Lozang Town

Once said, "To converse with instinct is to converse with the deepest layers of human nature; it allows one to hear the voice from the depths of the soul."

Creak— The iron-rusted gate wobbled, casting a ghostly, chilling shadow beneath the stark white streetlamp. Its shrill, piercing sound sent shivers down the spine.

Since Mo Yu stepped out of the upgraded space and returned to the familiar Earth, she found all her advantages gone. No more advanced weapons, no more teleportation abilities—what remained were her somewhat rusty but not forgotten zombie-slaying skills and a loyal husband. Now, survival itself was an uncertainty.

The street was narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to drive side by side. On either side, a row of dilapidated shops stood, and by the flickering streetlight, one could vaguely make out pools of dark brown blood and scattered limbs on the ground. Instinctively, Mo Yu moved to protect the person behind her, only to realize Li Jun and the others had already been sent by Qing Xuan to her parents' side.

Mo Yu breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had once asked why Qing Xuan could send Li Jun and the others directly to her parents, but not her. Qing Xuan, frowning, explained he had tried, but some mysterious force seemed to restrain Mo Yu, one he could not resist. Only then did Mo Yu realize her ancestors were still secretly testing her.

"Qing Xuan, do you know where we are?" Since their marriage, Mo Yu treated Qing Xuan as a true partner, discussing everything together first. Yet Mo Yu had one flaw—she was hopeless with directions.

"Yes, there's a road sign up ahead. I'll go check." Qing Xuan pointed to a local map set on the roadside and found the town was called Losang.

"Losang?" Mo Yu frowned, the name seemed familiar.

Seeing Mo Yu trying hard to remember, Qing Xuan did not interrupt, but continued to study the map. From it, he discovered that Losang was actually an AAAA-rated tourist spot.

A tourist spot? Qing Xuan frowned as well.

Scratch—scratch—scratch— The shuffle of shoes against concrete echoed from not far away. At that moment, Mo Yu and Qing Xuan stood under the streetlamp studying the map, making them two conspicuous targets for the zombie horde. With so many zombies, neither dared linger, and quickly ducked into a nearby alley.

"I remember now!" Mo Yu whispered to Qing Xuan as they ran, explaining Losang’s history.

Losang was once a poor mountain village. Later, a friend of Mo Yu's father became the local leader and, to help the villagers prosper, transformed it into a cultural, recreational, and experiential holiday retreat. During its grand opening, this friend invited Mo Yu's family to visit and celebrate.

Back then, the world was peaceful, filled with laughter, and it was the first time Mo Yu had truly enjoyed herself since her brother’s birth. That memory brimmed with an incomparable happiness.

Now, in a world riddled with crisis, those beautiful memories made reality seem colder, harsher, and brought Mo Yu even more pain.

Qing Xuan didn’t know what Mo Yu was thinking, but he sensed a fleeting, indescribable sadness.

"I'm fine," Mo Yu reassured him, feeling Qing Xuan’s warm, steady hands envelop hers from behind, giving her a sense of safety and belonging.

"The past few years, Losang has become a major summer tourist destination near the capital, with complete entertainment and amenities. When we left Earth, it was summer, so there should have been many visitors here. But I can’t be certain there are large numbers of zombies, or that any humans survived. We must stay vigilant." As Mo Yu spoke, she and Qing Xuan hid in a shadowy alley.

"I understand. Don’t be afraid—I’ll protect you." Qing Xuan’s words were simple, but in the apocalypse, such honesty was more moving than any romantic promise.

"We can’t just hide." Mo Yu peeked out, noting how the zombies’ movement had greatly improved during their absence—they now walked as steadily as ordinary people. This raised the danger level for Mo Yu, but with the upgraded space, rewards only came from eliminating a certain number of zombies. If they hoped for stronger, more lethal weapons, they would have to slaughter hordes.

"You go over there," Mo Yu pointed to a darker alley opposite, even more hidden. "When they get close, I’ll strike first, then you…" She made a throat-slitting gesture.

Qing Xuan nodded, and under the flickering lights, slipped smoothly to the other side.

Mo Yu exhaled slowly. It had been a long time since she’d killed zombies, and now, facing such peril, her hands gripped her weapon tightly, quietly awaiting the coming judgment.

Creak, creak—the distinctive footsteps of zombies drew near. Mo Yu held her breath, listening intently.

Something was wrong.

Despite her rusty skills, Mo Yu could still clearly discern the direction the zombies came from. This lone zombie was not part of the horde pursuing them, but instead came from behind!

She spun around, swung her blade, and struck.

Though the moves were rusty in memory, they were executed flawlessly. Mo Yu only came back to herself when she saw the zombie's head roll away into the darkness.

Bang— A loud crash echoed from the other alley. Mo Yu realized just how dire the situation was. There was no time to evade the encirclement; more zombies were closing in. If they didn’t fight back, death was certain.

To better face the attack, Mo Yu stepped back with her left foot, toes turned outward, blade held before her, and with explosive force, charged forward like a fired shell, full of gunpowder and fury.

It must be said, although the upgraded space only provided cold weapons, their quality was unmatched. The blade slid in and out, cleanly killing zombies, and not a single stain marred her Tang sword.

To dodge an attack, Mo Yu planted her right foot on the alley wall, vaulted in a complete three-sixty, blade flashing down—another zombie slain!

She intended to continue, but a glance revealed a faint golden glow hovering above the freshly slain zombie, a spinning virtual coin. Was this the currency Shadow had mentioned in the space?

Mo Yu dodged another lunging zombie, landing beside the corpse. How could she gather a virtual coin?

She refused to give up; these coins could be exchanged for more powerful weapons. She reached out, but her hand grasped nothing.

Frustrated, Mo Yu was forced to focus as the intensity of zombie attacks increased. In trying to evade, she stumbled over a zombie, losing her balance. Thankfully the alley was narrow; she steadied herself against the wall, but her palm was sliced open, blood dripping from the wound.

Blood—what was it to zombies? Like a mattress to a sleep-deprived addict, or a pill to a junkie, an irresistible lure.

Mo Yu had not bled since her rebirth. The sudden wound felt almost surreal. Yet after all she had experienced since leaving the space, nothing seemed truly impossible. Now, she only wished to escape this hell safely.

Because of her injury, Mo Yu no longer obsessed over the virtual coin. She dodged the blood-hungry zombies, her blade weaving dazzling phantoms in the air. One bloody zombie head after another was cleaved from its decrepit body by her Tang sword, but zombies neither felt nor cared—their relentless attacks continued.

More and more zombies gathered, the scent of blood mingling with rot, nauseating her.

Mo Yu’s alley was dire, and Qing Xuan’s was no better. With their powers gone, survival depended on real blades and raw strength. Driven back by the zombie hordes, they retreated to the narrow street, now surrounded by three waves of zombies, their chances of survival slim.

Back to back, they faced the undead closing in from every direction, both waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The zombies in Mo Yu’s alley were the first to charge out, followed by those on the street. Mo Yu nodded to Qing Xuan, and he instantly understood. Together, they fought toward the left alley, whose wall was only about two meters high. Without hesitation, Mo Yu slew the nearest zombies, piling up bodies at the alley mouth.

Mo Yu grabbed the wall’s edge with her left hand, stepped on the heap of corpses, and vaulted up. Qing Xuan covered their escape, kicking the bodies aside before climbing, leaving no chance for the zombies to scale after them.