2

It finally got quiet outside the door.

But I know those things haven't gone far.

I could smell their scent lingering in the corridor, like venomous snakes lurking outside their burrows, waiting for their prey to make a move.

Edmund leaned against the wall and hugged me tightly.

He hadn't moved for several hours, his body stiff as a stone.

The temperature in the dormitory is getting lower and lower.

The heating had been turned off long ago, and the chill of late autumn in Boston seeped in through the window.

My stomach started growling.

Glug glug—

Edmund looked down at me, a guilty expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Dafu, I know you're hungry."

I rubbed my nose against his hand.

I don't blame him.

Edmund hesitated for a long time before finally carefully letting go of me and tiptoeing to the corner.

There's a bag of my dog food there, and my stainless steel dog bowl.

His movements were slow and gentle.

He picked up the bag of dog food, slowly tore open the seal, and then tilted the bag, preparing to pour the dog food into the dog bowl.

not good!

I suddenly realized I shouldn't make a sound, and I immediately tried to rush up to stop him, but it was too late.

Splash—

The dry dog food kibble made a crisp sound as it hit the bottom of the metal bowl.

In the deathly silent building, the sound was like thunder.

Edmund's face turned deathly pale instantly.

The corridor suddenly erupted in chaos.

Countless sticky footsteps rapidly approached, surging in like a tide.

The security door was subjected to frantic scratching and impacts; the metal door panel was deformed, the wooden door frame was cracking, and the entire door was teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it!" Edmund cursed under his breath.

I saw the fear in his eyes fade, replaced by a cold calm.

That's the animal instinct when cornered—either die or fight your way out.

He threw away the dog food bag, grabbed the aluminum baseball bat, and rushed into the room, frantically searching for something.

Whiskey bottles, high-pressure hairspray, shredded sheets.

His hands were trembling, but he moved extremely fast, making three makeshift Molotov cocktails in just a few minutes.

boom!

The security door was completely smashed open, the door frame shattered, and the entire door flew into the room.

Three monsters squeezed in.

They no longer resemble humans; their faces split open like flower petals, revealing dense, sharp teeth and dancing tentacles. Their bodies are twisted and deformed, with their limbs bent backwards, moving like spiders.

The lead one lunged at Edmund.

I'm faster than it.

The body, weighing over a hundred pounds, shot out like a black lightning bolt, opening its massive jaws to bite its neck.

Sharp teeth pierced through the rotting flesh and crushed the cervical vertebrae. I felt something hard and radiating heat inside it.

That's the core.

Instinct compelled me to bite it into pieces.

The pale green liquid burst open and poured into my throat.

In that instant, excruciating pain swept through my entire body.

My muscles are burning, my bones are remodeling, and every hair feels like it's being pricked with needles.

I let out a painful whimper, but my body swelled uncontrollably.

In an instant, my size increased and my strength increased.

The second monster lunged at me, and I slapped it with my claw. Its head exploded like a watermelon, and green brain matter splattered on the wall.

"Dafu! Lie down!"

Edmund's voice rang out, and I immediately lay down.

The Molotov cocktail flew over my head and hit the hallway outside the door.

The flames erupted instantly, engulfing the monsters that were about to surge in.

Screams rose and fell, and the air was filled with the stench of burning flesh.

Edmund rushed over and grabbed the fire axe from the fire extinguisher box in the corridor—the red handle was particularly conspicuous in the firelight. He kicked the third monster over, the axe blade cutting into its spine, green blood gushing out.

Edmund's hands were trembling.

The sensation of the axe blade cutting into flesh made his stomach churn violently, but he gritted his teeth and forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit.

"Go!" he roared, his voice trembling.

We rushed into the corridor, and behind us was a sea of fire.

Edmund brandished his fire axe, clearing a path and chopping down everything in his way.

With each stab of the axe into his flesh, his face grew paler.

Green blood splattered on his face, warm, viscous, and foul-smelling.

His body was trembling, and he was breathing rapidly, but he did not stop walking.

Edmund is adapting to this apocalypse at lightning speed!

I followed closely behind him, tearing apart every monster that tried to get close.

After going down three floors, the stairwell became blocked.

Countless monsters surged down from above and below, densely packed together.

We simply cannot fight our way out!

"Damn it!" Edmund turned and rushed toward the window at the end of the corridor.

He raised the fire axe and smashed it hard against the glass.

The glass shattered, and a cold wind rushed in.

"Jump!"

Edmund grabbed me by the neck, and we jumped out of the window together.

boom!

We crashed heavily onto the roof of a garbage truck. Luckily, it was only on the third floor, and Edmund and I were not injured, only our limbs were numb from the impact.

"Fuck...fuck..." the master gasped for breath, his voice weak.

I nudged him with my nose.

Master, we have to go.

Edmund wiped his face and forced himself to stand up.

His legs were weak and he almost fell off the roof, but he gritted his teeth, climbed down, and smashed open the driver's side door.

He pulled out two wires, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold them.

Sparks flew several times before the diesel engine roared to life.

"Get on the bus!"

I jumped into the passenger seat.

Edmund stepped on the gas, and the garbage truck, weighing tens of tons, roared off.

The monster jumped down from the building and landed on the roof of the car.

Edmund jerked the steering wheel, sending the garbage truck hurtling through the air, smashing up abandoned cars on the roadside and sending the monsters flying.

They are everywhere on the streets.

But Edmund didn't slow down. He bit his lip hard, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, and he floored the accelerator.

The garbage truck smashed through all obstacles like an icebreaker, speeding all the way.

The garbage truck sped onto the interstate highway and raced into the darkness.

As night fell, the darkness of the wasteland swallowed the surroundings.

The highway was deserted, with only our headlights piercing the darkness.

After driving for a long time, Edmund finally loosened his grip on the steering wheel.

He parked the car on the side of the road, opened the door, and lay on the ground vomiting violently.

His stomach was already empty; all he vomited was bile and blood.

His whole body was convulsing, as if he was about to vomit his internal organs.

I jumped out of the car and stayed by his side.

The vomiting lasted for a long time.

When he finally stopped, he collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted, panting heavily.

"I killed people," he muttered, his voice trembling with sobs, "those things...they used to be people..."

I licked his face.

"Woof!"

Master, that's not your fault.

Edmund closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

But a few minutes later, he wiped away his tears, stood up shakily, and climbed back into the driver's seat.

"We have to survive, Dafu," he said, his voice hoarse. "We fucking have to survive."

The garbage truck continued its reckless speed.

Suddenly, several blinding beams of light appeared ahead.

That's a tactical searchlight.

Several heavy mine protection vehicles stood like an iron wall across the middle of the road, their bodies painted with the "FEMA" logo.

A squad of fully armed soldiers stood in front of the vehicle, their infrared lasers aimed directly at us.

Edmund slammed on the brakes.

The garbage truck screeched as it dragged long skid marks before finally stopping fifty meters from the roadblock.

"Government forces?" Edmund's face lit up with delight.

I instantly perked up, my ears standing straight up.

But as we got out of the car and the other person approached with a gentle smile, I suddenly smelled a very strange odor.

That's the smell of rotting spores.

"Woof!"

I instinctively let out a low, wary growl.

My master's body stiffened, and he was about to make a defensive move with me.

But the next second, the soldiers who surrounded us all had their fingers on the triggers, staring intently at us.

Obviously, if we do anything unusual, they will not hesitate to shoot.

"Congratulations on arriving at FEMA's safe zone. We will now take you to a safe shelter. You will no longer be in danger."

The tall, imposing officer at the head of the group spoke gently, a perfect smile on his face.

The master's body remained tense, forcing a smile. "Yes...this is really..."

"I'm so lucky."