Chapter 9 Framed

Su Xiaomu's gaze turned icy cold, then he gave a faint smile. "It's fine. However..." His eyes rolled slightly. "Being so careless makes it easy for zombies to tear you apart, you know..." His voice was soft, feather-light and devoid of pressure, yet on his gaunt, sallow face, it seemed exceptionally eerie.

Zhao Sheng shuddered involuntarily from the strange feeling. The pre-apocalypse Su Xiaomu was arrogant, conceited, resorting to any means necessary to get what he wanted. The post-apocalypse Su Xiaomu was calm, proud, carrying a perplexing aura. When the apocalypse began, he thought Su Xiaomu would either be torn apart by zombies or starve to death. He hadn't expected to see Su Xiaomu here half a month later... and looking better off than them. Jealousy flared instantly within him...

This wasn't G University. The apocalypse had erupted during a weekend break. Su Xiaomu should have gone home. Why was he here?... Puzzles surrounded him, but none diminished his disgust.

A youth who liked men. A youth who relentlessly pursued the young master of the Ou Yang family. A youth who would stop at nothing to get him, only to fail utterly. Even though Ou Yang wasn't from G City, his family held absolute power in B City...

Seeing the flash of fear in the young man's eyes, Su Xiaomu was satisfied. The pre-apocalypse Su Xiaomu was no saint. The post-apocalypse Su Xiaomu was even less likely to feel sympathy and absolutely would not tolerate attempts on his life.

Yan Qing patted Zhao Sheng's shoulder, whispering a reminder, "What's wrong with you?" His brows slightly furrowed. Even inside the mall, it wasn't safe. Zombies could appear anytime, and he was spacing out.

Zhao Sheng shook his head slightly. "It's nothing." He gave a grateful look, then became alert, scanning the surroundings.

In places others couldn't see, Su Xiaomu transferred useful items like seasonings into his space. Of course, to avoid suspicion, he also grabbed plenty of food from the mall.

The large mall was indeed different. Bread, sausages, biscuits... these things were still plentiful, suggesting the apocalypse hadn't been going on for too long.

"Tch...!" Su Xiaomu cursed internally. He pivoted lightly, narrowly dodging a sneak attack from a zombie. Gripping a wooden stick from his space, he stared sharply at the zombie in front of him.

The zombie wore a "XX Mall" uniform, its mouth gaping wide. Guttural "gurgle... gurgle..." sounds came from its throat. Its bulging eyes stared sightlessly ahead, but its footsteps were surprisingly quick.

Observing the zombie, Su Xiaomu had a thought: this zombie was faster than before... The zombie stretched out its hand, grabbing towards Su Xiaomu. The latter swung his wooden stick hard, breaking both the zombie's arms...

He took two steps back, putting distance between them. Just as he suspected, if the zombie's head wasn't crushed, it could still move. Su Xiaomu assessed his surroundings.

His back was against the wall. To his left and right were shelves. The armless zombie slowly advanced down the middle aisle. Black-purple liquid dripped "plink... plink..." from its severed limbs onto the ceramic tiles.

Gripping the stick with both hands, Su Xiaomu moved left. Then, using all his strength, he pushed against a shelving unit. "Crash...!" The zombie was pinned under the unit, immobilized.

Seizing the chance, Su Xiaomu immediately smashed its skull... Then he turned and ran towards the other side, a sneer curling his lips.

Su Xiaomu's vision and perception were much sharper now. He knew this zombie couldn't possibly be "alone" near him. That left only one reason: someone had deliberately set it up. The shadow cast on the floor around the corner confirmed his suspicion.

He didn't know what his predecessor had done to make this person want him dead?! He wasn't a saint or Jesus, lacking such magnanimity. Since someone showed him no mercy, he saw no need to keep enduring. In that case... A cruel smile curved his lips.

Zhao Sheng shot a resentful glance at the youth who had "barely" escaped. When he turned around, he saw Zhang Yi's inscrutable face. Standing in the shadows, Zhang Yi's whole body was cloaked in darkness.

"If he lacks the ability and gets bitten to death by a zombie, that's no one's fault," Zhang Yi's voice was quiet, yet carried boundless coldness. "But I won't tolerate my own comrades stabbing each other in the back!"