Mu Chenyi’s Suspicion

At that moment, Mu Chenyi's vision, following the future self's gaze, suddenly shifted toward Chen Wan'er, who appeared visibly anxious and frightened.

Sensing his gaze, Chen Wan'er hesitated for a brief moment before raising her head, meeting his eyes. But just as quickly, she averted her gaze, avoiding his scrutiny.

"What's the situation with Anran's squad?" Wang Zichen asked.

"I notified them that we were surrounded, and instead of coming to our aid, they went straight to the mayor's location," the one-armed man responded.

"What the hell does that mean?" Wang Zichen frowned, clearly displeased. "Are they trying to rescue us indirectly, or are they just using us as bait to accomplish their own goal?"

"A bit of both, I'd say. We can't expect them to prioritize saving a group of people already trapped by these creatures," the one-armed man replied calmly.

"Old Zhao, are you sure this base of yours is secure?" Wang Zichen asked, still shaken. "According to Mu Chenyi, my underground hideout didn't stand a damn chance against these things."

"Enough already!" The one-armed man cut him off. "My place is fortified like a damn fortress. These bastards won't get in."

Mu Chenyi, still observing the scene from his vision, fell silent.

Yeah… sure. Just like Wang Zichen's 'fortress' was impenetrable.If this place was really as safe as he claimed, then why was he seeing this disaster unfold before his eyes in the vision?

And so, the long wait began.

The four of them watched helplessly as the creatures in the surveillance footage pulled out an array of human weapons—grenade launchers, handguns, and explosives—before launching a coordinated assault, breaking into their underground stronghold.

The so-called fortress the one-armed man had been boasting about? It was falling apart like it was made of paper.Every trap and reinforced barrier inside the base was being systematically torn down.

"These bastards… they actually know how to use human weapons?!" Wang Zichen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in disbelief.

In his panic, he clumsily fumbled for a cigarette, lighting it with shaky hands. He took a deep drag, letting the smoke swirl around him, trying to steady his nerves.

"Old Zhao… what the hell do we do now?"Instinctively, he turned toward the one-armed man, waiting for an answer.

At that moment, the one-armed man was also smoking, his single hand trembling just slightly.

"You're asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?" He took a deep drag from his cigarette, his voice carrying a bitter edge. "How about we try the same trick you used to get here—jump in the armored vehicle and see if we can ram our way out again?"

Wang Zichen: …

Brilliant idea… NOT.

Wasn't that exactly how they had arrived here in the first place? Did this guy think the monsters were brain-dead? No way would the same method work twice.

So, Wang Zichen turned to the future self. "Brother Mu, what do you think?"

"Staying here means waiting for death. Getting in the armored vehicle and at least trying to break through is our best bet," the future self replied.

At this point, there was no other option. If they stayed put, they would die.

These creatures weren't just chasing them blindly—they could smell them.

With no other choice, the four of them sprinted toward the underground garage. But unlike Wang Zichen's hideout, the one-armed man had designed his with only one exit.

"You're supposed to be some genius, and yet you only built one damn exit?" Wang Zichen shot the one-armed man a look of utter disbelief.

"Because if even my stronghold falls, then realistically, I wouldn't have a chance of surviving the apocalypse anyway." The one-armed man shook his head. "These enemies are far stronger than we anticipated. These green-haired freaks are several times more dangerous than the zombies we've encountered before. At least zombies can't operate military-grade weapons."

After all, when had anyone ever seen zombies wielding grenade launchers?

If a zombie apocalypse didn't feature evolved zombies with special mutations, it wouldn't even be classified as a true disaster-level apocalypse—it'd just be a glorified plague.

If these green monsters were only scratching at the doors with their claws, they could probably scratch for a whole year and still not break through his one-meter-thick alloy gates.

In the garage, Wang Zichen's armored vehicle sat fully refueled and freshly cleaned.

"Get in!"

The one-armed man wasted no time. He knew Wang Zichen had a high-level driving skill, so he immediately let him take the wheel while he slid into the passenger seat.

The moment everyone was in position, the armored vehicle roared to life.

As the garage doors opened to the outside world, a deafening rumble followed—

The armored vehicle shot forward like a battering ram!

The green-haired monsters blocking the exit were instantly obliterated, their bodies sent flying like ragdolls under the force of the vehicle's sheer impact.

The armored vehicle lurched violently as it bulldozed through the perimeter.

"That was… too easy?"

Wang Zichen was genuinely surprised.

Checking the rearview mirror, he saw that the horde of green monsters had already been left far behind. It felt almost… unreal.

But just as the armored vehicle was about to break free from the encirclement—

BOOM!

A sudden feeling of weightlessness surged through them as the armored vehicle lurched violently.

Something—a hidden pitfall? A collapsed section of road?—had sent them spiraling downward.

All four inside lost their balance, their bodies slamming into the interior as they plummeted.

Through the chaos, faint voices reached Mu Chenyi's ears.

Wang Zichen's panicked shout: "Which bastard set up a trap here?!"

The one-armed man's voice, filled with disbelief: "Impossible! How did those monsters know the exact blind spots in my surveillance?!"

Among the confused yells, Chen Wan'er's frightened gasp echoed the loudest.

Then—

Darkness.

"Cough! Cough!"

Mu Chenyi suddenly snapped back to consciousness.

His breathing was heavy, his mind sluggish—but he was awake.

"Brother Mu, were you just using your ability?"

The concerned voice of Wang Zichen cut through the haze.

Mu Chenyi slowly regained his bearings. His head turned, catching Wang Zichen's worried gaze in the driver's seat and Chen Wan'er's anxious expression beside him.

His hand instinctively rubbed at his temple, as if trying to ease a dull headache.

"…Yeah."

He waved them off, signaling that he was fine, then leaned back against the seat, his mind rapidly processing the images from his fifth death replay.

A long silence settled.

Then—

A flicker of realization flashed in his eyes, only to be swiftly concealed.

He had overlooked something crucial.

Before, he had been too focused—too caught up in the immediate danger—to notice. But now, with all five replays aligning in his mind…

He had it.

He knew the way to clear this city's apocalyptic dungeon.

A small smirk almost crept onto his lips, but he pressed it down.

Instead, his voice rang out, sharp and urgent—

"Wang Zichen, stop the car!"

"What?"

Wang Zichen slammed on the brakes, his eyes snapping toward Mu Chenyi, filled with confusion.

Was he serious?

Why stop now? The green-furred monsters were still right behind them!

"I have my own plan," Mu Chenyi stated firmly. "Drop me off here, then take Chen Wan'er and head to Old Zhao's place."

The sheer conviction in his tone left no room for argument.

With a frustrated sigh, Wang Zichen reluctantly unlocked the doors.

Just as Mu Chenyi was about to step out, he suddenly grabbed Wang Zichen's arm, his grip firm.

"Listen to me carefully!" His voice was dead serious.

"When you reach Old Zhao's fortress—do not stay there. Get in, grab Old Zhao, and leave immediately."

"Head straight for the meeting point Old Zhao arranged with Anran's squad—the mayor's office, in the city center."

Wang Zichen's face twisted in confusion.

"Wait, what? Old Zhao and Anran's squad planned to meet at the mayor's office? Since when?!"

Mu Chenyi didn't explain.

His next words came with an eerie certainty.

"Trust me. I just saw the real mastermind behind this entire apocalypse."

Wang Zichen's breath caught in his throat.

Mu Chenyi's next words were like thunder in his ears.

"The true orchestrators of this disaster… are Mayor Lü Mingtian and his son, Lü Zitao."

"What?!"

Wang Zichen was stunned.

"The mayor? But he's just an ordinary person!"

"Yes," Mu Chenyi agreed, his expression dark, "but he is also the final boss of this catastrophe."

Wang Zichen was still struggling to process this when Mu Chenyi stepped out of the vehicle.

Before slamming the door shut, he turned back one last time.

"And remember this—Old Zhao's fortress? It's not safe at all. Get out of there the moment you pick him up!"

With that, he was gone.

His figure disappeared into the night, sprinting toward the northern part of the city.

Wang Zichen and Chen Wan'er exchanged a helpless glance.

"Alright… yeah, I officially don't like prophecy-type players anymore," Wang Zichen muttered, exasperated.

Mu Chenyi just dropped a bombshell on them and left—no explanations, no context, just his cryptic certainty.

"Seriously, why do these premonition guys always have to act so damn mysterious?"

But grumbling wouldn't change anything.

With a sigh, he revved the engine and set course for Old Zhao's fortress.