"Ah?"

Yun Xiuzhi paced back and forth in place, hesitating for quite a while. "Should I turn back into human form to eat hotpot?"

"No, you must maintain your pigeon form right now." Li Xuan decisively rejected.

He planned to keep Yun Xiuzhi as a pigeon for at least one version update. She could occasionally revert to human form in the next version.

Yun Xiuzhi looked utterly dejected, her head hanging low.

Li Xuan ignored Yun Xiuzhi's disappointment and stood up to prepare the hotpot.

Along the way, while scrolling through Douyang, he came across an official announcement.

[The Source of Transformation Abilities! Speculations About the Apocalypse's Origin!]

The video featured a dashing female officer who explained in detail the origin of transformation abilities and the evidence supporting it. Her final speculation about the apocalypse's truth was that the zombie virus didn't originate from any company or organization—there must be supernatural forces behind the doomsday event, with transformation abilities being the strongest evidence.

Blue Star's known biotechnology absolutely couldn't enable people to gain corresponding transformation abilities merely by consuming something. This wasn't biotechnology—it was supernatural power.

The comments section buzzed with activity. Most people regretted not eating something when the darkness descended, missing a golden opportunity. Some questioned the authenticity, but as transformation ability users came forward with their testimonies, people began to believe the official message.

Some also mentioned Li Xuan's transformation ability, mainly because his power differed drastically from others', operating on completely different levels with extremely low acquisition probability.

Li Xuan wasn't surprised that the authorities had figured out the source of transformation abilities. There were many intelligent people in the world who would inevitably deduce the truth. Someone might have even figured it out on the first day. The fact that officials were only releasing this information now indicated they were actually quite slow.

He suspected the delay in releasing the information was due to verification processes in recent days.

What surprised Li Xuan was the second piece of information released by authorities. He had expected them to first suspect some umbrella-like organization behind the zombie virus research, never imagining they would directly infer supernatural forces behind the apocalypse.

He scrolled through the comments and saw netizens' speculation about which animals he had consumed. One or two people guessed correctly, but none could comprehend what mindset or series of coincidences led Li Xuan to simultaneously consume whale, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Quetzalcoatlus.

After browsing a few more official announcements, he learned that military forces were currently establishing shelters nationwide, organizing search parties for survivors, and issuing warnings to malicious troublemakers: anyone caught causing havoc would be executed without mercy.

Simultaneously, authorities were recruiting people with transformation abilities, offering one simple benefit that was enough to tempt countless survivors:

Food and shelter provided!

Many responded by revealing their locations.

Li Xuan silently memorized the official phone number.

"Ordinary zombies alone can't destroy modern human society. If zombies don't mutate and no other apocalyptic trials emerge, human social order will eventually restore. Eventually, zombies will end up in laboratories, zoos, and power plants," Li Xuan murmured to himself.

The zombie virus's transmission rate was pitifully low, requiring blood or saliva transmission—even less effective than the common cold virus.

As for zombie birds and zombie insects?

They were indeed troublesome, but humanity's intelligence shouldn't be underestimated.

Unfortunately, zombies would mutate at some point, with various apocalyptic trials arriving one after another. Human technology alone couldn't cope, and eventually only a minority would keep pace with the doomsday trials.

Most living beings would fall during these apocalyptic trials. This was a global catastrophe affecting not just humans, but also land animals, birds in the sky, and fish in the sea—none could escape.

When the hotpot was ready, Li Xuan called Yun Xiuzhi. He took out a small plate and placed it on the table. "Make your own dipping sauce."

"Ah? I'm a bird right now. How am I supposed to make sauce?" Yun Xiuzhi said.

"Then have some of mine." Li Xuan gave Yun Xiuzhi a portion. "Here's a small spoon—serve yourself."

On the seventeenth floor, a man and woman lay half-sprawled on a sofa, faces full of worry.

The man had a thin, weak build with darkish skin and stood about five feet tall.

The woman beside him presented a complete contrast—taller than the man by more than a head, with fair skin and delicate features. Her legs were exceptionally long, possessing the rare champagne glass shape: slender calves with fuller, shapely thighs.

"I'm so hungry. Hey, is your sofa leather made from cowhide?" the small man asked weakly.

Long-Legged Woman nodded, then shook her head. "It is cowhide, but we can't eat it. There's too much dye—it would kill us."

The faint hope that had risen in the small man extinguished, his eyes becoming vacant. "I shouldn't have let you throw away that Husky."

"You actually wanted to eat my dog?"

"Better than letting it eat us!"

As the small man spoke, his flat nose twitched, catching a familiar scent. "That's hotpot! Someone's eating hotpot!"

"You're hallucinating from hunger? Where would hotpot come from?" Long-Legged Woman said.

Too hungry to argue, the small man rose and followed the aroma to the window. Opening it, the rich fragrance flooded in.

"It's from upstairs! He's eating hotpot!"

Long-Legged Woman also rushed to the window, leaning out to inhale the hotpot aroma deeply.

"Lamb slices, duck blood, and instant noodles," she murmured, her mind automatically conjuring images of the food as saliva rapidly filled her mouth.

The small man wiped drool from his corner of his mouth. "Go borrow some food. If Li Xuan can eat hotpot at home, he must have supplies to spare."

"He doesn't even reply to my messages."

"Messaging is different from asking in person. You're beautiful—if you go beg him for mercy, he'll definitely be tempted. Men understand men best. To get you, he'll surely share some food. It's like fishing—you need bait to catch fish. Maybe we can have hotpot today too."

Long-Legged Woman felt tempted. "Should I go try?"

"Hurry, before he finishes eating."

Long-Legged Woman cautiously left the room. The seventeenth-floor hallway contained no zombies. She first tried the stairs but found them blocked, so she returned to take the elevator upstairs.

Reaching the eighteenth floor, the bloodstains on the floor made Long-Legged Woman fearful.

She carefully approached the door and knocked gently.

"Little brother, are you home? Could you spare some food? I haven't eaten properly for days and I'm literally starving," Long-Legged Woman said.

Hearing the noise, Li Xuan carried his large bowl filled with instant noodles to the door. Through the door's camera, he saw the pitiful-looking Long-Legged Woman outside.

Yun Xiuzhi gasped, "Wow, what a beautiful big sister! I didn't think such a figure actually existed outside anime!"

Hearing Yun Xiuzhi's mature female voice outside the door, Long-Legged Woman's heart sank. Some vixen had already beaten her to it, securing the valuable connection first.

Li Xuan's next words confirmed her suspicion.

Li Xuan said, "I have no food to lend you."