Two grenades were thrown out, their destructive power overwhelming. The tightly packed infected were instantly wiped out. Fang Zhiyi didn't stop there—he reached over to Xiao Hei and pulled out an automatic rifle.
"I told you, the advantage is mine." He clearly saw the stunned expression on the blonde woman's face. "A smart one, huh? Too bad."
Old Fang, who hadn't found his son, wore a grim expression as he led the search team back. He knew that even if Fang Zhiyi was gone, he had to protect the weapons his son had risked his life to secure.
The convoy was silent, partly because they had just witnessed the horrors of the city for the first time, and partly because Young Master Fang had lured the infected away to ensure their safe entry.
"It's all my fault! How could I have been so scared?" Old He suddenly slapped himself across the face.
The convoy slowly entered the mountain villa. The people waiting at the entrance watched in silence as they unloaded the weapons. Finally, someone asked what had happened.
"What? How many died in the city?"
"Young Master Fang didn’t make it back?"
"Old He, you bastard! You let Young Master Fang be the bait?" A fierce woman rushed forward and grabbed Old He by the ear. "You go find him right now! If you don’t bring him back, don’t bother coming back yourself!"
"Waaah, Young Master Fang was so young, so handsome..."
"I had a crush on him, waaah..."
Old Fang sighed and forced himself to stay composed. "Everyone, quiet. Life and death are fated. My son has always had nine lives!"
"Boss Fang!" Someone ran up to him.
Old Fang raised a hand to stop them. "Even if he’s dead, don’t tell me. In my heart, my son will always be alive." He wiped his eyes. "Even if he became a ghost, he’d come back to see me."
The man scratched his head, hesitating before speaking. "Well, Boss Fang... Young Master Fang’s ghost has returned."
The gates swung open, and Fang Zhiyi, riding a beat-up motorcycle, cursed as he pushed it inside. "Of all times to break down, right when we’re going uphill! Toss it? What a waste. Keep it? Do you know how heavy this piece of junk is?"
Meanwhile, Lin Nuan had been living with Zhou Yue for days, surviving on nothing but compressed biscuits and bottled water. The suffocating routine made her wonder—had she been reborn just to live like this? Weren’t people who got a second chance supposed to find a perfect husband and become the queen of some powerful man? Especially when Zhou Yue kept looking at her with that pathetic, lovestruck expression—it was starting to disgust her.
Sure, in her past life, he had saved her. But in this life, he hadn’t. And he ate way too much!
But she didn’t dare leave either, so she stayed cooped up with Zhou Yue day after day. Eventually, he couldn’t hold back anymore, and the two of them ended up tangled together in a messy encounter. After five minutes of discomfort, Lin Nuan felt even more justified in bossing him around.
Back at the villa, after the last incident, Fang Zhiyi had educated everyone about the infected outside. Then came firearms training and target practice—though to conserve ammo, they used crossbows for drills.
Old Fang had also handpicked a group from the villa, dividing them into ten squads. Every three days, one squad was sent out—either to scavenge supplies or scout the area. The goal was to acclimate them to the apocalypse and sharpen their combat skills.
Fang Zhiyi, with the help of Xiao Hei’s X-ray vision, had looted an armory before returning and stuffed everything into Xiao Hei’s storage. Now, his routine was to go out every other day and pretend to haul back a fresh batch of weapons.
He was a seasoned leader, and under his training, the villa quickly became a fortress of armed civilians. The ten squads, in particular, had reached near-military discipline. What surprised him most was that Wu Mengmeng, the supposed villainess, had become Squad Eight’s leader!
Even more surprising? Every time she saw him, she’d sidle up to chat, her gaze practically dripping with affection.
"Xiao Hei, be honest—who did the villainess like in the original story?"
"Yang Tian. But they never got together."
"Nothing to do with me, right?"
"Nothing." Xiao Hei was firm.
The villa’s crops had reached harvest season, and the air was thick with joy. Being safe with family and friends, now even growing their own food—who wouldn’t be happy?
Two months ago, Old Fang had abruptly stepped down, leaving everything to Fang Zhiyi while he and a few old-timers took up fish farming. Fang Zhiyi had adjusted quickly, promoting trusted people to manage affairs.
"Everyone, I know you’re happy now. But how about something even better?" Fang Zhiyi asked.
"Yes!"
"Starting tomorrow, we take back the city." He turned and raised a hand. His assistant quickly lowered the hanging map.
"Over the past three months, our squads have entered the city over a hundred times. The terrain, the infected hotspots—it’s all recorded here. First, let’s take three minutes to honor our fallen comrades."
Everyone stood and bowed their heads.
"Their sacrifices won’t be in vain. We have guns, people, intel, and food!" Fang Zhiyi slammed a hand on the table. "Time to show them who’s in charge!" He turned, pointing at the city map. "These infected killed your relatives, your friends. Among the dead might be your elementary school buddy, your middle school teacher, the lady who ran the corner store. They destroyed everything!"
"Sure, some of you might think—why not just stay here? Farm, raise kids. But what about the future?" He gestured toward a corner where children had gathered, drawn by the excitement. "What do we tell them when they ask why we live behind these walls? Why the ruins outside? Why the only medical care is a tiny clinic? How do you answer?"
"We fight—not just for us, but for their future!"
"Fight!" Someone stood, fist raised.
"Fight!"
"Take it back!"
Even the security team raised their guns.
At dawn the next day, the villa gates opened, and a massive convoy poured out. Half stayed behind to guard the base, while the rest were armed to the teeth with guns and ammo.
Fang Zhiyi was confident. No matter how monstrous, no carbon-based lifeform stood a chance against overwhelming firepower.
They entered the city with ease. Gunfire echoed through the streets all day as survivors were rescued and brought to safety, while the infected were gunned down and hauled outside to be piled up.
Progress was slow—the gunfire drew hordes of infected toward the city center.