Chapter 23: Clearing the Residential Complex

Hearing Zhao Lina’s words, Zhou Qiuping’s face betrayed a look of astonishment. She asked, "Is he really that incredible?"

"Mhm, every word I said is true. Last night, I even had to eat beforehand just to keep up with him, and I was still nearly exhausted to death. That’s why I saved some food for you—I was truly afraid you’d be worn out tonight!" Zhao Lina nodded and replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiuping’s expression shifted to one of slight trepidation mixed with anticipation.

...

Elsewhere.

Liu Yang was calculating the future.

Today, he planned to clear all the zombies from the entire villa district. He had already eliminated the majority while searching for survivors yesterday; now, all that remained were the scattered zombies wandering through the various corners of the estate.

Once they were gone, the entire villa district would effectively become a completely cleared safe zone. Then, his women would be able to move about freely.

The facilities in the villa district were top-tier: there was a stadium, a swimming pool, a gym, and all kinds of exercise equipment. A massive artificial lake sat in the center of the complex, perfect for boating or fishing. Once this place was cleared, he could enjoy all the conveniences the district had to offer and do whatever he pleased within its walls.

He had been patrolling for a while without encountering any zombies. After all, the villa district was sparsely populated, and he had already wiped out most of the threats while rescuing survivors. The remaining stragglers were few and far between. As for the ten high-rise residential buildings, he had already locked the zombies inside, ensuring they couldn't get out.

After a few minutes of walking, he finally encountered the first zombie.

Liu Yang’s physical attributes had already reached more than double that of an ordinary person. He didn't bother using his supernatural abilities; instead, he charged at the creature with his axe, easily dispatching it. The fire axe cleaved into the zombie’s brain, lodging firmly in the skull. Liu Yang stepped on the corpse’s head and wrenched the axe free.

He shook his head and muttered, "Although the fire axe delivers a heavy blow and can even penetrate armor, it lacks sharpness. The blade is too thick, making it prone to getting stuck in bone. Having to spend time pulling it out significantly lowers my efficiency."

Currently, Liu Yang’s base stats were more than twice those of a normal human. His melee capabilities were already formidable; even without his powers, he could single-handedly take down dozens of zombies. The only drawback was his lackluster weapon, which made continuous combat difficult. Every strike risked getting the axe embedded in a skull, forcing him to expend effort to retrieve it. If he were facing a large horde, that momentary delay could land him in danger.

"If only I had a better weapon, I wouldn't be worried even if I were surrounded by a hundred zombies!"

Although he thought this, he didn't stop, continuing to take down zombies one by one. In less than an hour, every zombie in the villa district had been cleared. He was able to finish so quickly because he had once worked here as a security guard and knew the area intimately, combined with the fact that the district was sparsely populated. As for the ten high-rise buildings, he had already chained the main gates, trapping the zombies inside.

As he passed the high-rise residential area after finishing his sweep, he heard a loud, rhythmic banging coming from the gate of one of the buildings. He walked over to investigate and discovered a zombie repeatedly smashing its head against the iron gate. The deafening noise had attracted others, and dozens of zombies were now crowded around, completely clogging the entrance.

When they saw Liu Yang through the iron bars, they began to slam against the gate even more frantically, letting out guttural roars. Some zombies even bit the iron bars, refusing to stop even after their teeth shattered. It was a scene of pure madness.

Liu Yang, however, remained calm. These ordinary zombies posed no threat to him; even if the gate were opened and all dozens of them rushed out, he could easily handle them. But the phenomenon gave him pause.

"Under normal circumstances, if I lock the gate and they can't see any living people, they shouldn't attack. But now, they’ve started attacking the gate for no reason. This means they realize the gate is the key to getting out. Their intelligence is steadily increasing."

Originally, Liu Yang hadn't intended to deal with the high-rise buildings. His initial plan was to keep them locked and let the zombies inside starve to death. But that strategy no longer seemed effective.

As the zombies’ intelligence grew, the gates might eventually be breached, causing a massive surge of enemies. That would be troublesome. The villa district was sparsely populated, but the high-rise area was densely packed. Each building housed at least a hundred families. Across ten buildings, that was nearly ten thousand people. Even a conservative estimate would put the number of zombies in the thousands. If they all poured out, Liu Yang didn't think he could handle them all, even with his enhanced strength.

He had to find a way to eliminate the high-rise zombies once and for all.

"ROAR!!!"

Suddenly, a robust zombie lunged at the iron gate, letting out a furious roar at Liu Yang. Its eyes were filled with madness, desperate to break through and devour him.

Unfortunately, their intelligence still wasn't quite high enough; they couldn't even manage the simple act of opening a door. But that might change in a few days.

"Damn, you scared me!" Liu Yang cursed, instantly blowing the robust zombie’s head apart with an ice needle.

He then walked over to a luxury car parked outside the villa, pulled a basin from his dark space, and drained gasoline from the tank. Once the basin was full, he approached the gate and splashed the fuel over the zombies. They were instantly drenched.

Liu Yang pulled out a lighter and ignited the pool of gasoline.

*Whoosh!*

A raging inferno erupted instantly. The zombies, feeling no pain, continued their frantic assault on the gate, their faces twisted in mindless fury. The flames quickly engulfed them and began to spread upward, setting the entire building ablaze.

"Good results. It won't take more than a day for this building to burn down completely, and the zombies inside will be reduced to charcoal. It looks like I’ll have to burn all ten buildings to ensure they’re wiped out. Otherwise, as their intelligence continues to evolve, they might just break through these gates."