Yan Hao grabbed the railing with one hand: "Run!"

But Si Nan didn't move. He gripped Yan Hao's hand, gritted his teeth, and yanked upward—he was at least twenty pounds lighter than Yan Hao, and the pull nearly dislocated his own elbow, producing a horrifying cracking sound from his bones.

"The Zom... Zombies are here!"

Si Nan panted, "Cut the crap."

Yan Hao's feet kicked wildly in the air. He managed to step on the wall a few times, only to slip off. He watched helplessly as several flaming Zombies staggered toward Si Nan, his voice rising to a sharp, distorted shriek: "Listen to me! Don't worry about me, just run!"

"How could I... not worry about you..."

"There's a Zombie behind you!!"

Half of Si Nan's body was pulled over the edge of the rooftop. He felt a weight on his back, the Zombie's bloody breath already close to his ear. At the same time, Yan Hao's foot finally found purchase on a window ledge. In a flash, he used Si Nan's pull to launch himself upward!

Yan Hao vaulted over the railing like a whirlwind, wrapped his arms around Si Nan's waist, and tackled him to the ground, instantly rolling several meters away!

"Are you okay?!"

Si Nan had missed the Zombie's teeth by a hair's breadth, but after being tackled and pinned down by Yan Hao, it took him several seconds to catch his breath. "I'm... I'm okay."

Yan Hao was pressing down on Si Nan with his full weight, his left elbow propped on the ground. He forcefully turned Si Nan's face with his right hand and saw a wound running from behind his ear to his neck. But when he touched it, there was no blood; it was a scrape from the concrete during their roll. In that instant, all his insides settled back into place.

"Not bitten." Yan Hao buried his face in Si Nan's neck and murmured, full of relief, "Thank god, you weren't bitten."

Because it contained the gland for temporary marking, and because a heavy blow there could be fatal, the back of the neck was one of the most sensitive and crucial parts of an Omega's body. If Yan Hao were an Alpha, that touch just now would have been a textbook case of sexual harassment, and Si Nan's first instinct would have been to flip him over and kick him away.

"You..."

Si Nan had just managed to speak when Yan Hao lifted his head and gave him a deep look—before he could even discern the emotions swirling in that gaze, Yan Hao drew his knife in a backhand grip, spun around, and slashed horizontally. The Zombie's head flew off, and its body collapsed heavily to the ground.

"Run!" Yan Hao pulled Si Nan up. "Off the rooftop, back to the underground warehouse, now!"

The rooftop had completely devolved into a slaughterhouse, filled with screaming, flaming people and aggressive, violent Zombies. Many people, covered in blood, were crying and running wildly, surging toward the emergency stairwell door they had come from. In the chaos, however, countless people fell and were trampled to death before they could get back up.

"Zhou Rong!" Si Nan shouted.

Zhou Rong cut down a Zombie that had chased them to the stairwell door with his fireman's axe, but in the half-second it took him to pull the axe free, two or three obviously bitten infected people were swept into the stairwell with the crowd. Si Nan grabbed his wrist, which was splattered with rotten blood, and roared, "Let's go! Forget it, we can't control this anymore!"

Zhou Rong's eyes were bloodshot and red.

"Let's go, Rong-ge! They're all infected!" Chuncao yelled, running against the flow of people. "Quick! Back to the underground garage—!"

With a loud boom, a fireball shot into the sky as the wrecked helicopter exploded a second time in the raging fire.

More living dead and survivors were blown off the building, plummeting to the street below to be smashed to pieces. Zhou Rong let out a shaky, hot breath, looked around at his team members whose faces were caked with blood and grime, and suddenly roared, "Everyone who's left, listen up—!"

"South Corner of Area A, Underground Garage, run with us!!"

"South Corner of Area A, Underground Garage—!!"

Zhou Rong took the lead, rushing into the emergency stairwell.

The stairwell was now in a state of madness. Many of the infected turned into Zombies halfway down, going on a biting frenzy in the narrow staircases. The number of bitten victims increased exponentially. The light bulbs had been smashed at some point, and the darkness was filled with the roars of Zombies and the screams of those being devoured.

Zhou Rong used his sharp fireman's axe to cut a path in front, shielding Si Nan behind him. The stairs underfoot were slick with blood and flesh, and in the chaos, they had no idea how many disemboweled corpses they were stepping on.

It felt like an endless eternity, yet it also seemed to end in a flash. Zhou Rong smashed open the door at the bottom of the stairs with his axe and was the first to charge into the underground garage!

"Quick, quick, quick! Everyone out!"

A group of survivors stumbled out after them. Zhou Rong spun around and kicked the emergency door shut, blocking the staggering footsteps of the Zombie horde. He gave the group a quick headcount and made a decisive call, "I'll drive the hazmat vehicle. Yan Hao, you take that minibus. Let's go!"

This was the escape route Chuncao and Zhou Rong had agreed on last night—if the helicopter couldn't land on the rooftop, they would use this minibus they had towed from the street to transport the survivors to the pickup point.

Yan Hao raised a hand to catch the keys. He came to a screeching halt in front of the minibus, and after catching his breath for a moment, he stood up and faced the terrified crowd.

"Hurry up! Open the doors and let us on!"

"Don't leave us behind!"

"They're coming, they're coming..."

The panicked cries rose and fell, exceptionally piercing in the empty garage.

Yan Hao's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He opened his mouth several times but couldn't make a sound. Just then, Zhou Rong strode forward, clapped him on the shoulder, and pushed him back.

He was extremely tall, with a formidable and sharp physique, casting a heavy shadow where he stood. His gaze swept slowly over the crowd. The shouting and crying gradually subsided under his oppressive stare. Everyone watched him with a mixture of fear and bewilderment. Finally, they heard Zhou Rong speak, his voice low and clear: "Whoever's been bitten, stay behind on your own."

The crowd instantly erupted.

"I haven't!" "Me neither!" "Hurry and let us on the bus!" "Please, let me on!"...

"Shut up!" Chuncao roared. "Keep yapping and no one gets on!"

The clamor instantly ceased. In the silence, a special forces soldier stepped forward voluntarily, rolled up his sleeve, and said with a smile, "I was bitten, Rong-ge. Any bullets left? Give me one."

Zhou Rong stared intently at the soldier's already rotting wrist, saying nothing.

Yan Hao tried desperately to cover his mouth, but ultimately couldn't suppress a despairing, mournful cry like that of a trapped animal, and collapsed to his knees.

Hitching breaths and choked sobs started to sound out. Zhou Rong closed his eyes and tilted his head back. After a few seconds, he finally swallowed back his hot tears and raised a hand to untie a bullet that hung from a string around his neck.

"This is..." he said hoarsely, "my last round. For myself."

Zhou Rong loaded the bullet into his pistol, chambered the round, and stepped forward to give the special forces soldier a tight hug.

Every team member came forward to bid him farewell, breaking down in tears. Chuncao's shoulders shook violently. The special forces soldier patted her back comfortingly and kissed her on the head like an older brother. Finally, he pushed her away and looked at Zhou Rong, his eyes filled with tears.

"Thanks for everything these past few years, Rong-ge." He smiled, wiping the corner of his eye, and said, "See me off on my final journey."

Zhou Rong closed his eyes, his hand trembling as he pressed the muzzle of the gun to the team member's head.

"...Goodbye," he choked out.

The surroundings were deathly silent. After a long moment, a gunshot rang out in the garage.

The crowd's agitation was instantly quelled, as if boiling magma had been forced back deep into the earth before it could erupt. The survivors looked at each other in panic. After a moment, a woman hesitated before stepping forward. Her eyes were red and filled with tears. She said, "I... I'm a little scared."

She paused, then forced a smile. "Are there any bullets left?"

She looked very young. Her ruined makeup clung to her face, and her hair was a mess. She looked like an office worker who had just recently started her job.

Zhou Rong buried his face hard in his palms. For a fleeting moment, the unyielding lines of his shoulders and back seemed on the verge of collapse.

Chuncao hesitantly reached for her lower back. Just as she was about to draw her gun, someone walked past her and stepped forward.

...Si Nan? she thought, stunned.

Si Nan stopped in front of the girl and asked in a low voice, "They're out of bullets. Can I help you? I promise it'll be quick."

The girl was a little scared and at a loss. "But I..."

"There won't be any pain," Si Nan said.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he raised a hand to wipe the dust from the girl's face, firmly smearing away the eyeshadow smudged by her tears, and then meticulously and fastidiously combed her hair until it was neat. He fixed her collar and brushed the dirt from her light pink skirt, like a gentleman tenderly serving a noble princess.

The girl's whole body trembled, and her suppressed sobs left her unable to speak. Si Nan opened his arms, gave her a hug, and asked, "What's your name?"

"...Zhao... Zhao Miaomiao..."

"Miaomiao," Si Nan said into her ear, "Don't be afraid. You look beautiful."

The girl swallowed her bitter tears, smiled, and gave a firm "Mhm!"

The next second, a lightning-fast crack sounded from the back of her neck. There wasn't the slightest hesitation, and her body immediately went limp.

Si Nan supported her lifeless body and gently laid it on the ground, his movements so soft it was as if the girl had simply fallen into a deep, eternally warm slumber.

"...Anymore?" Zhou Rong surveyed the crowd and asked hoarsely, "Is there anyone else? Step forward on your own."

No one spoke or moved. A thick, glue-like silence enveloped the air. After a moment, Zhou Rong nodded at Yan Hao. Yan Hao took out the car keys, but suddenly Si Nan's clear voice rang out: "—Stop!"

Following his gaze, they saw a middle-aged man cowering and trying to push his way toward the car door. Si Nan stepped forward, yanked him out of the crowd, and said coldly, "You've been bitten too."

"I haven't! I! I..."

Si Nan forcibly grabbed the hand the man was hiding behind his back. With a rip, he tore open the sleeve, revealing an arm that was already festering and emitting a thick, putrid stench.

"It's not an infection, I wasn't bitten! Th-this is from glass! The wound festered!"

Si Nan ignored him, shoved him far into a corner, and said to Yan Hao, "Go open the car door."

The man flew into a rage, screaming his lungs out, "You'll get what's coming to you! You bastard! You'll die a horrible death!..."

The angry curses echoed for a long time. Seeing that all the survivors were on the hazmat vehicle and the minibus, Si Nan turned back and asked, "Do you want to end it yourself, or should I help you?"

The man threw a punch. Si Nan ducked to the side to avoid it, but unexpectedly, the man used the opportunity to break free of his grip and turned to run. Si Nan saw that he was sprinting toward the emergency door, and his brows twitched. In an instant, he realized what was happening. "Stop—"

Zhou Rong slammed open the passenger door and yelled sharply, "Si Nan! Get in the car!"

Like an enraged cheetah, Si Nan shot off after the man. At the same moment, however, Zhou Rong slammed on the gas. The tires screeched sharply against the underground parking garage floor as the vehicle shot forward like lightning, braking to a stop right in front of Si Nan!

Zhou Rong leaned out and grabbed him. His iron-like grip was strong and forceful as he scooped Si Nan up by the waist and hauled him into the driver's cabin!

"Let him go!" Zhou Rong roared. "Come with me!"

The bulletproof hazmat vehicle executed an incredibly clean drift, accelerated with a roar, and brazenly smashed through the garage gate!

Everyone was jolted upward by the violent lurch. Out of the corner of his eye, Si Nan glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that the man had indeed opened the stairwell's emergency door. The Zombies that had been blocked behind it poured through, howling as they rushed toward the minibus.

—But they were too late. Yan Hao had already sealed the minibus doors, started the engine, and after running over several Zombies, followed the hazmat vehicle out onto the street!

The last scene reflected in the rearview mirror was of the man being swallowed by the horde of Zombies. Si Nan closed his eyes. A hot, bitter lump seemed to be stuck in his throat, making it impossible for him to even make a sound.

Suddenly, a hand pressed down on his head. Zhou Rong forcefully pulled him over and hugged him tightly. "Don't think about it. Be good."

Si Nan rested his head in the hollow of Zhou Rong's firm, warm shoulder and nodded after a long moment.

"Take Chengbei Road to the highway. We have to be out of here before dark." Zhou Rong spun the steering wheel with one hand and said in a low voice, "In three hours, the B Military Region will launch a nuke to cleanse T City. We don't have much time."