The man’s gaze was razor-sharp, sending a chill down everyone's spine, like a predator eyeing its prey. He stood in a pool of blood, scanning the faces around him with an unsettling calm. Each time his eyes met someone else's, he locked onto them without hesitation, his stare unwavering and invasive. Any woman who caught his eye—including Bai Ru and Cao Mei—instinctively paled and quickly averted their gaze, unable to meet his in return.

  But when the wiry man’s eyes met Lin Tao’s, he hesitated. For a brief moment, his instincts seemed to kick in. His right hand, gripping a hunting knife, slowly rose to chest level. Expressionless, he spoke in a steady voice:

  “They came to kill me, so I killed them. Let me go.”

  Lin Tao remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the man. He didn’t reach for his gun, nor did he react with the same tense hostility as Bai Ru and the others. Instead, he simply regarded the man with a calm, detached expression.

  “Your legs are your own.”

  The wiry man shifted his stance slightly, uneasy. His eyes darted to the top of a nearby rock formation. “Your dog has locked onto me,” he muttered. “It’s a threat.”

  From the top of the artificial hill, a voice filled with amusement responded.

  “You’ve got guts, kid. I was about to bite your ass, and you still charged in to kill?”

  A tall, red hunting dog leaped down from its hidden perch, its tongue lolling pyfully. It circled the wiry man with interest, sniffing him as if sizing him up.

  “A talking dog?” The man’s eyes widened in disbelief, his body tensing with renewed wariness.

  “Country bumpkin,” the dog—Mikael—scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I can sing too.”

  The wiry man took a step back, keeping both Mikael and Lin Tao in his peripheral vision. Though he faced Lin Tao directly, his knife never strayed from a subtle, defensive angle. Unlike the rookies before him, he wasn't foolish enough to assume Cao Mei was the real threat in this group.

  “Can I leave now?” he asked, his voice steady but cautious.

  “You can,” Lin Tao replied with a faint smile. “But first, you’ll answer a few questions.”

  The man hesitated, then exhaled through his nose. “You want to know about the settlement, right?” He gestured toward the dead men’s backpacks. “I’ll tell you. But I get to take the food in their bags.”

  Lin Tao gave a slight nod, granting permission. Without hesitation, the wiry man knelt, rifling through the corpses’ packs. He retrieved a handful of food and, with an air of complete indifference, sat down on a young man’s still-warm body. Unfazed by the gruesome scene, he tore into a piece of ham, chewing noisily as he muttered,

  “Alright. Ask away.”

  “This isn’t exactly the best pce for a chat,” Lin Tao remarked, gncing at the fresh pool of blood beneath the man. “Now that the rain’s stopped, that mess is going to attract every zombie within ten kilometers.”

  “I know,” the man replied between bites. “So make it quick. The faster you ask, the faster I leave.”

  Lin Tao watched him eat like a starving animal, barely chewing before swallowing. The guy was obviously famished, shoving food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.

  “I have a proposition,” Lin Tao said, his tone ced with amusement. “Help us clean up these bodies, and I’ll treat you to some Wuliangye and Zhonghua cigarettes.”

  The man’s eyes lit up at the mention of the luxuries. “You serious?”

  Lin Tao shrugged nonchantly. “If you’re not afraid.”

  “What’s there to be afraid of?” The man snorted. “I barely have any meat on my bones. If you wanted to kill me, I couldn’t outrun a bullet anyway.”

  Without another word, he stuffed the st of his food into his mouth, dusted off his hands, and grabbed one of the corpses. Dragging it toward the courtyard exit, he called over his shoulder,

  “Give me ten minutes. I’ll have this pce spotless.”

  As the wiry man took care of the corpses, Lin Tao organized the rest of the group. Some reinforced the barricades, while others unloaded supplies. Unfortunately, the convenience store on the first floor had clearly been looted long ago. They scoured the pce, but their findings were minimal. However, the restaurant on the second floor yielded some dry goods—at least enough to provide a small morale boost.

  By the time they finished clearing out the restaurant and started boiling water for a meal, the wiry man had already returned. His eyes gleamed when he saw the assortment of food being prepared. Wiping away a thin trail of drool, he eagerly rubbed his hands together and grinned at Cao Mei, who was tending the pot.

  “Beautiful dy, how about a trade? I’ll give you two packs of instant noodles for some of that ham soup you’re making. Smells amazing.”

  Cao Mei looked up, smirking. “Oh? You think two lousy packs of ramen are worth our premium Jin Hua ham?”

  The man chuckled sheepishly. “How about I sweeten the deal?” He rummaged through his yellow backpack and pulled out an elegant gift box, presenting it to her like a prized treasure. “Found this in a Benz this morning—a full set of Lanc?me cosmetics! Now, I know you’re already a goddess, but even the most beautiful skin needs a little care, right?”

  Cao Mei raised an eyebrow, taking the box with mild amusement. She gave it a cursory gnce before setting it aside. “Not bad. But why were you carrying this around?”

  “Call it an investment,” the man replied with a grin. “Besides, don’t go calling me ‘kid.’ We might be closer in age than you think.”

  “Oh? And what age would that be?”

  “Respect, not age, determines how I address someone,” he said with a smirk. “But don’t let my scruffy look fool you—I’m an '80s baby. Just haven’t had time to shave. Once I clean up, I’m a certified '85-born pretty boy.”

  Cao Mei burst out ughing. “You? A pretty boy? Please. You’d make me ugh my teeth out.” She shook her head, amused. “Go keep Lin Tao company. Your soup will be ready soon.”

  The wiry man grinned. “Knew you had a good heart. Not only drop-dead gorgeous but kind too! Must’ve been a goddess in your past life.”

  As he fttered his way out of the conversation, he made his way to Lin Tao’s table. Without hesitation, he plucked a cigarette from a pack of Zhonghua, lit it, and took a deep, satisfying drag.

  “Haven’t had a smoke in half a month,” he sighed blissfully. “I was dying for one.”

  Lin Tao smirked and tossed him the rest of the pack. “What’s your name?”

  “Zhang Xu.” The man grinned, stuffing the cigarettes into his pocket. “What about you, big brother?”

  “Lin Tao.” Lin Tao leaned back in his chair, studying Zhang Xu carefully. “You ever serve in the military?”

  “I was a soldier, yeah. Not a special forces guy, though.” Zhang Xu exhaled a puff of smoke and grinned. “But after I retired, I worked as a bodyguard for a security firm. Spent a year training in Israel. Trust me—my skills aren’t any worse than those so-called special forces guys.”

  Across the room, a burly man scoffed. “Yeah? Then why were you running for your life from those five thugs?”

  Zhang Xu rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t matter how good you are—barehanded, you’re still screwed against guys with guns.” He held up three fingers. “They chased me for three days. Started with eight men and two guns. I took out three on the first day. One guy emptied an entire clip at me and still didn’t so much as graze me.”