Chapter 28: The Ice Dragon's Spine

Even after its head had been severed, the muscles of the corpse on the floor continued to twitch, the blue-green veins bulging grotesquely. Chen Yuan realized he had been thinking about this too simply.

The two women stood behind him, their gazes also fixed on the grisly remains. After a moment, Anna spoke, her voice uncertain. "A long time ago, on a very obscure website, I think I read an article about something like this."

Her words immediately caught Chen Yuan's attention. "Tell me everything."

Anna nodded and took a moment to recall before continuing. "A while back, the United States was developing a very special virus. At low temperatures, the virus becomes highly active. Once a human is infected, their central nervous system is destroyed, and they become a walking corpse that only knows how to eat people. They only have the instinct to feed and feel no pain. The only way to stop them is to destroy the spinal column, to cut off the nerve signals to the limbs."

After listening, Chen Yuan pondered for a moment. "But how would a virus from the U.S. get all the way over here?"

Anna shook her head. "There was speculation that it was developed to deal with Russia, which is in a frigid zone. I imagine they must have their own specific antiviral agent."

Chen Yuan gave a noncommittal nod. Nothing appears out of thin air; there is always a source. He couldn't concern himself with what happened to the first zombie. The most critical question now was how many more of them were in this city. And, could these things evolve?

A series of dark possibilities flashed through his mind, and he felt a wave of frustration.

"Forget it. Researching this now is useless. We need to find a new place first. There's no guarantee there aren't other zombies in this building."

Chen Yuan's words shattered the fragile sense of calm the two women had just regained.

"Right, right! We need to pack our things!" Qi Yan scrambled back towards the conference room. Anna nodded and followed close behind.

Chen Yuan had nothing to pack; his world was in the store hanging around his neck. He led his three robot dogs to the front desk to stand guard at the entrance. His gaze drifted to the fire door at the end of the corridor, and he muttered to himself, "Could it be that I was the one who let the zombie in when I broke that fire door?"

The elevators in the building had stopped working long ago. The only way up was through the fire escape. He couldn't figure it out. It was all too confusing. Maybe he had left a scent trail on his way up, or maybe it was just a coincidence that the door was open.

A short while later, Qi Yan and Anna ran out, each carrying a hiking backpack that reached halfway up their backs. The cups and bowls hanging from the sides clattered against each other with a series of sharp clinks.

"Are the zombies attracted to sound?" Chen Yuan asked out of the blue.

"Well…" Anna pursed her lips. "I think scent, sound, or light could all attract them."

Hearing this, Qi Yan silently put her backpack down and stuffed the clattering items inside.

"Alright. We need to find a new place to spend the night," Chen Yuan said, opening the map display on his goggles and beginning to search.

An office building was definitely no longer an option. A moment of carelessness and they could be completely surrounded. Based on his experience from watching TV shows, the best locations were in dense, village-like urban areas. There were more places to hide and more escape routes. But they were currently in the city's central business district. Where could they find a suitable place?

The three of them headed for the fire escape and began their descent, their steps light, trying not to make a sound.

By the time they emerged from the office building, they found the temperature seemed to have dropped even further.

Chen Yuan had been scanning the map the entire way down and had found a relatively suitable location. "There's a row of bars by the riverfront up ahead. We'll spend the night there."

The city was named Jiangcheng—River City—because it was encircled by a river. The riverside road was a hub of commerce, and across from the greenway were numerous bars and entertainment venues. In the old world, when night fell, this would become the liveliest place in the entire city.

Qi Yan and Anna naturally nodded in agreement. After all, without Chen Yuan, they had no way of killing zombies.

Fortunately, the riverfront was only a kilometer away from their current location.

Tieniu and Tieqiong cleared the path ahead. Tiedan stayed at Chen Yuan's side. The two women followed closely behind him, matching his every step.

Perhaps because the buildings grew denser the closer they got to the river, the wind gradually began to ease. The two women tightened their collars, their bodies shivering slightly. In this environment, without a thermostatic suit like Chen Yuan's, no amount of thick clothing could ward off the侵蚀 (qīnshí - erosion/corrosion) of the severe cold.

The one-kilometer distance took the three of them an hour to traverse.

Looking from afar, Chen Yuan could see that the once-surging river had already frozen solid. It snaked its way through the city like the fossilized spine of an ice dragon. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

He picked a bar and broke down the door. The searchlight illuminated the interior. High, round tables were arranged neatly, with booth seating areas on the sides and on a raised platform. Unfinished drinks had long since frozen solid in their glasses, and the floor was littered with confetti left behind by the party crowd.

The bar was only a single story, which made it easier to inspect. The three robot dogs split up and swept the area in two overlapping circles, not missing a single corner—the bathrooms, the dressing rooms, the AV equipment room...

「Report, Master. No threats detected.」

Chen Yuan nodded and walked to the back door. He pushed on the security door and found it was blocked by a snowdrift outside.

"Tieniu, you stand guard at the back door."

「Roger.」

Then, he went to the front and had Tieqiong use its mechanical arm to drag the heavy booth sofas over, barricading the main entrance.

After a flurry of work, he finally felt a sense of security. The long, tense night had left all three of them exhausted. Qi Yan set up a tent and crawled inside with Anna. Chen Yuan, however, didn't pitch his own. It still wasn't safe enough.

He went to one of the booth sofas, propped his legs up on the coffee table, and leaned back. He looked at the T-shaped stage and the DJ booth on the platform, a bitter smile on his face. In the past, he might have been the one to grandly shout, "All drinks are on Young Master Chen tonight!" But now... all that remained was the desolation of an empty hall.

The night passed without a word.

The next day, Chen Yuan was woken by Tiedan. 「Master, it is eight o'clock.」

He rubbed his dry eyes, feeling a deep weariness in his bones. He took a swig of Mineral Life Water from his backpack, and his spirit was instantly restored. He looked at the motionless tent not far away, thought for a moment, and walked over.

He reached out, gave the tent's support pole a little shake, and said, "Time to get up. We need to get on the road today."

A moment later, Anna's gentle voice came from inside. "Mm, just a moment. We'll be right up."

"Alright."

Chen Yuan nodded, called Tieniu back from the rear, and began to clear the front entrance.

A short while later, the two women finished packing and emerged with their hiking bags. The three of them stood facing each other. Anna was the first to speak.

"Yesterday… thank you, truly. If you hadn't acted, we might have become… zombies."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly. "I was in there too. Did I have a choice?"

Hearing this, Qi Yan let out a small laugh. "If you became a zombie, you'd probably be a pretty tough one."

The corner of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched. Thanks for the compliment, I guess.

"Alright," he said, getting back to business. "Which camp are you two planning to head to?"