Chapter Twelve: A World Where People Devour Each Other!

“You can get going now.” Chen Yi’s voice was cold as ice, the double-edged blade swaying lightly in his hand.

Li Qiang clearly hadn’t expected Chen Yi to be so direct. His expression changed, suddenly realizing that his earlier look might have been noticed.

Though Chen Yi appeared young, the murderous glint in his eyes told Li Qiang at once that this was no ordinary man.

Besides, to have survived in this apocalypse with a woman at his side, and to still own an off-road vehicle—how could such a person not be ruthless?

With this in mind, Li Qiang decided not to act rashly and tried to explain, “Brother, you misunderstand, I just—”

Before he could finish, Chen Yi struck swiftly, the blade slicing across Li Qiang’s throat.

Blood spurted out in a crimson arc. Li Qiang’s eyes widened in shock as he clutched his neck and collapsed, gasping in agony.

“We’re leaving.”

Without hesitation, Chen Yi turned and spoke to Chu Yunxi.

Although Chu Yunxi was startled, she knew Chen Yi wouldn’t kill without reason, so she asked nothing.

The engine roared to life again as they sped away from the gas station.

Inside the car, silence reigned, broken only by the constant hum of the engine.

They headed for the Eastern District—a journey that should have taken only a few hours.

But the city was now a wasteland, the roads blocked at every turn, some impassable, forcing them to detour time and again.

Along the way, they encountered several waves of zombies, but Chen Yi deftly avoided or swiftly dispatched them.

As dusk approached, pressing on became too dangerous. Lu Bei decided to find shelter for the night and rest, planning to set out again at dawn.

Yet to Chen Yi’s surprise, by morning, the only bridge leading directly to the Eastern District had collapsed.

With no choice, they were forced to take an even longer route.

This meant at least another day before they could reach their destination.

...

Two days later, in the Eastern District—

A makeshift refugee shelter had formed, set up in a massive factory warehouse now repurposed as a gathering point for survivors.

High walls and iron gates cut it off from the outside world, lending an air of relative safety. Huddled in a corner was Chen Yi’s old friend, his sworn brother, Lu Kai.

Lu Kai’s face was pale, his eyes hollow, as if he hadn’t eaten in days—which was, in fact, the case.

“Lu Kai, are you alright?” A frail young man approached, speaking quietly.

Lu Kai looked up. It was Xiao Liu, the friend who had entered the shelter with him. At least here, they had each other for support.

“I… I’m fine.” Lu Kai forced a smile, though it looked more like a grimace.

Xiao Liu sighed, pulling a small piece of bread from his pocket and handing it over.

“This is my share for today. Eat it.”

Lu Kai shook his head. “Keep it for yourself. I’m not hungry.”

“Don’t be stubborn. If you keep this up, you’ll collapse.” Xiao Liu pressed the bread into his hand. “We all need to survive, or we’re truly done for.”

Lu Kai took the bread, his heart aching. He had thought this place would be a haven, but after only two days, the shelter was already a living hell.

Every day, the corpses of the starved were dragged away, while those who ruled the place—the members of the local gangs—continued to live in comfort.

Wang Dong, the ruthless leader of the group here, controlled everything with an iron fist. He had a crew of thugs, monopolizing all the food and resources.

Each day, they sent people out to scavenge for supplies. Refuse, and you’d be thrown to the zombies outside.

Even those who went rarely benefited; nearly all their findings were confiscated by Wang Dong’s men.

That night, Lu Kai’s stomach pains forced him from his bed. On his way to the small shack outside the warehouse, he inadvertently overheard low voices and the sound of chewing.

Curious, he crept up and peered through a gap in the broken window—what he saw almost made him scream.

Wang Dong and several of his henchmen were seated around a battered table, which was piled with bloody human remains.

They cut off chunks of flesh with knives and stuffed them into their mouths, chewing with grotesque satisfaction. The sight made Lu Kai nauseous, nearly causing him to vomit.

But fear kept him silent, his hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

“These bastards… they’re eating people!”

Choking down his revulsion, Lu Kai hurried back into the warehouse, collapsing onto the ground, shaking all over.

The next morning, Xiao Liu noticed Lu Kai looked even paler and more dazed than before.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep last night?”

Lu Kai shook his head, saying nothing. He didn’t know how to tell Xiao Liu the horrifying truth, nor did he know if he could stay here any longer.

Yet he knew that if he left, he wouldn’t survive a single day outside.

At that moment, a tall man entered the warehouse, calling out loudly, “Who’s volunteering to go out and look for supplies today? Step forward!”

No one dared respond. Everyone knew it was a death sentence.

Seeing no volunteers, the man’s expression darkened. “No one? Don’t blame me for being ruthless, then!”

He gestured, and several thugs rushed into the crowd, dragging out some of the weaker-looking people.

“You don’t want to go? Fine—then you’ll be thrown out to feed the zombies!”

One of the women sobbed, begging, “Please, I have a child to care for! Don’t send me out!”

The man sneered, “Then take your child with you to scavenge. Either you return, or you die out there.”

The woman clutched her child, weeping in despair.

The rest watched in helpless silence; none dared to rebel.

Lu Kai, witnessing it all, was consumed by rage. He realized that if things continued like this, they would all eventually end up as food for those monsters.

But what could he do? He was an ordinary man—no weapons, no strength, and certainly no courage to challenge those thugs.

That night, as everyone lay down to rest, Lu Kai tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Images of Wang Dong and his cronies feasting on human flesh, and the anguished screams of those thrown to the zombies, haunted his mind.

He felt suffocated. He had to do something, or he too would share their fate.

Lost in thought, he nudged Xiao Liu beside him, only to find the young man unresponsive. Checking his breath, he realized Xiao Liu was dead.

Just then, the thugs entered again, their eyes scanning the room.

Noticing the commotion in Lu Kai’s corner, they came over.

“Oh, dead already?”

“Then he’s worthless. No point leaving him here to rot—take him out.”

They immediately set about carrying Xiao Liu’s body away.

No one tried to intervene; everyone remained silent. By now, it had become routine—remove the dead, or the stench would soon overwhelm them.

But only Lu Kai knew the truth: the bodies weren’t just being thrown out—they were being eaten.

He couldn’t bear to see his friend Xiao Liu meet such an end, even in death, so he tried to plead.

“Please… let him go!”