Chapter 51

A massive, dense water orb slammed into the zombie. The Level 5 zombie dodged swiftly, but lacking Little Roll's agility, it was still partially hit.

As a fire-type zombie, water was its greatest fear. Instantly, it felt a portion of its power diminish.

The zombie was enraged. It had never imagined anyone could injure it.

It had no idea that Big Black was deeply dissatisfied with his current strength. At his peak, he could have effortlessly crushed this low-level creature.

Zhou Min quickly treated Cheng Zhiyu’s wounds. Almost instantly, the burned area was completely healed.

There was no time for words; they had to continue fighting the zombie.

The situation was a stalemate. Thanks to Little Roll, they could evade the zombie’s attacks, but they couldn’t inflict significant damage.

Fortunately, the zombie couldn’t attack indefinitely. Each fireball, comparable to a bomb, took a considerable toll on its energy.

Especially after being struck by Big Black’s water orb, it needed a moment to recover.

Big Black, seeing red, relentlessly hurled lightning bolts as thick as bowls and dense water orbs at the zombie, as if they cost nothing.

Cheng Zhiyu, worried about their energy depletion, instructed everyone to absorb energy crystals while fighting.

The zombie grew increasingly agitated. Though, apart from Big Black, the others couldn’t inflict much damage individually, their combined efforts added up. A single raindrop might leave no mark on hard ground, but what about tens of thousands, or even millions?

With the ability to absorb energy crystals, Cheng Zhiyu and the others fought as if they had an endless supply of energy.

The man Little Roll had rescued seemed to have recovered. He stood up, glanced at the somewhat battered zombie in the distance, a fleeting look of disgust in his eyes before it vanished. "Thank you for saving me," he said.

Tian Qiao frantically shot ice arrows. "Why are you talking about that now? We're in the middle of something. If you can help, hurry up and pitch in!"

Though the situation seemed stuck, Tian Qiao felt he was on the verge of collapse. His head felt like it was splitting open. Even with energy crystals to replenish his power, humans weren’t machines—they needed rest eventually.

Even machines need to stop after running too long, right?

The others were in similar straits, except for Cheng Zhiyu and Big Black.

Cheng Zhiyu relied less on his abilities, so he was mostly physically tired. Big Black, on the other hand, was accustomed to pushing his powers to their limits.

Upon hearing this, the man pondered for a moment and then joined the fight.

After an indeterminate period, everyone was nearly exhausted when the zombie suddenly ceased its attacks.

Zhou Min started to hope: "Is it about to die?"

Just die already.

But the next moment, countless basketball-sized fireballs rained down on them. This time, even Little Roll couldn’t get everyone to safety.

Big Black grabbed Cheng Zhiyu, dodging the fireballs. Tian Manman, with his speed, also evaded them. The others weren’t as fortunate: Zhou Min’s arm was burned, and Tian Qiao fared worse—struck in the abdomen. Luckily, he wore clothing made from mutated snake skin, or he might have been blown straight through.

The man they rescued also sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile, countless basketball-sized fireballs continued to fall relentlessly from above.

Big Black erected a water barrier, temporarily blocking the fireballs.

"Tian Qiao, Zhou Min, how are you?" Cheng Zhiyu staggered over to them.

Tian Qiao tried to get up but couldn’t move. "Damn, this hurts so bad…"

Zhou Min remained optimistic: "It’s fine, it’s fine. We're alive, that's what matters."

He used his powers to heal both of them but soon went pale—his energy was depleted. Though their wounds weren’t fully healed, they were at least better than before.

Zhou Min was too exhausted to speak. Tian Qiao stared at the never-ending fireballs falling from above. "What do we do now? Are we going to die here?"

Gritting his teeth, he said, "If it comes to it, I’ll go out fighting. We can’t all die here."

Zhou Min struggled to speak: "If anyone’s going to fight to the death, it should be me. I’m not much use anyway."

He felt he was the weakest in combat and always a burden.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned. "Bullshit! Without you, my arm would’ve been useless."

He turned to Tian Qiao. "Don't talk like that."

Tian Manman, who had been silent, spoke up: "I… I’m the fastest. I’ll blast it."

Their idea of "fighting to the death" meant self-detonating to kill the zombie.

Cheng Zhiyu’s face turned cold. "We’re not at that point yet, and you’re already thinking about dying? I forbid anyone from doing that!"

"If anyone dares, I’ll dig up your corpse and whip it even after death!"

Tian Qiao let out a weak laugh. "Orange, you’re… way too hardcore."

Zhou Min added: "Will there even be a corpse left to whip…?"

Cheng Zhiyu snapped: "Shut up!"

Zhou Min fell silent.

Indeed, though Cheng Zhiyu usually had an easygoing temper, when he got angry, he was quite intimidating.

Tian Qiao said, "That’s only the absolute last-ditch option. If there’s any other way, who wouldn’t want to live?"

Zhou Min and Tian Manman nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Cheng Zhiyu’s expression softened slightly.

Big Black looked up at the water barrier, which was already starting to crack, and said, "This barrier won’t hold much longer."

He could protect Cheng Zhiyu, but he couldn't save everyone. Yet he knew Cheng Zhiyu wouldn’t abandon his friends.

"Um, I have something to say. I don’t know if you’re willing to listen?" the man who had been silent suddenly spoke up.

Cheng Zhiyu turned to him. "What is it?"

The man looked at Cheng Zhiyu and smirked slightly. "I know that zombie’s weakness."

Tian Qiao was puzzled. "Aren’t all zombies’ weaknesses in the head?"

The man shook his head. "For low-level zombies, yes. But as they level up, they consciously protect their heads. You’ve already tried, haven’t you? Its head is extremely tough—bullets can’t even leave a scratch."

"So sneaky!" Tian Qiao complained.

"Then where is its weakness?" Cheng Zhiyu asked urgently.

The man said, "Its back—the weak spot is on its back, three inches down from the shoulder blade."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at the man, "Are you sure?"

The man nodded, "Of course. You saved me—why would I lie to you?"

Cheng Zhiyu had no choice but to trust him. Turning to Big Black, he grasped his hand and said, "Big Black, I need your help."

Big Black said coldly, "No."

Cheng Zhiyu, "...I haven’t even said what it is yet."

Big Black looked at him, his eyes red, "You’re planning to sneak behind the zombie alone, aren’t you? Do you know how dangerous it is if it notices you? I can’t handle you risking yourself like that alone."

Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly, "We have no other options."

Big Black, "Then let me go instead."

Cheng Zhiyu shook his head, "No, you’re too strong. The zombie’s clearly focusing on you as the main threat. The moment you make a move, it’ll spot you right away. If it becomes aware, we won’t get a second chance."

He looked into Big Black’s eyes, holding his hand tightly, "Promise me."

Big Black’s eyes were bloodshot.

Cheng Zhiyu whispered something in his ear, "...I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t sure I could pull it off."

Big Black pulled him into a tight embrace, crushing him in a bone-deep hug. He said in a low voice, "This is on me—I’m not strong enough."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled and patted his head, "You’re already incredible."

"Don’t you dare get hurt," Big Black said.

Cheng Zhiyu sighed softly, "I’ll make it back in one piece. Don’t forget, I’ve still got my ace in the hole."

He had his spatial ability—at a critical moment, it could save his life.

That was the only reason Big Black was willing to agree. Otherwise, he would never have let him go.

The zombie finally broke through Big Black’s defense, only to find that after resting for a while, Big Black had suddenly become much stronger, attacking it relentlessly.

The zombie vaguely noticed someone slipping away. Its dim-witted brain briefly considered it and decided to ignore it.

Just a weak human—probably trying to escape while it was distracted. After all, that person was no threat to it at all.

It was powerful enough to be that confident.

Meanwhile, Cheng Zhiyu slipped behind the zombie as fast and stealthily as he could.

He raised his machine gun, aiming at the zombie, sweat beading on his forehead. He knew he had only one chance.

Just moments ago, he had suddenly received a system upgrade notification—Little Iron had reached level four.

At level four, it was no longer about transforming shapes but... elemental attacks.

Little Iron’s bullets were no longer ordinary bullets—they were infused with elemental energy.

Ordinary bullets might not deal fatal damage to the zombie, but bullets with elemental energy were different.

Moreover, Little Iron was now at level four. And as everyone knew, Little Iron could attack beyond its level.

Cheng Zhiyu let out a breath, aimed at the zombie's weak spot, and squeezed the trigger.

The next moment, a not-so-ordinary bullet shot toward the zombie's back. The zombie seemed to sense something and tried to dodge, but Big Black’s relentless attacks completely cut off all its escape routes.

The bullet struck its back. The zombie bellowed and launched a massive fireball behind it.

Just one bullet, and it thought it could kill him? Dream on! Still, this foolhardy human had managed to anger him.

"Cheng Zhiyu!" Big Black raced recklessly toward the fireball, watching in horror as it exploded into a huge crater where Cheng Zhiyu had been standing. His mind went completely blank.

At the same time, the zombie’s body suddenly exploded without warning.

Amid the explosion, Big Black stumbled over to the spot where Cheng Zhiyu had been, his eyes bloodshot. In that moment, his heart seemed to stop. Just then, a warm hand grasped his wrist. Big Black turned around to see Cheng Zhiyu, his face covered in grime, smiling at him.

Before Cheng Zhiyu could speak, he was yanked into a crushing hug. The other man snapped, "Cheng Zhiyu! Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

Cheng Zhiyu’s heart softened. "You forgot I have a spatial dimension. How could anything happen to me?"

The moment the bullet was fired, he had been prepared. As expected, the zombie launched a fireball, and he immediately ducked into his spatial dimension.

Big Black didn’t respond. In that moment, he had almost went out of his mind—how could he have thought of anything else?

Cheng Zhiyu patted Big Black’s back, knowing he must have been terrified.

From afar, Tian Qiao’s excited voice rang out: "Orange, you’re amazing! Hahaha... cough cough..."

The kid was still injured, yet he was shouting and whooping it up.

Cheng Zhiyu laughed.

"Let me see if you’re hurt," Big Black said anxiously, suddenly remembering to check Cheng Zhiyu’s condition.

Cheng Zhiyu’s chest was felt up, then his stomach. He automatically flexed his stomach. As Big Black’s hands moved lower, he quickly grabbed the other’s hand, his face burning. "Stop touching me. I’m not hurt."

"No, I need to check carefully," Big Black insisted, thoroughly examining Cheng Zhiyu from head to toe.

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." He was melting.

Satisfied that there were no injuries, Big Black whined, "You really scared me to death."

Cheng Zhiyu patted Big Black’s head.

Big Black suddenly cupped his face and kissed him on the cheek. The soft sensation left Cheng Zhiyu frozen.

"Don’t… kiss me randomly," Cheng Zhiyu said, flustered, touching the spot where he’d been kissed.

Big Black frowned. "Why not? You used to kiss me all the time. Why can’t I kiss you?"

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Big Black’s handsome face and felt his face flush. "It’s different."

Before, he hadn’t had any ulterior motives about Big Black. If Big Black kept this up, he was afraid he might do something wrong.

"How is it different?" Big Black asked, displeased.

"It just is! Stop asking!" Cheng Zhiyu covered Big Black’s mouth, physically cutting him off.

Big Black: "..." Fine, but I never agreed to that.

Cheng Zhiyu dug out the zombie’s crystal core and was stunned—it was larger than his palm, shimmering like a ruby.

After a battle, everyone was a bit disheveled. They found a nearby house to rest temporarily.

"Bro, you're really something, daring to come here alone," Tian Qiao struck up a conversation with the man.

The man had very pale, almost translucent skin, and his face was so handsome it seemed not quite human.

Tian Qiao tsk'd, "Why does everyone look like this?"

The man said, "I just wanted to find some supplies. I didn’t expect such a powerful zombie here."

He turned to Cheng Zhiyu: "Thank you for saving me."

Cheng Zhiyu: "It’s nothing, just lending a hand. Besides, without you, we wouldn’t have known the zombie’s weakness."

The man slowly smiled: "My name is Sang Nian."

As he spoke, he extended his gloved hand.

Just as Cheng Zhiyu was about to shake his hand, Big Black took the initiative and grasped Sang Nian’s hand first: "I’m curious, how did you know its weakness?"

Sang Nian withdrew his hand and smiled: "Just luck."

He seemed unwilling to say more. Big Black pressed close to Cheng Zhiyu and whispered in his ear.

He didn't speak aloud, but whispered: "I think this Sang Nian is off."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Big Black.

Big Black said, "He gives me a very uncomfortable feeling. Be careful."

Compared to Sang Nian, whom he had just met, Cheng Zhiyu naturally trusted Big Black more. He nodded.

Big Black was pleased—Zhi Yu was willing to believe him, which made him feel good.

Cheng Zhiyu glanced at Sang Nian a few more times. The man was handsome yet gloomy, carrying a mysterious vibe.

Just as he was observing, Sang Nian suddenly turned his head and said, "You’re the first person who’s shown me kindness."

Cheng Zhiyu glanced at Zhou Min, who had overused his ability and was resting with his eyes closed.

He turned to Sang Nian: "There are still plenty of good people."

Sang Nian scoffed, as if finding the statement laughable. Plenty of good people? It was the first time he’d heard something so amusing.

Honestly, the moment he saw Cheng Zhiyu, he was captivated by his clear, lake-like eyes.

He licked his canine teeth. Pity, zombies' eyes were always so murky.

With an outsider present, Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t reveal his spatial ability. After resting enough, they headed to the supermarket.

Perhaps because there were too many zombies in this town, and zombies had no interest in food, most items in the supermarket were still intact.

Unfortunately, too much time had passed since the apocalypse began. The small supermarket’s backup power hadn’t lasted long, and much of the meat had spoiled and was inedible.

What remained edible were some rice, flour, and dried vegetables.

Cheng Zhiyu gathered some rice, ham, cured meat, and sun-dried vegetables, deciding to simply make some pot rice.

He found a portable gas stove and fuel in the supermarket, which was enough for cooking.

Big Black brought over a bag of potato chips and asked Cheng Zhiyu, "Zhi Yu, can I eat a bag?"

Cheng Zhiyu laughed: "It’s just a bag of chips. Eat it if you want. Why ask?"

Hadn’t he seen how Tian Qiao and the others were frantically stuffing themselves with snacks? They had expended too much energy earlier.

Big Black frowned: "You don’t want to take care of me anymore?"

Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly: "I'll take care of you, of course. How could I not?"

"Go ahead, but only one bag. We’ll have a real meal later."

Hearing this, Big Black felt satisfied.

Tian Qiao came over while eating spicy strips: "Brother Black, why do you still like being looked after? Weren’t you asking me to help you hide potato chips before?"

Big Black glanced at Cheng Zhiyu and distanced himself from Tian Qiao: "I didn’t."

Tian Qiao: "..." Wait, something feels off.

From afar came Zhou Min’s weak voice: "I... want some too."

Tian Qiao quickly responded: "Coming, coming. What do you want? I’ll get it for you."

Zhou Min: "I want cup jelly. I haven’t had it in a long time."

Tian Qiao laughed: "Why are you like a kid? Here, have a big one, a cup jelly. Eat as much as you want."

Zhou Min refused. He didn’t want to eat too much since pot rice was coming later.

Making pot rice was simple. Cheng Zhiyu didn’t ask for help. He prepared the rice and vegetables and steamed them in the pot.

A potato chip was placed in his mouth. Big Black shared it with him: "Try this. It tastes really good."

Cheng Zhiyu tasted it—it was cucumber flavored, quite refreshing, but he wasn’t into it. He still preferred actual food.

Seeing that he didn’t like it much, Big Black stopped feeding him. After finishing the bag, he didn’t eat any more.

Cheng Zhiyu thought of something and cleared his throat, telling the others: "Keep an eye on the pot. Big Black and I are going out for a bit."

Tian Qiao quickly agreed: "Alright, go ahead. I’ll keep watch."

Seeing the two leave, Sang Nian wanted to follow, but Zhou Min stopped him: "Hey? Aren’t you hot? Why are you wearing such thick gloves?"

Sang Nian glanced at Zhou Min and sat down nearby: "My hand is injured. I’m afraid of scaring people."

Zhou Min nodded, staring at the gloves for a few more seconds.

The two fell silent. Sang Nian lowered his eyes, lost in thought.

Outside, Big Black followed Cheng Zhiyu in a good mood. He took Cheng Zhiyu’s hand and held it in his own. His hand was a full size larger, enveloping Cheng Zhiyu’s, which made him feel even more uplifted.

Cheng Zhiyu tried to pull away, but Big Black refused: "Don’t pull away."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at him: "Don’t you think this is weird?"

Big Black didn’t see it that way: "You used to like grabbing my hand and squeezing it. Did I say anything?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." He had no rebuttal.

But it's totally different.

How could soft paws be the same as big, bony hands?

But since he couldn't shake him off, Cheng Zhiyu just went along with it.

"What are we out here for?" Big Black asked, leaning close to Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu was hot and flustered: "To find you some clothes, and underwear."

Small supermarkets in town generally don’t sell clothes, so they had to go to a separate clothing store.

They didn’t go too far, just diagonally across from the small supermarket. Before leaving, Cheng Zhiyu had specifically told Tian Qiao to keep an eye on Sang Nian.

At such a short distance, if anything happened, Tian Qiao could just shout and they’d hear it.

Cheng Zhiyu cleared his throat lightly: "Still uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable," Big Black frowned. "It’s rubbing and making me very uncomfortable."

As he spoke, he reached to take off his pants to show Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu’s eyebrow twitched, and he quickly grabbed his hand: "Ahem, no need to show me."

Big Black: "...Oh."

Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t help but add: "Don’t just take off your pants at the drop of a hat."

Big Black nodded knowingly: "Yeah, I’ll only take them off for you."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

The two entered the clothing store. There were no lights, and it was pretty dark inside. After confirming there were no zombies, Cheng Zhiyu found the men's clothing section. It might have been a long time since anyone had taken care of the place, as the clothes were covered in dust.

Given Big Black’s cleanliness obsession, Cheng Zhiyu decided to check the storage room instead.

They easily found the storage room. It wasn’t as organized as the display area, so they had to rummage through things themselves.

Cheng Zhiyu put his hands on his hips and directed Big Black: "Pick out whatever you like."

Big Black lazily used his water powers, wrapping water around clothing bags and tossing them out. He found a few plain sets without patterns.

The small town didn’t have any name brands, so Cheng Zhiyu tried to pick out clothes with better fabric. Although the cuts weren’t great, Big Black was a natural clothes hanger—anything he wore looked good on him.

But this guy was finicky—he’d only try on clothes after they were washed. Fortunately, with water powers, they could wash the clothes and then use the power to dry them.

Cheng Zhiyu pointed to a fitting room not far away: "Go try them on quickly."

Big Black looked the clothes over again and again: "Zhi Yu, I’d rather wear your clothes."

Cheng Zhiyu asked without thinking: "Why?"

As soon as he asked, he regretted it. Sure enough, Big Black said: "These clothes don’t have your smell. They’re not fragrant at all."

Cheng Zhiyu’s ears burned. What did he mean by "his smell"? He gritted his teeth and emphasized: "That’s the smell of laundry detergent! If you think it’s not fragrant, I’ll wash them with laundry detergent for you!"

He shouldn’t have asked more—he should’ve just shut him down!

Big Black was about to say something else, but Cheng Zhiyu snapped: "Hurry up and change!"

Big Black looked innocent: "...There’s no underwear yet."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." He’d forgotten to find some.

Fortunately, underwear was easy to find, and they didn’t need to worry about style—just ordinary boxers would do.

Cheng Zhiyu cleared his throat lightly and pointed to a pile in front of them: "Pick your size."

Big Black: "Which one is the largest size?"

Cheng Zhiyu: This guy really knows how to flex.

But then he remembered what he’d seen before—it seemed to be true. Wait, what was he thinking? Cheng Zhiyu shook his head vigorously, grabbed a few of the largest sizes, and tossed them to Big Black.

Now, could he finally try on the clothes?

Big Black scrutinized them, made sure they were clean, and then directly stripped off the clothes he was wearing.

Cheng Zhiyu, caught off guard: "..."

He closed his eyes: "Didn’t I tell you to go to the fitting room?"

"Why bother?" Big Black muttered.

As he spoke, he walked over and pried open Cheng Zhiyu’s eyes, looking displeased: "Why are you like this again? Don't dislike me."

Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t take it anymore: "...Ah! Hurry up and put your clothes on!"

If Big Black’s body or face weren’t so perfectly aligned with his preferences, he might have remained calm. But now, he just felt too guilty.

Damn, this guy’s body is really something else.