The Crowd 011

Bzz... bzz...

Attention, attention. A new type of virus is breaking out. Please be on alert. Bzz...

Zhao Hu, his eyes hazy from sleep, looked around. Who... who's talking?

Chen Rui's eyes, however, gradually grew serious. It's the rescue channel!

Persistent high fever... bloodshot eyes... body tremors... bzz... the above... bzz... please use physical cooling methods...

What is this piece of junk? The signal keeps cutting in and out. Chen Rui slapped the radio in frustration.

So the plague really did break out? Zhao Hu froze for a moment before suddenly turning to grab his girlfriend, looking her up and down.

The others also began checking themselves. They only breathed a sigh of relief when they confirmed no one had any abnormalities.

We left the crowded areas at the very beginning, so we should be fine, Fang Zhiyi said. I just wonder how things are in the city right now.

No one asked him why he hadn't warned the others earlier, because they all knew those survivors wouldn't have believed him anyway.

In another place, Bai Haomin took fresh clothes out of his spatial storage and put them on, lying comfortably on a soft bed. Beside him sat a brand-new radio. He had stolen all these things right before the apocalypse hit.

Fools. You have no idea, but big trouble is coming, he chuckled, taking a sip of cola. Almost all the other residents in his building were dead. Unlike Fang Zhiyi's group, who could still go out to scavenge for supplies, the area around his residence had long been picked clean by him. The survivors who ventured out found nothing, and hunger had driven everyone mad with desperation.

I don't know how that Fang Zhiyi got so lucky to actually survive. But just wait until I find you; you're dead meat. Bai Haomin had already planned out his route. He would pretend to be a regular survivor heading to the northern shelter, then secretly discover some supplies to rapidly elevate his status, allowing him to live the rest of his life in absolute comfort.

As for Fang Zhiyi, taking care of him would just be a convenient side task along the way.

Fang Zhiyi and the others had stopped their excursions. Returning from their final trip, Zhao Hu ripped off his mask and threw it far away. It's over, it's all over! The streets were swarming with infected people. He had watched with his own eyes as an infected person was thrown straight off a building by their neighbors.

The pharmacy Fang Zhiyi had originally designated had also been looted clean, and everyone had fallen into a state of panic. Zhao Hu had immediately chosen to turn back. Fang Zhiyi had told them that if the situation ever looked dire, they were to return at once—even if it meant abandoning the supplies, the people had to make it back.

Has the apocalypse really arrived? someone asked with a heavy tone.

Fang Zhiyi tossed a piece of firewood into the pile before him, listening to the crackle of the damp wood. We are all still alive, so don't dwell on things beyond our control.

He had repeatedly emphasized that they were not allowed to stay in the luxurious buildings of the villa resort. He insisted that everyone stay in the small wooden cabins closest to the lawn. Even though it was quite damp and some of the girls were reluctant, seeing Fang Zhiyi's serious expression, no one voiced any objections. They could only clean up their little cabins as best as they could, shoveling the mud outside.

Sleeping with his arms around his girlfriend, Chen Rui felt a bit of panic in his heart. He didn't know why the world had descended into such chaos, and what would happen next? Amidst his wild thoughts, Chen Rui drifted off to sleep. However, not long after he closed his eyes, he felt someone violently shaking his bed.

Chen Rui immediately rolled over and sat up. Was there an intruder? It took him two seconds to react, realizing that everything in the room was shaking.

Earthquake! It's an earthquake!

The shouts pierced the night sky. The people in the camp didn't even care about getting dressed properly; they scrambled and crawled outside. They remembered Fang Zhiyi specifically telling them that if anything happened, they should head to the lawn at the center.

By the time Chen Rui dragged Li Duo over, Fang Zhiyi was already sitting there.

Everyone's face was filled with panic as the earth continued to tremble incessantly.

Fang Zhiyi looked at everyone and shouted, Don't panic! Stay calm! But how could the crowd truly calm down? The ground was shaking more and more violently, and the surrounding buildings began to tilt.

Suddenly, a nearby mountain began to experience a landslide. Chen Rui stared with his mouth wide open, his mind a complete blank.

Zhao Hu! Check if everyone is here! Fang Zhiyi ordered.

Although Zhao Hu was also panicking, he subconsciously began to execute Fang Zhiyi's command. After just a quick scan, Zhao Hu shouted, I think everyone's here!

The earthquake showed no signs of stopping. They all clearly saw the ground not far away being torn open by a massive force, looking as if it wanted to swallow people whole.

Chen Rui tightly held Li Duo's hand, terrified that she would disappear if he let go even a little.

He suddenly looked at Fang Zhiyi. No wonder Fang Zhiyi had told them from the start not to stay in the main buildings, but rather in the small wooden cabins built as decorations for the resort. Did he know this was going to happen from the very beginning?

There was no telling how long this terrifying earthquake lasted. Everyone's heart was in their throat.

It wasn't until the tremors completely stopped that Fang Zhiyi turned and walked in a certain direction. There used to be a two-story building there, but now it had completely collapsed. He stepped onto the pile of rubble step by step, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward the city.

Zhao Hu followed behind him, and the rest of the group trailed along one by one.

Sigh. Fang Zhiyi let out a breath.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, Xiao Yu didn't make it out? These words sent everyone searching around. The braver ones approached the collapsed building, but they couldn't see the girl's figure anywhere.

During the night, several aftershocks occurred. Fortunately, the area they were in wasn't heavily affected, though it was enough to jolt them awake from their sleep time and time again.

As soon as day broke, someone spotted blood splattered beneath the collapsed building not far away.

Everyone felt heavy-hearted. Xiao Yu must have disliked staying in the uncomfortable cabin Fang Zhiyi had arranged, and secretly snuck into the building by herself.

Fang Zhiyi did not show any emotion; he merely packed up his things and said calmly.

We're heading north.

That was all he said.

Zhao Hu and the others didn't ask why. Right now, in their eyes, the man before them was comparable to a god.

Floods, plagues, earthquakes—the successive disasters had completely wiped out whatever remained of human order.

Walking through the ruined streets, they would occasionally see weeping survivors.

Fang Zhiyi didn't speak, but Chen Rui couldn't help himself. Do you want to come with us?

The other party just cried, unwilling to engage with them.

Others warily backed away from them, muttering constant curses.

Along the way, they also encountered people wielding steel pipes trying to rob them, who were ruthlessly beaten by Fang Zhiyi and disarmed in the process.

By the time they passed through the ruin-like city, there were dozens of people trailing behind them. These people simply followed in their wake, supporting each other as they walked. They didn't know where this seemingly heavily armed group was going, but perhaps following them would keep them alive?

It wasn't until Fang Zhiyi looked back that these people stood frozen in place, cowering slightly.