Chapter 693: The Building Is Empty

I’ve long heard of the Tardigrade Organization, but I never imagined their leader would be so composed. Lao Hu, you’re the most composed person I’ve ever met in the apocalypse, without exception!

Ding Wei sincerely praised him, then pulled a white wax pill from his pocket.

“This is a pill developed by a buddy from the old Absolute Justice. If a conflict breaks out, take a tenth of it—it’ll make you go crazy strong. The outer layer is wax-sealed, don’t eat that—crush it and eat only the inside!”

Considering they were on the same team, Ding Wei generously gave one of these powerful pills to Hu Jinguang.

Hu Jinguang took the wax pill, examined it, then slipped it into his pocket and gave Ding Wei a slight nod with a faint smile: “Thanks.”

As the convoy neared the LeGou Mall, Ding Wei suddenly sensed something was off and exclaimed, “That’s weird—we’re here already, but no guards?”

The entrance to the LeGou Mall was visible, yet not a single guard, not even a trace of human presence.

Hu Jinguang slowed the vehicle, scanning left and right, and said calmly, “It’s strange. Feels completely empty.”

In fact, beyond zombies, humans sometimes possess a mysterious sense for other humans—right now, Hu Jinguang felt an eerie emptiness, as if they’d arrived in a dead land.

Ding Wei’s gloomy eyes swept the surroundings, then he slapped his thigh: “Damn it, they all ran!”

The mall’s gates hung wide open, the glass facade shattered into fragments, no human corpses, no zombie corpses—only scattered debris tossed about by the blast wave. Everything pointed to one truth: no one was here.

The vehicles came to a stop in front of the LeGou Mall, and everyone stepped out, each carrying a rifle. Among them, three or four had visited the mall after the disaster—and now, seeing it empty, they were stunned.

Click. Click-click.

The group approached the shattered glass walls and switched on their flashlights, illuminating the chaos within.

“These damages were caused by vehicles crashing through.”

A member skilled in reconnaissance examined the broken glass and said solemnly, “This place was attacked by a horde after that snowstorm! There was intense combat here...”

“Yeah, though they cleaned up thoroughly, the scuff marks on the ground remain. A lot of people must’ve died here.”

Another man scraped his foot over the darkened bloodstains on the floor, shaking his head.

“Serves them right! Hah! Karma!”

Ding Wei was delighted by this assessment. He kicked away a broken composite panel and ranted with righteous fury: “Back then, I sent my men to negotiate cooperation with the Survivors’ Alliance—and every single one of them got betrayed. I was the only one who stayed alert, or I’d be dead now. And look—they got what they deserved! The cycle of karma is real. Good riddance. They all deserved to die!”

Many who came along watched Ding Wei shouting wildly inside the lobby, disliking his attitude intensely.

“Former leader of Absolute Justice... we came out here to recruit allies and negotiate cooperation. What good is it if they’re all dead? We’ve wasted our trip, and now we still have to face hundreds of thousands of zombies. Do you really think that’s wise?”

A core member from the old Last Hope couldn’t hold back: “You’re an idiot!”—barely holding back the insult.

Ding Wei’s loud laughter cut off instantly. He seethed with irritation, dark malice flashing in his eyes—but he buried it immediately. Now was not the time to lose control. He knew he was no longer in Absolute Justice; this was a newly merged organization. If conflict broke out now, he’d gain nothing.

Ding Wei turned and forced a smile: “Just venting personal feelings, brother, don’t take it to heart. I was just joking—they’re definitely not dead. They’ve probably evacuated to a safe place already.”

“Exactly!”

The middle-aged reconnaissance expert stepped out from the nearby darkness, wiping his cold face, and said gravely, “No zombie corpses, no human corpses. Some areas were tidied up—this was a calm, orderly evacuation. They’re gone.”

“Why abandon such a good place...?”

“Something must’ve happened we don’t know about.”

“Then is it still worth searching here?” The group murmured among themselves until a man wearing a yellow fleece hat finally spoke up.

Hu Jinguang shook his head slightly: “We’re looking for people, not supplies. And judging by how calmly the Survivors’ Alliance evacuated, they likely took everything useful with them.”

“The Survivors’ Alliance was the largest force in northern Qincheng. If even they left, the whole city’s probably empty. Where do we go next?”

Ding Wei, ever cunning, didn’t wait for others to ask—he asked first.

“Lao Ding, you said you wiped out the Apocalypse Group. Now the Survivors’ Alliance is gone too. So what’s left in the north? The Little Eagle Society and the Civilization Protectors. The Little Eagle Society is in a small residential area called Xinglong Huafu to the west, and the Civilization Protectors are in a military camp to the east. One’s west, one’s east—you decide our next destination.”

Hu Jinguang knew the power distribution in Qincheng intimately. He provided the intelligence, then handed the decision back to Ding Wei—clearly avoiding blame.

Ding Wei saw right through Hu Jinguang’s trick. They were co-leaders; the other had given the facts, so it was his duty to decide. He thought for a moment, then his eyes darted and he said, “Zhao Linfeng was right—you really know Qincheng inside out. So which one’s closer? Let’s go to the closer one first.”

Hu Jinguang didn’t mind the question being thrown back. He nodded slightly: “Fine. Let’s go to Xinglong Huafu first. The Little Eagle Society’s headquarters is in the kindergarten inside the residential area.”

“Alright, let’s roll.”

The group got back in the vehicles, set their course, and headed toward Xinglong Huafu. The drive was short—only five or six minutes. When they arrived at the empty kindergarten, everyone felt a wave of disappointment.

They set out again, this time heading east toward the military camp. The distance was slightly longer, but thankfully no zombie attacks occurred. They covered eight kilometers in less than fifteen minutes.

In one look, no mistake!

The same familiar feeling, the same formula—the group saw only empty buildings again. But this time, there was something new: human bones.

“These bones are what the zombies left after gnawing—but these people didn’t die from zombies. They were killed by firearms before the zombies even got to them.”

The reconnaissance expert held a horrifying skull, its remaining flesh bearing a clear bullet hole.

After piecing together the clues, he concluded: “There was an armed conflict here. One side was crushed, their corpses abandoned. Later, a horde passed through and devoured them.”

“The horde arrived no more than two days after the people left—zombies have no interest in corpses older than two days. They won’t even touch them.”

“Zombies are picky eaters? Damn, I never knew that!”

Someone exclaimed in amazement.

Ding Wei stood silently smoking by the military camp’s parade ground, too bored to listen to the others’ chatter. He only knew he’d hit another dead end—and it annoyed him.

“Leader Ding, next stop—Shanghai District or Qingxian?”

Hu Jinguang walked up beside Ding Wei, completely ignoring his mood, and asked outright.

“Huh!”

Ding Wei crushed out his cigarette with his heel, frowned in thought, then said: “Shanghai District is closer. Let’s go there first, then circle through Qingxian on the way back.”

“I need to warn you about something.”

The reconnaissance expert stepped forward after hearing Ding Wei’s decision: “Based on what I’ve gathered, the explosion likely occurred in Shanghai District. The situation there is probably dire. But the final call is still yours two.”

At this, everyone exchanged glances.

“Holy shit, that explosion like a rabid dog’s bite must’ve flattened Shanghai District. Everyone’s dead. What’s the point of going? Let’s skip it—head straight to Qingxian, deliver the message, and we can head back tonight!”

Ding Wei heard this—and his heart leapt. The explosion happened in Shanghai District? Perfect! Now he could legitimately skip one destination. Brilliant! Perfect! (End of chapter)