Chapter 1 Anomaly

There were no zombies on the outskirts of the village, as they weren't interested in food, but Li Chenzhou remained vigilant. Far from the village, he found an open space and set Grey Bear down, helping Xiaoya lean against its reclining body.

"I'll scout ahead. Watch over them, and be careful!"

Turning to look at Duan Lei, who was following behind, Li Chenzhou spoke. Duan Lei seemed puzzled by his words.

Although they hadn't entered the village yet and hadn't seen any zombies roaming around, based on the number of houses, even if everyone in the village had turned into zombies, their numbers wouldn't exceed those in the mall. Why was Li Chenzhou being so cautious?

"Xiao Lei! Mutated creatures aren't just zombies. There are also mutated beasts. All animals, including cats, dogs, rats, chickens, ducks, and geese, can mutate into extremely terrifying creatures!"

Li Chenzhou patted Duan Lei on the shoulder and said, "So, hold your gun tight and guard this place. Don't relax! I'll be back!"

"Don't worry, Boss!"

Duan Lei finally understood and realized why Li Chenzhou had chosen to walk along the paths between the fields after getting off the highway, never easily stepping into the fields on either side. He nodded.

Li Chenzhou drew his battle blade and looked around again. Finding no movement, he rushed towards the nearest small building.

These small buildings were all independent and spaced apart, some four or five meters apart, others more than ten meters. This was convenient for Li Chenzhou!

The iron gate of the building's courtyard was open. Li Chenzhou walked straight in. There were some farming tools in the yard, and the surrounding walls were hung with crops like corn and red peppers.

Scanning the courtyard and finding no living creatures, Li Chenzhou raised his hand and knocked on the iron door with the hilt of his blade:

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The sound of metal striking iron echoed in the silent village, creating an eerie feeling. But after the sound, silence returned. Li Chenzhou heard nothing but the wind.

He frowned.

The knocking wasn't out of politeness, of course. Li Chenzhou wanted to see if there were any zombies inside. If they heard the noise, even zombies trapped inside would make some sound.

But now, there was no reaction at all?

Li Chenzhou took two steps back, completely leaving the courtyard, then cocked his head to listen to the small building next door. There was no sound. The village was remarkably quiet, giving Li Chenzhou a feeling of deathly stillness.

Looking back at Duan Lei in the distance, he saw that he was also watching him, and there were no signs of trouble around him. Li Chenzhou re-entered the courtyard.

"Is anyone there?"

Li Chenzhou shouted, then waited a few seconds. Still no response. He simply strode forward and entered the small building.

The building was simply decorated, with whitewashed walls and cement floors. In the living room, there was a table with pickles and bowls of sauce on it. Li Chenzhou wiped the table with his hand, and there wasn't a speck of dust.

He went around the first floor, checking all the rooms, then went up to the second floor. In less than two minutes, Li Chenzhou had searched the entire building, including the backyard, but found nothing!

Not giving up, Li Chenzhou climbed onto the roof along the courtyard wall and looked at the surrounding buildings. He found that they were all as quiet as the one beneath his feet.

Turning his head to look around, he saw no moving objects except for the grass and trees swaying in the wind, as well as plastic and paper scraps! It was as if the village had been abandoned long ago and was completely uninhabited!

But Li Chenzhou knew that it definitely wasn't abandoned. The table alone was enough to prove that. Moreover, when he searched the building, he could confirm that it was definitely not an uninhabited house!

"Ah!"

Li Chenzhou suddenly shouted, his voice echoing in the empty village. The entire village still didn't respond. There were no zombie roars, no human cries for help…

Something was wrong!

Li Chenzhou frowned and turned to look into the distance again.

In this area, this village seemed to be the only place they could stay for the time being. Changing locations with three people in tow could be even more dangerous.

What Li Chenzhou had said to Duan Lei earlier wasn't meant to scare him. In this world, cities belonged to zombies, while the wilderness belonged to mutated beasts. They were even more terrifying than zombies.

This was because the mutation of mutated beasts wasn't like that of zombies, which completely lost their minds and relied only on instinct. The mutation of animals not only strengthened their bodies, but also improved their intelligence accordingly.

Therefore, mutated beasts could ambush, run away, and even cooperate with each other. Coupled with their faster bodies, each mutated beast could be considered a competent hunter.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Chenzhou looked at the small courtyard beneath his feet and finally decided to choose this place, at least until Duan Xue and Grey Bear woke up.

So, Li Chenzhou jumped down and returned to Duan Lei's side. Duan Lei had naturally seen Li Chenzhou's actions and heard his shout, so he asked, "Boss! What's going on here?"

"I don't know! Something's not right!"

Li Chenzhou shook his head and then described what he had seen, finally explaining, "Generally speaking, it's unlikely that everyone in this village has died. And even if everyone is dead, it's impossible not to see a single zombie.

"Also, in villages like this, people usually raise chickens and ducks, but there's no sign of them here either. There's not a single living thing, so I think this place is strange!"

"Boss, isn't this a ghost village? I've seen villages like this in supernatural novels. Maybe we shouldn't go there!"

Hearing Li Chenzhou's words, Duan Lei felt his hair stand on end and said hesitantly.

"What are you thinking?"

Li Chenzhou slapped Duan Lei on the head. "Don't say we're in the real world. Even if it's a novel, it's an apocalyptic novel. How could it cross over to the supernatural side?

"I feel this village is strange because I don't know where the people and animals have gone. There must be a reason, but it can't be ghosts or gods!"

"Then…"

Duan Lei looked at the village, still somewhat frightened. After all, he was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid, and he couldn't be as calm about this kind of thing as Li Chenzhou.

"Let's go! No matter what, we have to settle your sister and the others first. It's too dangerous outside. A mutated rat could pop out at any time and kill her!"

Li Chenzhou picked up Xiaoya, lifted Grey Bear, and strode towards the small building. Duan Lei looked at Li Chenzhou's back, swallowed, and then looked down at his sister. Finally, he picked her up and followed…