There are quite a few people coming and going in the settlement, carrying supplies or taking bodies out—zombie bodies, human bodies, and even Black Death Monkeys bodies.

People nearby all chose to come to the settlement, which is quite natural. Humans are social creatures, especially in the face of external danger; banding together is a natural response.

"Make way, make way."

A man rushed upstairs carrying an injured person on his back, looking a bit anxious, squeezing past the two of them.

The person being carried had a stomach wound from which a large amount of blood was spilling, dripping onto the stairs, filling the air with the scent of blood.

Shen Jinxuan paused and said, "He should stop the bleeding first. Losing too much blood can be fatal too."

The man glared at Shen Jinxuan and growled viciously, "Don't get in the way."

Then, he ran upstairs with the injured person, thinking the medical room was just on the fifth floor, so it wouldn't take much longer to reach.

Su Changxing saw Shen Jinxuan standing in a daze and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shen Jinxuan hesitated for a moment and said, "He seems to have already died."

"Died?"

Su Changxing furrowed his brows; he distinctly felt that person was still alive, not dead. But in the next moment, a scream came from upstairs.

"Ji Yuan!"

As they went upstairs, Su Changxing saw the man crouching silently on the floor, staring at the breathless corpse lying there.

Su Changxing and his companion did not speak and quietly walked past; in this world, death was the most normal occurrence.

Arriving at the third-floor hall, many people were resting there. Qin Jue Ming was in the hall, slightly flushed as if he had just argued with someone.

Su Changxing walked over to him and asked, "Is Huang Biao inside now?"

Qin Jue Ming saw Su Changxing, adjusted his expression, and said, "He's right in the study."

He paused and continued, "Brother Su, we've already taken in enough people. We can't take in more; we don't have enough food, and there are significant issues with managing people... Please persuade Huang Biao, he won't listen to anything I say."

Su Changxing was taken aback, as it was a decision he had proposed. Clearly, Qin Jue Ming didn't know this and thought it was just Huang Biao's idea. He said:

"Alright, I'll go take a look."

He turned to Shen Jinxuan, smiled, and said, "Wait for me outside."

Shen Jinxuan nodded calmly and said, "Okay."

Qin Jue Ming gave Shen Jinxuan a peculiar look and said:

"I'm the manager of the settlement. If you need anything, just call me. You're Brother Su's friend, so you're also my friend. Here's my ID."

······

Creaaak~

The wooden door made a sharp and grating sound.

Su Changxing saw Huang Biao sitting at the wooden table in a daze, walked closer, and said with a smile:

"What's on your mind? I thought you always kept a clear head as a leader."

Huang Biao grinned, showing some smile but felt no joy, and said, "Was it you yesterday? The figure looked familiar."

He was referring to the person in last night's video.

From the very first glance at the video, he determined it was Su Changxing.

"Yes."

Su Changxing didn't deny it, calmly saying, "Yeah, I almost died. Being able to come back alive is a blessing. It might really be like you said; those who are meant to survive always will."

Huang Biao lifted the small silver flask on the table, took a sip, deeply inhaled, and said, "But those who believe in that often die... What other preparations should we make now? In just half a day, over four hundred more people have joined the settlement, and we expect more to come in the afternoon."

Su Changxing picked up the small silver flask on the table to sniff it, smelling the strong alcohol mixed with a heavy fragrance, and said:

"Very poor-quality liquor. Even in this world, there are shoddy things."

Huang Biao shook his head and said, "But it tastes pretty good."

Su Changxing remembered that Huang Biao rarely drank before and asked, "Are you under a lot of pressure?"

Huang Biao remained silent for a moment, then said, "A bit. I originally thought I could handle it, but the more people there are, the heavier I feel... I need to be responsible for them. If it were just me, I'd accept death."

Su Changxing thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's a dead end from the start? We're just looking for a way to live."

The room fell silent; neither of them spoke. The red light from the window brought no warmth but instead a chilling feeling.

Su Changxing took a big gulp from the silver flask, felt the sting of the alcohol, and said, "Not much needs to be done. Use obstacles to block all exits, prepare weapons, and wait for the Blood Moon to arrive."

Huang Biao nodded and said, "This morning, we cleared out all the zombies in the settlement. In the afternoon, we're preparing to block all windows on the first, second, and third floors. Unfortunately, there's not enough time, but we have carpenters here. With time, we could even make some bows and arrows."

Su Changxing thought for a moment and said, "In defending against zombies, ranged weapons are crucial. We could drop heavy objects from above... Yesterday, after establishing the base, has the settlement changed?"

Huang Biao took another sip of alcohol and said, "Nothing much has changed, but last night, zombies broke through the barriers, and we lost some people because of it."

Su Changxing patted him on the shoulder and said, "Maybe we have an end, but it definitely won't be the Blood Moon."

"I'll treat you to a slice of chocolate cake. If we can go back, remember to return the favor."

Su Changxing took out a box-wrapped chocolate cake and put it on the table.

Huang Biao glanced at the chocolate cake, smiled, and said, "You always manage to find good stuff."

······

Shen Jinxuan sat to the side, noticing many gazes directed her way; Su Changxing's status in the settlement seemed higher than she imagined.

"But on reflection, it's normal, given his strength."

She muttered to herself.

Not thinking too much about it, she just followed Su Changxing all the way here. It felt as if they were still in a café, like a drowning person grasping at a straw—regardless of what's on the other side of the straw, she could only hold on tightly.

She recalled many things from long ago, unable to remember what her parents looked like. The family was poor back then, with several children, but it was a warm family...

"Hey, did you come back with my master?"

Shen Jinxuan saw a cute little girl with big eyes walk up to her confidently and say.

She instinctively replied, "Your master?"

Zhu Xin Xue sat next to her and said with a mature demeanor, "Yes, my master is Su Changxing. I saw you coming back with my master just now. My name is Zhu Xin Xue. Are you also his apprentice?"

Shen Jinxuan was full of question marks, unsure what Zhu Xin Xue meant, and said, "Huh? I'm not his apprentice. Does he have a hobby of taking apprentices?"

Zhu Xin Xue breathed a sigh of relief, full of smiles, and said, "Heh, looks like I'm still my master's only apprentice."

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