The group followed Cao Mei into the building, but the interior was far from what they had hoped for. Sand, blown in through shattered windows, bnketed nearly every corner. Tables and chairs y toppled over, some almost entirely buried beneath the yers of dust. The group let out disappointed sighs—inside or out, it was all the same: a desote world consumed by sand.

  "Everyone, head to the second-floor dining area. Gather food if it's safe to do so!" Lin Tao stopped in his tracks, surveying the surroundings. Once he was certain there was no immediate danger, he stepped forward and tapped on the gun Cao Mei held tightly in her grasp. She looked at him in confusion, but Lin Tao simply gestured toward the outside and said loudly, "Those carrying guns, be mindful. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid firing. They may have lost their sense of smell for now, but their hearing is still sharp!"

  He pointed to his ear as he spoke, giving Cao Mei a meaningful gnce. She bit her lip lightly and nodded, her previously haughty expression briefly faltering.

  Inside the building, a few remaining undead still roamed. Hu Laoda took this as an opportunity to showcase his bravado, wielding a kukri bde he had stumbled upon. Effortlessly, he decapitated several of the creatures. With a smirk, he turned to his lover, Li Li, who immediately fawned over him, wiping his sweat and offering him water.

  "Hu, swap your knife with Bai Ru’s," Lin Tao said casually, taking a small sip from a bottle of mineral water.

  Hu Laoda frowned. "Why? This knife's pretty sharp."

  Lin Tao took the bck curved bde from him, inspecting it briefly before chuckling. "Kukris are designed for smaller individuals with less strength—primarily South Asians. You're nearly 1.8 meters tall. A longer machete like Bai Ru’s would be far more effective for you." He turned the bde over in his hands and added with a smirk, "Besides, this is just a knockoff of Cold Steel’s design—not exactly top-quality."

  "What the hell? Even knives have knockoffs?" Hu Laoda clicked his tongue in frustration but hesitated only briefly before exchanging weapons with Bai Ru. Once he received the heavy spring-steel machete in return, he tested its weight and finally nodded in satisfaction.

  With Michael leading the search, the group quickly cleared the building of any remaining threats. The girls wasted no time grabbing fresh clothes and rushing to the backyard for a much-needed outdoor bath. Meanwhile, Lin Tao and Hu Laoda remained outside the front entrance, respecting the women’s privacy. They, too, were eager to cleanse themselves. In a world like this, such a heavy downpour was a rare luxury—who knew when the next one would come?

  "This rain is eerie… Haven’t seen a downpour st this long in ages," Hu Laoda muttered, scrubbing his soapy hair while gncing at the rolling storm clouds. At his feet sat a half-used bottle of Head & Shoulders shampoo—his prize from a looted corpse.

  "Wash up quickly," Lin Tao replied, looking toward the parking lot. Even under the rain, scattered undead loitered aimlessly, their faces turned toward the sky with a strange, almost reverent expression. Lin Tao knew better than to mistake it for anything meaningful. The moment the rain stopped, those creatures would return to their vicious, relentless nature.

  He had no intention of dealing with them now. As long as proper precautions were in pce, they posed no immediate threat—if anything, they could serve as a warning system against hostile humans. With that in mind, Lin Tao rinsed off the soap, quickly washed his body, and headed back into the building.

  "Wait up, I need to take a dump!" Hu Laoda called out, grabbing a copy of Traffic Guide off the ground before jogging off to the side of the building.

  Then—

  Bang!

  Lin Tao had barely finished putting on his pants when a gunshot rang out from the backyard. His heart clenched—he immediately recognized the distinct sound of the Type 81 rifle he had given Bai Ru.

  Earlier, he had made it clear: no one was to fire unless absolutely necessary. If a shot had been fired… something serious must have happened.

  Without stopping to grab his shirt, he drew his pistol and dashed toward the backyard.

  The moment he burst through the doors, he took in the scene at a gnce. Bai Ru, cd only in her undergarments, stood beneath the eaves of the building, holding her rifle with unwavering steadiness. Behind her, the other women cowered, still naked, hiding behind whatever cover they could find. Meanwhile, Cao Mei stood completely topless, wearing nothing but a pair of bck underwear. She showed no hint of embarrassment as she aimed her shotgun at three unfamiliar men.

  The backyard, though small, had been designed with care—complete with stone benches, an artificial rock formation, and even a small fountain. Now, standing beside the towering Taihu rock, three disheveled men stared at Bai Ru and the others in shock. One of them y on the ground, clutching his bleeding thigh, wailing in agony.

  "What happened?" Lin Tao asked, his voice calm but firm as he stepped up beside the women. His gun, however, remained trained on the strangers.

  "They came out of nowhere and tried to assault us," Bai Ru answered, lowering her rifle slightly upon seeing Lin Tao. She kept a wary eye on the men while hurriedly pulling on her clothes. They had no issue baring themselves in front of Lin Tao, but they weren’t about to let just anyone ogle them.

  "Boss, p-please don’t misunderstand!" The man on the right, a middle-aged guy wearing mismatched camo pants and a greasy, dark red T-shirt, immediately fell to his knees in a pleading gesture. "We were just joking with the dies! We didn’t mean any harm!"

  Lin Tao’s eyes flickered toward the makeshift spears and shields lying on the ground. Though crude, the weapons had been welded together with surprising precision. Coupled with the retively healthy appearances of the men, it was clear they came from a well-established settlement.

  "You’re survivors from a gathering point?" he asked coolly.

  "Yes, sir! We come out once a week to scavenge for supplies," the younger man on the left stammered, still holding onto his injured companion. "Today… w-we just happened to search this area. We swear, we were only joking!"

  "Joking? Grabbing at us and groping us counts as joking?" Cao Mei sneered, stepping forward with her shotgun raised. Her time spent sughtering undead had given her a newfound sharpness, and it showed in her gaze.

  "Big sis, we wouldn’t dare! We were really just messing around!" The young man trembled violently, eyes darting between the gun barrels aimed at him. He frantically tried to inch backward, but fear kept him rooted in pce.

  Lin Tao pced a hand on Cao Mei’s shotgun, gently pressing it down. His gaze swept over the three men, and after a brief moment of thought, he asked, "How long have you been out here?"

  "Th-three days, sir!" The young man gulped nervously.

  "How far is your settlement? How many people?"

  "Two days on foot… We have about five or six thousand people…"

  Lin Tao raised an eyebrow. "That’s a sizable group." He gnced at their near-empty backpacks, then let out a knowing chuckle. "You’re not just out here looking for food, are you? If you were, your packs would be getting heavier, not lighter."

  His words nded like a hammer. The two conscious men exchanged troubled gnces, hesitating. Eventually, the older man exhaled and admitted, "We’re not searching for food. We’re… we’re looking for someone."

  Lin Tao’s brow furrowed. "Who?"

  The man hesitated again before finally answering, "A kid killed our leader’s son. We were sent to hunt him down."

  Before Lin Tao could respond, the younger man’s eyes suddenly widened in excitement. His gaze shot past Lin Tao’s shoulder, filled with raw, unrestrained relief—

  The look of someone who had just found salvation.

  Lin Tao’s stomach dropped. Instinctively, he knew—trouble had arrived.