CHAPTER 287: CHAPTER 287: MUTANT ZOMBIE

They watched as a large shadow emerged from the darkness. It was a mutated zombie, easily two meters tall. Its skin was bluish from the cold, but patches of black veins could be seen pulsing under its flesh.

Its arms were abnormally long, ending in claws sharp enough to gouge metal. Its eyes glowed faintly red, locking onto them with hunger.

The air around them grew tense with everyone going into alert. Even Leng Pan and Lu Zhen felt disturbed by the evolution of this zombie.

It was no longer the size of a human and its features had changed. Even the rotten skin had been repaired even though it was still lacking in color.

"A mid-tier mutant zombie. I haven’t fought one of these in a long time. Just what we need to stretch out muscles.

Before anyone could react, the creature roared and charged, knocking over an entire aisle with terrifying force.

Leng Pan looked at the strength the zombie had and knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to take down. However, for her and Lu Zhen, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

The only problem was with Janna and Juan Ke. But she knew that Juan Ke would be more decisive and would fight easier compared to the younger girl.

Thus, she decided to use this zombie to train her reaction speed and strength. She had already gotten used to killing the normal zombies.

It was time to upgrade.

"Janna, you’re up first," Leng Pan commanded, her tone sharp like a real commander in battle.

"Remember, hesitation kills. Aim for the joints or the head!"

Janna’s heart thumped and she could hear it beating like a drum in her ears, but she darted forward bravely. Her small figure looked almost fragile against the monstrous zombie, but her swing was decisive.

The blade sliced across its arm, leaving a shallow gash. The mutant roared louder, flailing in rage.

Leng Pan had not expected her not to hesitate at all. But after everything she had gone through, it was understandable that she would loathe zombies.

Seeing how the zombie was raging as if it was in pain from the cut, Juan Ke feared that it would hurt Janna. So, he rushed forward and swung his sword with all his strength, diverting the zombie’s attention towards himself and giving the girl space for a breather.

"Be careful, this thing is faster than it looks." He said while dodging a swing of its sharp claws.

The zombie’s claw swiped toward him, sparks flying as it scraped against his blade. Juan Ke staggered back, boots sliding across the icy floor.

It was a good thing his sword was of good quality. Otherwise, it would have been broken into two.

Leng Pan raised her hand, water in the air condensing instantly into sharp icicles that rained down like arrows. The monster shrieked as the shards pierced its back, slowing it down.

Although she was also training, she wanted to make it more convenient for Janna and Juan Ke to train. That’s why instead of incapacitating the zombie right away, she only slowed it down.

The battle went on for almost an hour as attacks from both sides filled the supermarket. By this time, the commotion had attracted other zombies nearby. However, it seemed that they were either afraid of the mutant or the fight, but none of them joined the battle.

Leng Pan and Lu Zhen used their attacks to guide the other two and eventually Janna gave the zombie the final blow.

Her sword pierced upward, sliding between the zombie’s jaw and skull.

The sound of a cracking skull was heard followed by the sound of the zombie crashing to the ground.

Janna looked at the fallen two-meter monster on the ground and trembled non-stop.

"I did it....I did it...I killed a mutant zombie!" The girl said excitedly.

Leng Pan smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Yes, you did it. Go get the crystal core then our training for today will be done." Leng Pan said with a gentle smile.

"Okay." Janna replied then walked to where the zombie was laying before using her sword to open up its skull and retrieving the glimmering crystal with unsteady hands.

"She learns fast." For the first time Lu Zhen praised someone else who wasn’t his wife. It was practically a miracle.

"Yeah. She can be nurtured well." Leng Pan agreed with his evaluation.

Janna, though still flushed from excitement, obediently tucked away the crystal core she had harvested.

Her earlier strained nerves had yet to fully calm down. "I feel like I learned a lot today," she said softly.

"You did well," Leng Pan told her. "But don’t get careless. Training is only preparation. The real test comes when your life hangs in balance but there is no one close enough to save you and only your blade can protect you."

The young girl nodded firmly, as she committed every word Leng Pan said to memory.

"Let’s see if there is anything we can salvage here from all this snow before going home." Lu Zhen said and led everyone as he used his fire to melt the snow.

They managed to get quite a few things that could be used, especially canned food.

After collecting supplies for an hour, the sky was already getting dark and they had to give up the rest of the things there to go home.

With the aliens running around, they didn’t know what changes might happen at night.

With that, the four of them left the supermarket behind.

Their heavy coats flapped in the icy wind as they made their way back toward the apartment building in the heavy snow.

Snow crunched beneath their boots, and silence settled over the group. No one said anything as they remained calm, steady, almost peaceful despite the death that lingered all around.

By the time they reached the building, the pale winter sun was already dipping behind the horizon, casting long shadows over the ruined city. They climbed the stairs quietly, each one of them lost in their own thoughts.

When Leng Pan and her husband reached their floor, they didn’t go to the apartment where the whole family was but first entered their shared apartment.

Inside the warmth of the apartment, they shed their damp coats and gloves. Luckily, Leng Pan had left the heater on and the house and the heat circulating for a long time making the house warm.

Leng Pan stood by the frosted window for a moment, watching the snow swirl outside.

Her mind returned to the words she had spoken to the foolish survivors earlier. ’Selfishness, pettiness, and carelessness’; those things killed faster than any zombie ever could.

She had not said those words out of impulse. She had witnessed that many times before. She didn’t want a repeat of that, but human greed made it so that it was impossible to avoid.

The next morning, the smell of hot porridge drifted through the apartment as soon as Leng Pan and Lu Zhen entered. It warmed the air despite the frost that clung to the windows. Uncle Li was bustling in the kitchen, muttering under his breath about how the snow seemed determined to freeze both people and ingredients. Auntie Li was helping today for some reason and stood near the stove.

It looked like she was there to warm herself more than help in the cooking process.

The dining table had become the family’s heart since the apocalypse began. Lu Tao was already seated, drumming his fingers impatiently while stealing glances toward the kitchen.

Li Yunjia sat opposite him, a small smile tugging at her lips as if amused by her younger son’s restlessness.

He was so different from his elder brother. One was an iceberg and the other was a silly goose. She wondered how she gave birth to such different human beings.

But one couldn’t blame Lu Tao for his impatience. Uncle Li’s cooking was getting better and better and his food tasted like a piece of heaven.

As Leng Pan and Lu Zhen walked towards the dining table, Auntie Li emerged from the kitchen.

"Ah, you’re just in time," Auntie Li said, shooing Lu Tao’s hand away as he tried to sneak a taste. "Sit, sit. The porridge will be ready in a minute. Honestly, you’d think you haven’t eaten in three days with the way you hover."

Lu Tao groaned dramatically, "Auntie, you’re cruel. How can you torture me like this when I’ve been working hard all night on research?"

Uncle Li snorted. "Research, my foot. You mean staring at your notes and muttering about aliens until you scared your own shadow."

Everyone chuckled, the sound warm and rare in the bleakness of the apocalypse.

Everyone knew that Lu Tao would research everything related to the apocalypse the moment he gets a small clue.

He would try to create small devices that would help them in their daily life and training.

They wondered what he was trying to make now that was related to aliens.