Walking with a contemplative stride, Fang Chong reminisced about the recent experience of hunting down zombies. Despite the zombies having their own mistakes, Fang Chong believed that even if he were to encounter a zombie now, he had an eighty percent certainty of slashing it to death.

Empowered by the success of his first encounter, Fang Chong's confidence soared. He realized that in the apocalypse, many people succumbed not due to physical weakness but rather the inner fear. Had it not been for the prior knowledge of the existence of zombies, Fang Chong was convinced that even he, upon seeing that bloodshot, pustule-covered face, would have been frightened to death.

No longer as anxious as before, Fang Chong, after leaving the relatively secluded street, directly sprinted towards another street, the largest and most prosperous in his city—Zhongshan Pedestrian Street.

His primary objective was simple—to reach the largest shopping square in the city center, Carrefour.

Having learned from the Maya system that the zombie frenzy occurred last night, indicating that places like Carrefour were likely devoid of customers, Fang Chong reasoned that even if there were zombies, their numbers would not be overwhelming. At most, there might be some staff inside the shopping square.

Today, the tasks assigned by the Maya system to Fang Chong included finding food and securing a sturdy location. Both these objectives were well-suited for the shopping square. Here, he wouldn't have to worry about encountering large groups of zombies and could easily complete the first task.

A triple win for Fang Chong, who was determined not to miss this opportunity.

However, in this bustling section, Fang Chong walked with great caution. Although he was no longer afraid of zombies in one-on-one situations, being surrounded by them could endanger even his nine lives.

Approaching the entrance of Carrefour cautiously, Fang Chong was relieved to find that the usually bustling store was now eerily quiet. What delighted him even more was that the mall doors were open, sparing him the trouble of breaking in.

Entering the mall, Fang Chong remained vigilant. The first floor showcased digital products, clearly not his target. However, on the vast second floor, there were several zombies, most likely owners or salesmen from the digital products section.

Though Fang Chong had anticipated the existence of zombies, witnessing hundreds of them simultaneously was still unsettling. Holding his breath and moving cautiously, Fang Chong silently approached the staircase. His goal was not to disturb these zombies; if discovered, he might have to abandon the place.

The entire city had experienced a power outage due to a meteor shower the previous night. While places like Carrefour usually had their own power generators, the zombie frenzy outbreak meant no one bothered with such concerns.

Without electricity, the escalator became the only choice. Soon, Fang Chong, who had roughly gauged the zombies' temperaments, reached the second floor.

This floor, in particular, was his destination, as Fang Chong was quite familiar with Carrefour, having lived in this city for a long time.

Ascending to the second floor, Fang Chong immediately spotted the section specializing in cooked food—"Ready-to-Eat." Having not eaten for half a day, hunger surged within him.

"Food has been infected by the virus. Host, please be cautious," the voice of the Maya system, which had been silent for most of the day, echoed in Fang Chong's mind just as he was about to bite into a chicken leg.

Startled, Fang Chong, with a gaping mouth, decided to put the chicken leg down. Though he felt a bit frustrated, upon seeing a figure wavering from behind a counter, Fang Chong understood the logic behind the Maya system's warning.

The entire Carrefour staff had turned into zombies, and the air was contaminated with the virus. Unpackaged food items, especially, were not to be trusted.

Realizing this, Fang Chong felt a shiver down his spine. If the Maya system hadn't warned him earlier, he might have turned into an thoughtless zombie by now.

However, now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. As the zombie emerged from the shelf, Fang Chong noticed his presence.

"Another fight awaits," Fang Chong complained inwardly. Seeing a flash of green light in the zombie's gray eyes, he knew avoiding the confrontation was no longer an option.

Aware that making noise would attract more zombies, Fang Chong knew the best and most effective way was to quickly dispatch the zombie to prevent it from summoning more companions.

Gripping the knife tightly, Fang Chong, filled with a somewhat crazy idea, thought that if he could handle a zombie one-on-one effortlessly, why not attempt to clear the entire second floor of zombies?

As he rushed towards the zombie, Fang Chong already had a rough plan in mind. The weakness was in the neck—only a precise strike there would suffice.

Although zombies didn't feel pain, attacking other parts of their bodies would only enrage them. In the mall, unlike the streets in the morning, where there were at least a thousand zombies, Fang Chong wasn't bold enough to believe he could take on such numbers single-handedly.

The zombie, seeing Fang Chong approaching, let out a growl. His boldness had offended the zombie, who rushed towards him in a show of defiance.

Remembering the sluggish movements of the zombies, Fang Chong, when the zombie's claws were about to touch him, crouched down to avoid the attack while simultaneously extending a foot.

"Thud."

Calculating the move, Fang Chong successfully tripped the zombie, causing it to fall flat on the mall floor.

"A good opportunity," Fang Chong, despite the pain in his lower leg from the contact with the zombie's leg, quickly jumped up and used all his strength to precisely cut into the zombie's neck.

"Crack." The sound of metal meeting bone echoed crisply. The zombie's head fell off instantly.

"Phew," Fang Chong, looking at the zombie covered in black blood, breathed a sigh of relief. "The second one."

Although he had successfully dealt with this zombie, Fang Chong didn't dare to linger in the same spot for too long. The fight just now had undoubtedly produced some noise.

However, the second floor was Fang Chong's destination. Even if he knew the danger, leaving was not an option.

Fang Chong, who had easily killed the zombie moments ago, had a somewhat crazy idea lingering in his mind. If one-on-one encounters weren't a challenge, why not attempt to clear the entire second floor of zombies?

With this thought in mind, Fang Chong, though feeling a bit crazy, reasoned that it might be feasible after careful consideration.

"Step, step." Just at that moment, a series of loud footsteps brought Fang Chong back to reality.

Swiftly turning around, Fang Chong hid in a place not far from where he had just defeated the zombie.