Supervisor Liu collapsed onto the floor, hands braced against the ground as he scrambled backward. "No, don't come any closer."

Li Xuan picked up the axe and pointed it at one of his colleagues. "You, close the door."

The colleague, intimidated by Li Xuan's imposing presence, had no choice but to go shut the door, though inwardly he resisted. From his perspective, he was older than Li Xuan with more work experience - part of the older generation who deserved respect.

Ssskree~

Li Xuan let his arm drop, the fire axe dragging along the ground. As he advanced, the axe scraped against the floor, sparking and emitting an ear-piercing screeching sound.

Looking down at Supervisor Liu from above, his voice remained indifferent. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Supervisor Liu shook his head repeatedly. "No, absolutely not. Brother, please put down the axe first. We can talk this through properly. Since it's the apocalypse now, we all need to work together to get through this."

Thump!

The fire axe came down with tremendous force and overwhelming momentum.

The axe lodged deep into flesh and bone, blood splattering everywhere. Those standing nearby were sprayed with blood, and the unpleasant metallic scent of blood filled the confined space.

The older employee who had been resentful earlier swallowed hard, his fear now overriding his previous defiance.

"Ah!"

Another supervisor, Supervisor Lan, let out a piercing scream. Her sallow face was filled with terror as she said in a trembling voice, "Li Xuan, you've killed someone! Don't you know this is illegal!"

Huff~ Gasp~

The fallen Supervisor Liu made strange, labored breathing sounds. He wasn't completely dead yet, his eyes fixed on Li Xuan with intense malice and resentment.

Li Xuan pulled out the fire axe and calmly scanned the room. Wherever his gaze fell, people lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes for more than a moment.

"I'm not someone who kills indiscriminately. If you don't harbor ill intentions toward me, I won't kill you. Understood?"

"Um... can I leave? I want to go outside." Supervisor Lan raised her hand, afraid that Li Xuan might suddenly go berserk and put a fire axe in her head.

"Not now." Li Xuan refused outright.

"Why?" Supervisor Lan asked instinctively, then immediately realized Li Xuan wasn't the same obedient worker he used to be. The current Li Xuan was a cold-blooded killer who wouldn't blink at taking a life. She shrank back nervously.

"There are zombies outside too. If you open the door and zombies rush in, we'll have nowhere to hide. Everyone will die," Li Xuan explained.

"But will closing the door really keep the zombies out?"

"Everything is in complete chaos right now. Outside is definitely less safe than inside the museum."

Only then did Supervisor Lan realize what a foolish question she had asked. If things were this chaotic inside the museum, outside must be even worse. Going out now would be too risky. It would be better to wait until the initial chaos passed, survivors hid away, and the zombies calmed down before venturing out, which would significantly increase their safety.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Outside, the sounds of roaring and wailing continued unabated, while inside, the few survivors remained silent.

There were five living people in the mezzanine space including Li Xuan - three men and two women.

The older employee who closed the door was named Liu Qiankun, called Old Liu by those around him. The thin young man was A Yun, and the two women were Bai Lengning and the company supervisor, Sister Lan.

With no one speaking, Sister Lan proactively moved closer to Old Liu, while A Yun quietly approached Bai Lengning.

Bai Lengning had somewhat calmed down, her tightly wound nerves relaxing slightly. She noticed A Yun's movement.

With the apocalypse upon them, people's moral concepts would inevitably gradually fade, replaced by various inflated desires. As a beautiful woman, men represented a dangerous factor to her. Getting close to men could easily lead to the terrible outcomes depicted in movies and novels. Yet with numerous zombies and countless dangers outside, she needed men's strength to protect herself and survive.

At this critical juncture, choosing the right team and aligning with the right man became a crucial issue.

Who should she choose?

Li Xuan killed decisively and acted with precision. Under normal circumstances, he would be more reliable than any other man present.

She remembered that Li Xuan had once shown some admiration for her. Staying by Li Xuan's side seemed like a good choice.

But Li Xuan's displayed personality was too ruthless. The best approach would be to manage both Li Xuan and A Yun, using A Yun to counterbalance Li Xuan. That would be the optimal outcome.

Managing two men simultaneously wasn't particularly difficult for Bai Lengning. She was very beautiful, having been called the campus belle by classmates from high school through university. She had encountered many simps and believed she understood men well, especially young men.

Just as Bai Lengning was about to make her decision, A Yun suddenly said, "During the chaos earlier, some people turned into animals. Did you see that?"

Sister Lan nodded excitedly. "So you saw it too! I thought I was just too scared and hallucinating."

Bai Lengning looked at A Yun. A young man's thoughts were easiest to decipher. "A Yun, do you mean you've also mastered that ability?"

A Yun noticed Bai Lengning's hopeful gaze and scratched his head as he admitted, "Well, I feel like I can transform."

Then Bai Lengning's reaction didn't disappoint him. Her large eyes practically glowed. "Really? Can you transform now?"

A Yun gritted his teeth. He hadn't wanted to use his newly acquired ability, but seeing how much Bai Lengning wanted to see it, he couldn't bear to see her disappointed expression.

"Step back a bit."

The next moment, A Yun's body underwent changes, rapidly shrinking until he transformed into a plump, large rooster.

Sister Lan and the others looked on in astonishment. Having lived in a materialistic world for decades, their worldview had long been established, but now A Yun's transformation completely shattered it.

"The ability to transform into animals? Like mutants in American comics?" Sister Lan said. She enjoyed watching American movies, admired countries across the ocean, and had always wanted to go there to breathe the "air of freedom."

"This transformation ability appeared only after the apocalypse began. I feel it's more like supernatural powers from urban legends," Old Liu speculated.

Bai Lengning's eyes flickered with thought. "A Yun, can you transform into other animals? Like a Tyrannosaurus Rex? Godzilla? Mothra? Hyper Zetton?"

The rooster spoke in human language. "Seems like I can't. Right now, I can only turn into a rooster."

Sister Lan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Old Liu watched quietly, a hint of mockery in his eyes. Bai Lengning felt somewhat disappointed. What could a rooster do anyway?

Braised chicken? Or fried chicken legs?

Rooster A Yun noticed the fleeting disappointment in Bai Lengning's eyes and defended himself, "A rooster can evolve into a phoenix too. Since supernatural abilities have appeared, it's not impossible for rooster bloodline to undergo atavism and become a phoenix."

Bai Lengning thought about it carefully and found some logic in his words. A brilliant smile reappeared on her face. "A Yun, you're a superhuman now. You can't just abandon an ordinary person like me, can you? We're friends."

A Yun's face lit up with joy. The once unattainable ice beauty was seeking his help for the first time, making his heart race. He even started imagining the names of their future children in his mind.

With no one speaking, Sister Lan actively moved closer to Old Liu, while A Yun quietly approached Bai Lengning.

Bai Lengning nodded. "I'm counting on you."

A Yun grew increasingly excited, repeatedly assuring her of his protection.

Sister Lan suddenly interjected, "How did you obtain this transformation ability? Is there any way for all of us to awaken transformation powers?"

With the apocalypse upon them, people's moral concepts would inevitably gradually fade, replaced by expanding desires of all kinds. As a beautiful woman, men represented a dangerous factor to her. Getting close to men could easily lead to the terrible outcomes depicted in movies and novels. Yet with numerous zombies and countless dangers outside, she needed men's strength to protect herself and survive.

Sister Lan looked suspicious, somewhat disbelieving. "A Yun, you're not saying that because you don't want to teach us, are you?"

"Of course not. Sister Lan, you know my character," A Yun explained.

Sister Lan still seemed doubtful. "Yes, I know you have good character - honest and trustworthy. But don't tell me in a few days, Bai Lengning awakens some power."

A Yun's face flushed red. "I'm really not lying to you! If I knew, I would definitely tell you."

After some explanation, everyone believed him, except Sister Lan who glanced secretly at Bai Lengning and silently cursed her for being hypocritical.

Li Xuan paid no attention to their scheming and maneuvering. He wanted to survive and overcome all trials.

He crouched down and searched Supervisor Liu's body, finding several chocolate bars and a pack of chewing gum. Chocolate could provide high calories, making it an excellent resource in the apocalypse.

Then, ignoring the others, he leaned against the corner, silently calculating his next plans.

He had prepared many supplies at home, enough to safely get through the early stages of the apocalypse.

The museum was about six kilometers from his home. To safely traverse those six kilometers, he would need to be extremely careful.

Additionally, he had previously left a backpack outside the museum containing some supplies.

Bai Lengning lowered her voice and said slowly, "With zombies appearing, our urgent task is to figure out whether the zombie crisis has broken out only in North River or worldwide. Either way, there should still be network coverage now."

Her words reminded the nervous group that they still had their phones.

Everyone took out their phones and sent messages to loved ones, asking about their situations. Old Liu anxiously contacted his wife, sending dozens of messages through the WeChat messaging app, but his wife did not reply for a long time.

In a panic, Old Liu made a phone call. The ringtone sounded for a long time. Just when Old Liu thought the call wouldn't connect and his wife was already dead, the call went through.

Zombie roars and crunching sounds came from the other end, followed by a weak voice: "You... killed... me"

Clatter~

Old Liu's hand went slack, and his phone fell to the ground.

Although his wife hadn't said much, those four words were enough to imagine what had happened.

The phone ringtone had attracted zombies! Causing his wife to be discovered by zombies!

He had personally caused his wife's death!

Bai Lengning had just clicked to make a call when she witnessed this scene. She quickly hung up, silently praying.

She had only dialed for two seconds - the other phone shouldn't have had time to ring yet.

The others also abandoned any thought of making phone calls. Sister Lan patted Old Liu's shoulder and said quietly, "It's okay. That sallow-faced woman is dead anyway. I'm still here with you. From now on, we can be together openly."

Old Liu grunted but said nothing more.

Sister Lan helped wipe away Old Liu's tears. After a while, she felt her throat becoming very dry. "Did anyone bring water?"

Bai Lengning pointed to the utility room. "There's a mop in there. There should be a water faucet."

"I get stomachaches from drinking untreated water. Is there any bottled water?" Sister Lan didn't want to drink water used for cleaning mops. Her eyes wandered and settled on Li Xuan. She had her eye on Li Xuan's bottled water, but unfortunately, Li Xuan ignored her.

Bai Lengning sighed helplessly and indicated she had none. In the end, it was Old Liu who produced his half-finished small bottle of mineral water. Sister Lan took the water bottle and unceremoniously drank it all in one go.