Chapter 81: Another Pet Shop!

Hundreds of zombie crystal cores, including one from a second-level mutant. It was no longer a secret that zombies had crystal cores in their heads. After all, anyone who killed a zombie would easily discover this. Liu Jun had no use for these things, but he understood their significance. So this time, he handed them all over to Xue Feng.

Xue Feng nodded silently upon seeing the pile of crystal cores. Clearly, Liu Jun and his group had been collecting them for some time. Last time, they hadn’t brought it up, still holding something back from him. Now, finally, they’d offered up everything. Reflecting on this, Xue Feng sighed inwardly. In the apocalypse, everyone kept a card up their sleeve. Liu Jun had been cautious during their last encounter, but the arsenal Xue Feng brought this time completely eased his worries, prompting him to hand over his most valuable items.

Liu Qiqi even promised Xue Feng that she would, from then on, cook earnestly and with care. Xue Feng didn’t hold her to high standards. So long as the food was edible, it was enough.

For the next few days, Xue Feng didn’t venture out for supplies. Instead, he busied himself with planning inside the villa. He sectioned off an area for planting, where he intended to grow fresh vegetables. Another area was designated for breeding livestock, aiming to raise small animals to increase the supply of fresh meat.

Many believed rabbits were the best choice for raising meat animals, but in reality, it was chickens. Given the same feed, chickens were a better option—they rarely got sick, their meat was tastier and more nutritious than rabbit meat, and rabbits simply didn’t contain enough fat to meet basic bodily needs. Chickens could also lay eggs and were easily managed in free-range conditions. However, raising chickens required chicks and an incubator, things found only at breeding farms. So for now, this plan would have to wait.

One morning, just after waking up, a chime sounded.

[System update: New intelligence for today.]

[1. Wangshan Pet Shop: One female survivor and several pet dogs can be recruited as subordinates to care for the black panther and other hunting dogs.]

[2. Tiancity Residential Complex: Occupied by a group of three gifted individuals called the Red Blossom Society. Each member has a red blossom tattoo, they seize nearby resources and hunt survivors.]

[3. At 3 p.m. near Tiancity Residential Complex, two third-level mutants will wander into the area.]

Upon hearing these three pieces of information, Xue Feng’s eyes widened.

Wangshan Pet Shop? That sounded familiar—weren’t the black panther and other hunting dogs originally taken from there? No, exchanged for food, to be precise. Xue Feng recalled that there had been a pair of siblings in the pet shop. Now, the intelligence system indicated only a female survivor remained. Did the girl’s brother perish? Xue Feng wasn’t surprised; this was to be expected. In the apocalypse, death was as commonplace as breathing.

Previously, the girl had treated him with hostility, convinced he intended to eat the pet dogs. Her brother, on the other hand, was far calmer. Who would have thought the brother would be the first to die?

But what truly caught Xue Feng’s attention were the other two pieces of intelligence.

The Red Blossom Society? He’d never heard of such an organization, but the information suggested they were dangerous. More concerning, two third-level mutants would appear near Tiancity Residential Complex! Could it be that third-level mutants acted together, or was there some special reason? Whatever the case, Xue Feng needed to investigate.

He immediately pulled out the city map. Tiancity Residential Complex wasn’t far—just a few kilometers away. To his surprise, Wangshan Pet Shop was directly opposite Tiancity Residential Complex. Everything was clustered together! Did the brother’s death at the pet shop have something to do with the Red Blossom Society? Xue Feng couldn’t be certain yet. But the proximity of these three places would save him a lot of trouble; he could handle everything in a single trip.

Inside Wangshan Pet Shop, the main door remained tightly shut. Behind it, sofas and other furniture had been piled up to barricade against zombie entry.

“Brother… brother!” In the basement of the pet shop, Li Wangmiao sobbed and wiped her tears. Her brother, Li Wanglou, had been missing for three days. All the food in the pet shop had been consumed, even their stock of dog food. Whatever the dogs ate, they ate as well. Although the dog food would last a while longer, it would eventually run out.

Clean drinking water was also dwindling. So Li Wanglou decided to venture out alone in search of food—there was no other way. They couldn’t hide forever. The first two outings went smoothly; Li Wanglou brought back a crate of bottled water, easing the scarcity. But the third time, he returned empty-handed, his face grim. After repeated questioning, Li Wangmiao learned that her brother had seen other survivors in the vicinity, who had taken all usable supplies. He witnessed those people casually killing several survivors who were also hiding, each with a red blossom tattoo. Sometimes they drove past the pet shop, making Li Wanglou extremely nervous.

Soon, the bottled water was nearly gone, forcing Li Wanglou out once more. This time, he hadn’t returned for three days. Li Wangmiao already understood deep down that her brother was most likely dead, though whether he’d fallen to other survivors or to zombies, she didn’t know. Now, she only felt herself close to breaking.

At that moment, she felt something tickle her palm. Looking down, she saw a poodle licking her hand. Beside it were several other small dogs. “Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you. When the time comes, we’ll die together,” Li Wangmiao whispered, gently stroking the poodle’s back. She knew keeping the dogs wasn’t wise in the apocalypse—food was scarce even for humans, let alone dogs. But aside from the dogs, she had no other companions. Besides, the dogs were obedient; since the outbreak, they never barked indiscriminately, never attracting zombies.

A figure appeared in Li Wangmiao’s mind—the man who once traded instant noodles for dogs. She wondered how the dogs were faring beside him. Hopefully, they weren’t being made into dog meat hotpot. That wretched man! If you eat them, I’ll bite you myself, even if I become a zombie!

Just then, Li Wangmiao heard the sound of a car outside.