew that only by becoming stronger could he survive in this dangerous world.

At the very least, he had to evolve for Brother Zhao and Sister Tang.

He wanted to be like the white feathered serpent Zhao Kuo had summoned, capable of overwhelming even second-stage evolved creatures!

Under Zhao Kuo's lead, the two continued clearing the second floor of the mall.

The further down they went, the more zombies there were, but ordinary evolved creatures were no match for Bai Qi now.

With his sharp bone knife and bone spikes, another Screamer fell to Bai Qi's attacks, and another True M-Virus Essence was obtained. They were now just one essence short of what Bai Qi needed for his evolution!

Looking out the window at the dimly lit sky, Zhao Kuo hesitated.

Dawn was approaching, and the zombies were becoming more active. The first floor was still teeming with a dense horde of zombies. If they swarmed, Zhao Kuo and Bai Qi, with their limited skills, might not be able to hold them off.

Better not to get greedy.

"Let's head back," Zhao Kuo said.

Bai Qi looked a bit regretful. It was clear he really wanted to grow stronger, but he also knew that daytime zombies were far more dangerous.

A dozen small zombies swarming together could be even more terrifying than an evolved creature.

So the two of them started running upstairs in perfect harmony. But just then, Bai Qi noticed that there was an ordinary zombie wandering around on the third floor.

"Didn't we already clear this area? Whatever, might as well kill it."

Without hesitation, Bai Qi launched two bone spikes, which shot out and violently tore off the zombie's skull.

But what he didn't expect was that as the zombie fell to the ground, a [True M-Virus Essence] actually dropped out, landing beside the corpse.

Huh? A regular zombie dropped a virus essence? Could he really be this lucky? He was just one essence away from evolving to the third stage!

Bai Qi glanced at Zhao Kuo's retreating figure as he went upstairs, hesitated for a moment, then dashed toward the virus essence.

It would only take a few seconds. Nothing could go wrong.

Zhao Kuo, with his keen senses, heard the commotion behind him and turned around. He saw Bai Qi already standing beside the [True M-Virus Essence], happily picking it up.

The body on the ground was that of a regular zombie.

A regular zombie dropped a [True M-Virus Essence]?

A regular zombie dropped a [True M-Virus Essence]!

Zhao Kuo's pupils trembled violently as he shouted, "Run!"

Bai Qi, hearing Zhao Kuo's voice, instinctively rolled to the side. Then, a deafening explosion erupted, and his body was flung backward by the massive shockwave, slamming hard into the wall.

Yes, it wasn't an ordinary zombie—it was an evolved variant, a [Suicide Bomber Zombie]!

The [Suicide Bomber Zombie] looked almost identical to a regular zombie, but it harbored immense energy within its body, capable of self-destructing when near death. Its explosive power was no weaker than the full-force attack of a second-stage evolved creature like the Bloodthirsty Berserker!

Caught completely off guard, half of Bai Qi's body was blown apart by the explosion, his flesh and blood scattering like fireworks.

The massive explosion also attracted the zombies on the first floor. With just a quick glance, Zhao Kuo spotted no fewer than five evolved variants!

Without hesitation, Zhao Kuo rushed over, picked up Bai Qi's shattered body, and sprinted upstairs.

When they reached the Western restaurant, Zhao Kuo didn't even bother with the passcode. He shouted, "Tang Yingying, open the door!"

The steel kitchen door quickly swung open.

Zhao Kuo darted inside like the wind and gently placed Bai Qi's broken body on the restaurant table.

Bai Qi's face was as pale as paper, the flame of his life seemingly on the verge of extinguishing.

Tang Yingying's eyes widened in shock as she quickly brought over the first aid kit and placed it on the table. "What… what happened?"

Zhao Kuo didn't answer. He took out medical supplies and began trying to stop Bai Qi's bleeding.

However, the extent of the injuries was too severe. Household medical supplies were utterly inadequate for such massive damage, but Zhao Kuo continued to struggle nonetheless.

Looking at Zhao Kuo's furrowed brow, Bai Qi's eyes flickered with an unusual light—a longing for life and deep gratitude toward Zhao Kuo and Tang Yingying.

"Brother Zhao… Sister Tang…" Bai Qi's voice was weak and trembling, as if it might dissipate into the air at any moment.

"Don't talk, don't be afraid!" Zhao Kuo glared at him. "It's nothing, just a minor injury. You'll be fine."

Tang Yingying turned her head away.

A minor injury? She had even seen Bai Qi's intestines spilling out. Such an injury was beyond saving, even in the real world, let alone in this apocalyptic wasteland!

Bai Qi was a good kid. Tang Yingying had felt that way from the very beginning.

Bai Qi looked at the two of them, forcing a faint smile onto his lips. "Brother Zhao, Sister Tang, thank you for always taking care of me. Meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life."

Zhao Kuo's hands stopped moving. His eyes flickered as he gazed at Bai Qi's pale yet determined face.

Tang Yingying covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back her tears.

Looking at Bai Qi, she was reminded of her younger sister—just as pale, just as helpless.

Bai Qi slowly turned his head, looking at the bright lights as if talking to himself. "Brother Zhao, I'm really grateful to you. These past few days have been so meaningful. Really, Brother Zhao… I think… I can see my parents now…"

A single tear rolled down the young man's cheek, filled with both reluctance and a sense of release.

At that moment, Zhao Kuo's flickering gaze hardened. He pulled a badge out of his pocket.

Yes, the Station Badge.

Just moments ago, the system had suddenly appeared, asking if he wanted to use the badge to save Bai Qi, who was on the verge of death.

And now, the badge, symbolizing eternity, was pressed against Bai Qi's chest.

Zhao Kuo's voice was cold, almost roaring as he said, "I haven't allowed you to die yet!"

…