"Hmm~ It seems our luck is starting to turn!"

  As Lin Tao led Bai Ru into the convenience store, he was quite satisfied with what he saw. The store was well-stocked—not only were the shelves filled with goods, but even behind the counter, several unopened cartons were stacked neatly. It was as if the store owner had just restocked before the outbreak. However, one unsettling sight spoiled the otherwise fortunate find—a broken shelf near the wall, where scattered, bckened fragments of bone y. Judging by their condition, it was evident that the infected Bai Ru had just taken down had feasted on them with great diligence, stripping every st bit of flesh clean.

  "You think... these bones might belong to the store owner's wife? That he turned into an infected and ate his own wife?" Bai Ru clutched her gun, her beautiful face twisted in a strange expression as she stared at the pile of bckened bones.

  "Unless they were lovers, I highly doubt it." Lin Tao chuckled, shaking his head as he pointed at a thick fragment that resembled a femur. "Look at this—it’s far too thick for a woman's leg bone. This belonged to a strong man, at least 1.8 meters tall. Even if a woman were that tall, her bones wouldn't be this robust."

  "Ugh~ Do you have to be so disgusting? And 'lovers'?! Seriously?" Bai Ru wrinkled her nose and shot him a gre.

  "You're the one making up twisted scenarios, not me. Your mind is the one going to dark pces," Lin Tao teased, shaking his head before stepping behind the counter. Squatting down, he rummaged through the storage area and found an oddly shaped machete. He weighed it in his hands, then drew it from its nylon sheath, inspecting the bde. Near the handle, a row of small, engraved characters caught his eye: "Wang Chengwu – Retirement Commemoration, 2002".

  Flipping the bde over, he saw four bold characters etched clearly: "Defend Home and Country".

  A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

  Lin Tao slid the machete—sheath and all—into his belt, then gnced over at Bai Ru, who was gleefully searching for food. He had something to say but swallowed the words back down. He didn’t want to burden her with the realization that she might have just killed a retired special forces soldier. Even though the man had turned into an infected, Bai Ru, being a woman, might overthink it. Better to let it be.

  "Ha! Look what I found—a brand-new razor! And it’s Gillette!" Bai Ru beamed as she pulled out an unopened razor from the cabinet and waved it at Lin Tao.

  "Perfect timing. My old one needed repcing." Lin Tao took the razor from her and stuffed it into his red-and-bck waist pouch, which still bore the logo "Red Bull Promotional Gift". Then he said, "Keep searching for supplies. Don’t take too many cigarettes—we need food more than anything. I'm going outside to bury the store owner's body."

  "Bury an infected? What’s the point? There's too many of them now." Bai Ru stood up, looking puzzled.

  "We’re taking his supplies—leaving him to rot in the open feels wrong. A little respect for the dead doesn't hurt," Lin Tao replied casually.

  "Then... I'll go with you. After all, I was the one who killed him," Bai Ru hesitated before offering.

  "No need. I'll just dig a quick hole and be back in no time," Lin Tao waved her off and stepped outside.

  But once outside, he didn't just dig any random pit. Instead, he retrieved a folding shovel from the car and carefully dug a rectangur grave behind the store. He then wrapped some of the scattered bones in cloth and buried them alongside the infected corpse. Finally, he crafted a simple wooden marker and carved into it:

  "Grave of Wang Chengwu and His Friend."

  "Lin..."

  Just as Lin Tao finished paying his respects with three bows, Bai Ru approached from behind, her expression complicated. She handed him a photograph—one with vivid colors—her brows furrowed. "Why didn’t you tell me they were soldiers?"

  Lin Tao took the photo and examined it. It was a group picture of several soldiers in camoufge uniforms. The caption read in golden characters: "Special Forces Unit - Retirement Photo. Captain Wang Chengwu".

  He looked at Bai Ru, then shook his head lightly and spoke in a calm voice. "What good would it do to tell you? We can't even be certain that the one buried here is him. And even if it is, his military past no longer matters—he was an infected. Even his former comrades would have shot him without hesitation. I buried him simply because... I was once a soldier too."

  "I know you were just sparing my feelings," Bai Ru said, letting out a helpless chuckle. "But I'm not as fragile or sentimental as you think. I know what I killed wasn’t a person anymore. Maybe putting them down was a way to free their trapped souls. I won’t dwell on it." She turned to the grave and bowed three times as well.

  "It’s good that you think that way. In a world like this, having the right mindset is the most important thing," Lin Tao nodded approvingly as they walked back toward the store together.

  As the sun began to set, the girls returned excitedly to the vehicle, their arms full of freshly picked wild vegetables. They piled them onto the roof of the car. Meanwhile, Lin Tao and Bai Ru had looted several more small restaurants and stores, dispatching a fair number of infected in the process. Their haul of survival supplies had also grown considerably.

  Under Lin Tao’s guidance, Bai Ru personally took down three more infected. With each kill, she became noticeably more efficient. Her weapon had also been upgraded—from an axe to a machete forged from spring steel. Though she still struggled slightly with its weight, the sheer sharpness of the bde made decapitating infected all the easier.

  Night was falling. Lin Tao smmed his foot down on the gas, sending the vehicle crashing through a white metal gate before skidding to a halt in a wide-open courtyard. He jumped out first, surveying the area with satisfaction—this pce was ideal.

  "Alright, everyone out! We’re camping here for the night!" he called.

  It was a natural gas transfer station. Being a hazardous facility, it was built far from any residential areas—within a kilometer radius, there was nothing but farmnd. Now, however, the once-tended fields had turned into a sea of overgrown weeds, some reaching waist height. If there were any infected hiding within, they certainly weren’t smart enough to use it as cover.

  Hu Laoda swiftly jumped out from the passenger seat, rifle in hand. The girls cmbered out as well, following Zhang Hong’s instructions as they began unloading supplies. Meanwhile, Lin Tao strode over to the gas tanks and checked the pressure gauges. Once he confirmed that all four massive tanks were completely empty, he breathed a sigh of relief. If there had been any gas left, an accidental explosion during cooking could have wiped them all out—a catastrophe he wasn’t willing to risk.

  Bai Ru and Cao Mei, now seemingly settled into their roles as bodyguards, didn’t wait for orders. Each gripping a gun, they followed the techniques Lin Tao had taught them—covering each other as they cautiously kicked open the door to the single-story office building. Moving in sync, they scanned the interior, backs pressed together, thoroughly checking each room.

  Ten minutes ter, both emerged, their faces rexed. Bai Ru fshed Lin Tao an "OK" gesture, signaling that the building was secure. Lin Tao nodded back, giving her a thumbs-up.

  Bai Ru beamed at him, her sweet smile causing Lin Tao’s heart to skip a beat.

  Damn... this woman is dangerously beautiful.