Of course, they hadn’t charged into the hospital recklessly.

Hospitals were densely populated even before the apocalypse, and most patients had weakened immune systems. When the virus broke out, they were among the first to succumb and turn into zombies.

But the value of medical equipment—combined with having a doctor—was too great to ignore.

Relying on Yan Yitao’s vision-based ability, they scouted several hospitals. Most were so overrun with zombies that just looking at them made one’s scalp crawl. The hospital they had chosen, however, appeared different: each floor only had a dozen or so wandering zombies, still within what they could handle.

So a group of more than thirty people, fully armed, broke into the hospital to move medical equipment.

They fought their way up to the third floor. Since Zou Huan had been an orthopedic doctor before the apocalypse and had experience treating internal injuries, they planned to take equipment related to that field.

Instead, they ran straight into an advanced zombie.

That zombie was at least Level Two—and seemed to have evolved abilities similar to humans. It could launch mental attacks through sheer intent, directly assaulting their consciousness.

What was even more alarming was that it appeared intelligent.

It could control the low-level zombies in the hospital, gathering most of them in one place while leaving only a handful wandering the corridors. It deliberately created the illusion that the hospital wasn’t heavily infested, luring ability users like them inside—

—so it could wipe them out in one sweep.

According to Zhou Haichen, the fact that they’d managed to escape alive was pure, outrageous luck.

Of more than 30 people, only 4 survived.

The last one—the cowardly ability user who only cared about saving himself—had paid the price for it and was killed by Fang Yiyang.

As everyone discussed the ordeal animatedly, Su Mu spoke up lazily, “Did you bring the medicine back?”

“We did,” Jiang Sheng replied with a grin.

Su Mu glanced at him. The way Jiang Sheng squinted his beady eyes while smiling looked increasingly lecherous the longer one stared.

“What about the crystal cores?”

No one answered.

In the end, Lu Shuangshuang broke the silence, her eyes still red.
“So much happened at the time. Everyone was panicking—we didn’t have the energy to dig out crystal cores. We just rushed back to find the leader.”

Su Mu stood up. “I’ll go dig them out.” He rolled up his sleeves, then paused slightly.

Strangely enough, he discovered that the energy pool he had nearly drained earlier was now full—and his ability level had risen by a significant margin.

Hearing this, everyone stood up, armed themselves, and followed Su Mu.

Wu Keke reached for the passenger-side door of the truck, but Luo Beiyao stopped her. He crooked a finger toward Su Mu in the back compartment, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Sit in the front.”

Wu Keke immediately took the hint and climbed into the back.

Su Mu’s expression remained indifferent, his thin lips pressed into a tight line. In the end, he moved from the cargo area into the passenger seat.

Lu Shuangshuang stared at the two of them, stunned.

It took her a while to recover before she thought about asking Fang Yiyang if he knew anything—but when she turned her head and saw his silent profile, she remembered his dead brother.

She pressed her lips together and decided against saying anything.

Comforting him now would only tear open the emotions he’d buried deep down.

He looked carefree on the surface, but inside, he must be hurting badly.

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Luo Beiyao reached over and grabbed the seatbelt on the side closest to the door. Just as he leaned in, Su Mu seemed to sense it and shifted away slightly.

Luo Beiyao let out a soft laugh, his voice low and magnetic, like jade striking stone.
“From now on, when I drive, you sit in the passenger seat.”

Su Mu ignored him.

Luo Beiyao released the seatbelt, his smile turning a little roguish.
“Otherwise, you can sit on my lap.”

Su Mu’s expression didn’t change.

But from the subtle tension in his fingers, Luo Beiyao could tell—

—Su Mu was very likely imagining driving an ice spike straight into his forehead, just to make him wake the hell up.