"What the hell is this?"

Chen Peng turned his head and saw Zhou Shulin in a punching stance. It was clearly not just a random swing. Judging by his hips, legs, and footwork, had he trained?

Looking at the person who had been sent flying to his feet, it was a stranger holding a gun, covered in bloodstains. From his clothing, he was clearly not police but likely a gang member who had just been in the gunfight. Regardless of his condition before, he was now close to death.

"This guy suddenly jumped out with a gun, scared the hell out of me, and I accidentally hit him too hard."

"..."

They had come out from behind the building and were taking a secluded path to avoid the police on the street. It was not strange to run into fleeing gang members on such a route. What Chen Peng found absurd was how Zhou Shulin had sent someone flying with one punch. Weren't you just a bricklayer on a construction site?

"It is a family tradition. I practiced for decades since I was a kid, but it was useless. All I got was a lot of strength, which is why I work on construction sites to make a living."

"..."

Chen Peng did not press further. After giving the man a final kick to finish him off, he waved for everyone to keep moving.

Zhang Yi looked at the handgun, hesitated, but ultimately did not pick it up. Zhao Ying was terrified by Chen Peng's casual and decisive killing. She did not know what to do, and simply followed along stiffly with the group.

Wang Hai did not even look, instead striking up a conversation with Zhou Shulin.

"Didn't realize, Brother Zhou, you are a martial artist."

"Do not make fun of me. What use is this stuff these days?"

"It came in handy just now, did it not? This is the Main God Space. People like you with innate combat skills usually become protagonists. Brother Zhou, you will have to look after your little brother in the future."

Whispering softly, they chose dark, secluded paths to travel, occasionally hiding in bushes, and finally left that street area.

However, wandering around on the streets at this time was still conspicuous, so they continued to take out-of-the-way routes.

Fortunately, there were no more incidents along the way, and they finally arrived at the hiding place Chen Peng had mentioned.

"This is an Asian district, mixed with immigrants from several Asian countries. They are mostly not doing well, so this place is quite chaotic, with many gangs, basically divided by ethnicity."

Chen Peng briefly introduced the situation. Compared to the detached house from before, this was a dilapidated apartment, and everyone had to squeeze into one room.

"We will make do for one night. Tomorrow, I will see if I can find a bigger place, especially since we will need somewhere to store weapons after we buy them."

Everyone looked at the apartment. It was dirty, broken, and old, but at this point, they were in no mood to be picky. They each found a spot where they could fit and sat down, then seemed to collapse, not wanting to move anymore.

Zhao Ying found a corner and seemed to shrink into herself, as if that would make her feel safer. This spot was also the furthest from Chen Peng.

Although Zhang Yi and Wang Hai knew that the Main God Space was like this, they subconsciously kept their distance from Chen Peng, and even from Zhou Shulin. The disparity in strength made people instinctively feel threatened.

The atmosphere turned silent. They were very tired, except for Ethan, yet could not sleep, or rather, did not dare to sleep. They kept their eyes open, staring blankly ahead, either observing their companions or simply zoning out.

Finally, Wang Hai spoke, breaking the silence.

"This cannot go on. It is better to just say things clearly. It is only the first day, and we have only run into the easiest minor trouble, yet our temporary team is about to collapse. How can we last thirty days like this? Who knows what else will happen later? Besides Brother Chen, do you have confidence you can get through this on your own?"

Everyone looked at Wang Hai, but no one spoke. They watched him to see what else he would say.

"Let's not talk about Zhao Ying. She does not know what kind of hellhole the Main God Space is. Do not the rest of us know? Besides, Brother Chen just killed a... piece of trash, a scumbag. There is no need to treat such social dregs as people. Even back home, if someone was randomly shooting in the street with a gun, no one would think it was wrong if they were shot dead on the spot, right?"

Regardless of what they thought inside, everyone's expressions eased a little, and Zhao Ying stopped shrinking further into the corner, relaxing slightly.

Ethan did not say anything. He walked over to Zhou Shulin, helped him unwrap the bandage, and re-bandaged it. He had brought the medical kit with him when they left.

"Thank you, your skills are like the White Bethune of the new era."

"..."

Ethan smiled without speaking. After treating Zhou Shulin's wound, which had started bleeding again from the movement, Ethan took a bottle of water from the corner and simply cleaned up. He also turned on the faucet and dipped his finger in, then licked it.

"Ptooey. The water really is messed up."

Ethan's current body could no longer be viewed as that of a normal human. Ordinary viruses could not threaten him at all. Even if he were infected, he could use magic to purify and remove the virus from his body.

He checked the tap water just to confirm how the zombies appeared. Now it was certain that a zombie crisis would break out in this city, and it would not be small-scale, since it was not spreading slowly through a few zombies, but directly through the tap water to the entire city.

Judging from the situation, a large number of zombies would occupy the city within the next two or three days. At that time, these people outside would face an overwhelming ocean of zombies, struggling to survive in this city. It seemed like a very interesting script. Ethan was just here to watch the fun and hoped for more excitement.

Outside, Wang Hai was still dispensing motivational talk. Ethan was not interested. After cleaning his hands, he grabbed a towel to dry them and returned to the living room.

By then, their relationships seemed to have improved somewhat. At least they were not as obviously wary of each other.

Wang Hai did not continue. He knew this kind of mental shift could not happen overnight. He felt this was enough for now. As long as they worked together to overcome difficulties from now on, unity would no longer be a problem.

"Everyone rest. Today can only be considered a prologue. According to the information gathered earlier, bigger troubles are still ahead, so rest as much as you can while you have the chance."

Silence fell again. Everyone found a barely comfortable place to rest. The only bedroom in the small apartment was given to Zhao Ying. As the only woman and one still unaware of the full situation, she received some preferential treatment.

Ethan found a chair and sat there all night. During this time, he noticed Chen Peng's gaze occasionally sweeping over him, though it never lingered for more than two seconds. It seemed he was afraid of being noticed.

"He is a veteran after all. It is normal for him to sense something is off."

It was mainly that burst of stray bullets. If it had only been one shot, maybe it would not have been much. But being hit several times in a row, it was understandable if a few ordinary people did not notice, yet if Chen Peng had not noticed, he would not be worthy of being a veteran.

Ethan thought for a moment, then used a mental link to send a message to Chen Peng.

"Do not worry, I just came here by accident and will not cause you any trouble."

Chen Peng was thinking about finding an opportunity to talk to Ethan when this sentence suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Mental enhancer? Mind control?"

Chen Peng's expression turned grim. As a veteran, he had equipment to prevent his mind from being invaded or controlled, but all those defenses were useless against Ethan. His equipment offered no resistance at all and did not even activate.

This proved that Ethan's strength was far superior to his, a crushing existence. For such a person to be so polite in explaining himself, besides showing he truly had no ill intentions, there seemed to be no other explanation.

He had no choice but to believe it. Even if he did not believe it, what could he do? If Ethan really had other intentions, did he have any way to stop him?

So Chen Peng could only nod stiffly, giving a slightly awkward smile in return.

As a result, Chen Peng did not rest all night. Fortunately, his physical fitness had been enhanced, so missing a night of sleep did not affect him. The next day, as soon as it was light, he called Wang Hai and left to purchase weapons and equipment.

About half an hour after Chen Peng left, Zhang Yi and Zhou Shulin woke up one after another. The last to wake was Zhao Ying. Ethan knew she had fallen asleep very late, because she had been on edge until morning before finally giving in to sleep.

As a woman, in such a lawless environment, surrounded by unfamiliar men, it would have been abnormal not to be on edge.

Even when she slept, she did not rest well. From her appearance, she likely had many nightmares. She was completely groggy, stumbling toward the bathroom as if preparing to wash her face to clear her head.

"Do not use the tap water."

Ethan's sudden warning made Zhao Ying flinch, then she became more alert, remembering where she was and what she faced. She turned to Ethan and thanked him.

"Is there something wrong with the water?"

Zhang Yi had been sitting to the side, zoning out as if thinking of nothing, but the sentence he spoke was not a question. He had drawn a conclusion from Ethan's words.

"I sampled and tested the tap water yesterday, and I can now confirm there is a problem with it."

Although he did not know when Ethan had sampled and tested it, or with what equipment, Zhang Yi did not intend to ask for details. He just nodded to show he understood, and at the same time thought about the trouble they would face next.

"So, you mean next will be a city full of zombies."

(To be continued.)