Chapter 214: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (19)

“Oh wow, you actually came?”

“Of course I did. Didn’t I tell you I’d definitely show up?” The man stepped inside and subtly glanced around. It looked like only the couple lived here. That made things easier.

A slow smile curled on his lips. “So, how much food are you giving me?”

“Well…” The homeowner clearly looked troubled.

He had only made a sarcastic comment, thinking it was all just talk. He never expected the guy would really dare to come.

Food was a matter of survival now. Giving him even a single bite meant one less for their own family.

After some hemming and hawing, he reluctantly said, “You’ve seen how things are out there. It’s tough for everyone. But since you’re already here, I can’t let you leave empty-handed. At most, I can spare a pound of rice.”

The man stared at him in silence.

The homeowner grew irritated under his gaze. “What are you staring at me for? Think it’s not enough? If it’s not enough, don’t take it. Who’s living in luxury these days? The fact I’m giving you anything at all is already generous.”

“No, forget it.”

Before the homeowner could react, the man had already reached behind his back. He flashed a wide smile.

“W-what?” The homeowner clearly didn’t understand what was happening—but he didn’t need to. Because the next moment, the man pulled out a kitchen knife and lunged.

A piercing scream shattered the air. Everyone in the nearby villas heard the horrific sound.

As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest. After hacking the homeowner to the ground, the man turned, knife in hand, and walked toward the woman who was frozen in terror.

…

A trail of blood snaked across the floor, leaving deep, gruesome marks. The couple’s mangled bodies were dumped haphazardly in the courtyard.

The man sat on the sofa, savoring the spoils of victory.

He devoured the food ravenously, and once his stomach was finally full, he slumped back into the couch.

He looked around in a daze, then stared at his own hands. Surviving… wasn’t it actually pretty easy?

In that moment, the switch of human nature was flipped.

The group chat had already exploded in chaos. Everyone was desperate to know what had happened.

【Bro, are you okay? I just saw a zombie chasing you.】

【Yeah, I saw it too.】

【Right? Say something if you’re alright. We’re really worried here!】

But even after an hour passed, no one replied.

Someone tagged the homeowner.

【Did he show up at your place?】

【Yeah, are you hurt?】

【Why aren’t you saying anything either?】

Still, there was only silence.

Even when the national signal finally collapsed, the last messages in the group chat remained frozen there. No one ever found out what really happened in that remote corner.

Shen Xiuyan stared solemnly at his phone. “Someone’s gotten a taste of blood.”

“A taste of blood?”

“Did you hear that scream just now?”

“Yeah, I heard it.”

“That was the homeowner.”

“What!” Su Mingyue couldn’t believe it.

Shen Xiuyan sighed. “That guy killed the homeowner.”

“Hiss… Seriously? That’s murder! He’s going to prison for that.”

“Oh, my silly girl. This is the apocalypse. Who’s going to prison now? Killing a person is way easier than killing a zombie. He weighed the pros and cons.”

“Besides, human nature is selfish. Once someone gets a taste of blood, things spiral out of control—unless someone steps in to establish order and enforce rules.”

Su Mingyue: “…”

“The apocalypse is survival of the fittest. But once shelters are built and order is restored, things will get a lot better.”

“Just better? Not back to the peaceful life we had before?” Su Mingyue had a knack for catching the key points.

Shen Xiuyan shrugged. “That’s impossible. There’ll always be people who refuse to join the base and instead form little gangs scattered everywhere. You can’t wipe them all out. Unless…”

Su Mingyue was curious. “Unless what?”

“Unless the apocalypse ends.”

“Oh.” Su Mingyue pouted. As if that wasn’t obvious.

“Alright, enough of that. Let’s get ready to head out.” Shen Xiuyan gestured toward the door.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

That’s right. Shen Xiuyan and Su Mingyue had decided to step out the door and begin a new journey.

Of course, they didn’t leave a single thing behind in the villa.

What they left was a completely stripped-down house. If anyone came in afterward, they’d be stunned speechless.

The place was so luxuriously decorated—how could it not even have a chair left?

But the two of them didn’t care what others thought. They packed up everything.

Even though Shen Xiuyan had a storage space, he couldn’t afford to expose such an obvious supernatural ability.

So they each carried a backpack, with just a bottle of water and two packs of bread inside for show. That way, if they needed to pull something out later, it wouldn’t seem suspicious.

As the villa gate swung open, an off-road vehicle drove away from the property.

Their timing was perfect. They didn’t yet know that two days later, a major murder case would erupt in the very villa district they had just left.

The roads of B City were now unrecognizable. With no one to clean them, the city had fallen into the worst state of decay in its history.

What used to be a bustling metropolis now looked desolate beyond words.

They were lucky. The roads were clear, and even though they saw groups of zombies along the way, they were safe inside the car.

B City was enormous. Even after driving for two straight hours, they still hadn’t left its borders.

When they passed a chain supermarket, Shen Xiuyan’s eyes lit up. Time to scavenge some free supplies.

He parked the car in a secluded corner, then turned to Su Mingyue. “Wait here. I’ll go inside and see if I can grab more supplies.”

Su Mingyue was worried about his safety. “Maybe you shouldn’t go. It’s dangerous out there. Besides, we already have plenty of supplies.”

Shen Xiuyan shook his head. In the apocalypse, there was no such thing as too many supplies. If he didn’t stock up, he couldn’t feel at ease.

He patted Su Mingyue’s head to reassure her. “Don’t worry. Don’t forget, your husband has a supernatural ability.”

“Mm…” Su Mingyue gripped the edge of her backpack tightly. Then she looked up and bit her lip. “Then I’ll go with you!”

“No way!” Shen Xiuyan immediately refused. “You don’t even have an ability. You can’t protect yourself. If you really want to come, wait until I’ve checked things out first.”

This was a supermarket. A big one. Even though brick-and-mortar stores had declined in the past two years, the population density was still high. He couldn’t rest easy letting Mingyue go in.

Seeing how firm he was, Su Mingyue lowered her head and pouted. “Fine. I won’t make trouble.”

She felt completely useless in the apocalypse, and her heart sank with frustration.

“Good girl.” Shen Xiuyan got out and closed the car door, not forgetting to remind her, “Lock the doors. No one gets in unless it’s me.”

“Got it.” Su Mingyue nodded obediently.