The night sky was as dark as ink, pressing down over Grizzly City.
Qi Zhimu carried a batch of spare medicine, kicked open a blocked door, and cleared out the Walking Dead wandering outside.
Under Herta's guidance, they continued to explore the hospital along the main corridor.
"This broken hospital is so huge; the twists and turns could rival a maze."
Qi Zhimu casually threw a box of expired vitamin tablets like a dart, and it hit the wall with a 'pa' sound.
"According to your incomplete Remembrance, the CT room should be around here, but we've been wandering for half an hour. Aside from zombies and stinking bloodstains, we haven't seen a single soul."
A thoughtful expression appeared on Herta's small face as she said softly:
"After all, I only saw the previous plot once, and it's been a long time. It's normal not to remember clearly."
"Many of the signs here have been destroyed, and now that it's night, visibility is too low."
The entire hospital's power was cut, leaving the interior pitch black.
Occasionally, the roars of zombies echoed through the empty corridors from afar, making it feel exceptionally eerie.
Qi Zhimu glanced at the young girl beside him, whose small face was filled with exhaustion, and spoke with an impatient tone.
"Forget it, the pitch blackness isn't friendly to me. Forget searching; let's rest and recover our energy first. We'll turn this place upside down tomorrow."
"...I have no objection," Herta said.
The two found the Staff Dormitory and pushed the door open.
A few zombies wearing nurse uniforms were wandering aimlessly in the hallway. Just as they discovered them, two currents of electricity accurately pierced through their brainstems.
With two thuds, the world became quiet.
A wind picked up the foul-smelling corpses and blew them far away.
Qi Zhimu found a relatively intact room and plopped down on the sofa.
His Staff floated in mid-air, and a small thread of electricity snaked into the distribution box in the corner.
After a buzzing sound, the incandescent light overhead flickered twice and actually lit up.
Although the light was dim and unstable, at least there was light.
Having done this, Qi Zhimu's stomach let out a protest at an inopportune moment.
The air suddenly went quiet for two seconds.
Seeing Herta staring at him, Qi Zhimu said righteously:
"What are you looking at? Humans of the Virtual Substance Lifeform are still primates of the Hominidae family; they must obey the law of conservation of energy. Hurry up and find something to eat, or else I'll eat you."
Herta nodded and began searching the room.
Two minutes later.
"There's no food."
The refrigerator was empty, and she had searched all the cabinets to no avail.
Qi Zhimu rolled his eyes grandly, stood up, walked to the door, and with a thought, a pale green Wind Barrier enveloped the entire room.
"Fine, I have to go out personally. Stay here honestly; I'm going out to stock up."
"I'm coming with you," Herta immediately followed.
"What are you going for? To be an accessory?"
Qi Zhimu waved his hand dismissively.
"It's as black as the bottom of a pot outside. Can your tired eyes see the road? I don't want to have to get distracted saving you later."
"But Mr. Creditor, the one with bad eyesight is you."
Herta's eyes were dull with fatigue, but under the dim light, they appeared exceptionally clear, showing a hint of stubbornness.
She wasn't stupid; she had long seen through Qi Zhimu's logic—he was a typical case of someone whose mouth said one thing while his heart felt another.
He voiced his disdain, but he was actually worried about her, fearing she would die outside.
"If you go out alone, what if you get lost, or..."
Qi Zhimu was laughed in frustration. He was about to refuse, but meeting those pure eyes, the insults at the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.
"Fine, fine, follow if you want."
He turned around, the corners of his mouth curling into an imperceptible arc.
"But let's get this straight: if you get scared unconscious by those ugly things out there, I won't feel sorry for you."
...
Grizzly City at night was more restless than during the day.
Zombies didn't need sleep; instead, they were like they'd been injected with stimulants, becoming even more active at night.
"This setting is simply disgusting."
A ball of fire floated at the tip of his Staff, illuminating the path ahead.
The firelight brought brightness, but it also attracted the attention of all the zombies near the hospital entrance.
Roar—
A dozen zombies lunged from the shadows, rushing over with claws and teeth bared.
"So noisy."
Qi Zhimu's brow furrowed.
A wave of chill hit. Centered on him, a white freezing mist erupted outward.
The zombies in the very front, still in their pouncing positions, instantly turned into crystal-clear ice sculptures.
Even the roars in their throats were frozen beneath the layer of ice.
"Why didn't you use lightning?" Herta asked.
Qi Zhimu glared at her.
"The sound of thunder is no different from broadcasting to a wide area that there's movement here. It would draw more of the Walking Dead to the hospital, and that would be a hassle later."
"I don't care, but you can forget about sleeping tonight. If you lack rest, your meat won't be delicious, and I'd be the one losing out."
As he spoke, he casually kicked over an ice sculpture blocking the way.
Herta was momentarily stunned, her eyes curving slightly.
The two of them pushed forward like this, entering three convenience stores in a row.
The results were disappointing.
The shelves were emptier than Qi Zhimu's stomach. Forget food, not even a bottle of water was left.
"Tsk, are these survivors like locusts?"
Qi Zhimu's expression grew darker and darker; he even felt like throwing an Explosive Fireball at this empty store to vent his frustration.
"Don't be in a hurry."
Herta grabbed the corner of his clothes and said calmly:
"If the small stores have nothing, go look in the big ones. Large supermarkets usually have stockpiles in their warehouses, and ordinary survivors find it hard to open the entrances."
"Fine."
Half an hour later.
It turned out Herta was right.
A large chain supermarket was filled with thousands of wandering zombies. Clearly, this had been a hard-hit area when the outbreak started, causing survivors to be afraid to go deep inside.
"Clear the area."
The Staff floated to the ceiling, magic power diffused, and a small blizzard raged inside the supermarket, wiping out all threats.
After quite a while, the two scavenged several large bags of self-heating hot pots, canned food, and compressed biscuits.
Herta was also carrying several sets of brand-new casual clothes found in the clothing section, leaving with satisfaction.
"Let's fly back." It was too far from the hospital, and Qi Zhimu didn't want to walk back.
"Wait."
"Now what?"
"Since we're looking for a place to rest anyway, we might as well do it nearby." Herta pointed not far away.
Qi Zhimu looked in that direction but couldn't see very clearly.
"What kind of place is that?"
"A hotel, it looks quite luxurious."
"That works too. Let's go there."
...
The top floor of the hotel, the most luxurious suite.
The door was kicked open violently. The inside was still fairly clean and tidy, with only a thin layer of dust from being uninhabited for a long time.
Qi Zhimu manipulated the wind to swirl around, being more efficient than a vacuum cleaner.
Though the water and power were also cut, this was no problem for an All-Elemental Mage.
In the bathroom, Qi Zhimu first used a Water Gathering Spell to fill the spacious square bathtub, then flames rose from his fingertips, heating the water to a comfortable temperature.
Steam rose, dispelling the chill of the apocalypse.
"Finally, I can wash off this stench."
Qi Zhimu was just about to take off his clothes when he noticed Herta standing at the bathroom door, looking at him with a slight frown.
"What? Want to watch?" Qi Zhimu raised an eyebrow.
"Your hands."
Herta pointed to his arms, which had only recently been stitched up.
"The wounds can't touch water; it's easy to get infected and inflamed, and the sutures might burst."
"..."
Qi Zhimu's movements froze.
He had actually forgotten about that.
"But it's very uncomfortable, you know? Although I don't have a severe obsession with cleanliness, any normal person likes to be clean. If I can't touch water, are you going to help me wash up?"