Chapter 49

While in the car, Shen Chen coughed violently and couldn’t stop shivering. Looking at Shen Chen cough, Ye Xiaoyu felt extremely worried! She gave him a back rub in hopes of soothing his cough, but upon touching his back, she realized that Shen Chen’s back was squishy like a sponge. When she put her hand on his back, the spot she touched would cave in!

Ye Xiaoyu looked at Shen Chen in astonishment, only to be greeted by a wry smile. Just as she was about to speak, Shen Chen’s face became terribly pale.

The car suddenly stopped by the side of the road, and Shen Chen spat out a mouthful of black blood!

Both Ye Xiaoyu and Guo Yuan were shocked at the sight of this.

“What’s wrong with you, Brother Shen Chen?” Ye Xiaoyu asked anxiously.

Even Guo Yuan couldn’t help asking, “Boss, what’s going on? What’s wrong with you?”

Staring at the pool of black blood, Shen Chen felt a chill go down his spine. The evolution fluid was still wreaking havoc in his body; the longer it remained in his body, the more damage it would cause. His powers were being eroded. Before long, he would revert to an ordinary human being, but it wouldn’t just stop there. His body would continue deteriorating, and he would become weaker and weaker. Eventually he would turn into some kind of mutated zombie. What was even more frightening was that his abilities as a zombie would mirror the abilities he possessed as a human, which was to say, once he became a zombie he would be similar to a Third Tier zombie! He would become a formidable nemesis! Practically indestructible!

388 Chengnan Road. It looked like he would have to make a trip.

Realizing how anxious Guo Yuan and Ye Xiaoyu were, Shen Chen tried to reassure them by saying, “It’s a side effect of the evolution fluid!”

“Evolution fluid!” Guo Yuan was taken aback and glanced at Ye Xiaoyu discreetly. This was a secret between the four of them, and Ye Xiaoyu wasn’t a part of their inner circle yet, and therefore not privy to it.

Ye Xiaoyu was not oblivious to the look that Guo Yuan gave her, though. She felt a little sad but still said with a smile, “How about I leave so that you guys can have a moment to yourselves?”

Shen Chen gestured with a smile. “It’s all right. She’s not an outsider.”

Ye Xiaoyu blushed. What Shen Chen said made her extremely happy. She was overwhelmed with joy! There was a marked shift in the way she looked at him. However, her joy was soon overshadowed by her concern for him. “What exactly is wrong with you?” she asked worriedly.

Shen Chen sighed and explained what had happened on the fourth floor the other day and the effects he suffered after drinking the evolution fluid. “This fluid has to settle for four hours before consumption, and there has to be twenty-four to thirty-six hours between each usage. But I drank enough for ten people, and all within twenty-four hours. My body is unable to absorb it all, so a significant amount of evolution fluid still remains in my system, causing damage to my body. If I don’t find a way to resolve this, I’m afraid…”

It was only now that Ye Xiaoyu and Guo Yuan realized just how much Shen Chen had been suffering for the past two days. They couldn’t fathom how they would have handled it if it had been them, or whether they would have been able to kill the evolved female zombie, then Ye Tianlong!

“Is that why you needed the ginseng?” Ye Xiaoyu asked.

“That’s right. The tonic can speed up the rate of absorption and prevent my body from breaking down,” Shen Chen said with a nod.

“F*ck! We’ll look for all the American ginseng and bird’s nest! Ye Xiaoyu, where else can we find drugstores?”

Looking at how panicky Guo Yuan was, Shen Chen smiled. “No need to go to all that trouble. Let’s go to 388 Chengnan Road.”

“Chengnan Road?” Guo Yuan’s eyes widened. “It’s in the outskirts. There’s a reservoir there and warehouses beside it.”

Shen Chen said with a smile, “Ye Tianlong did a good deed before he died. He told me that there was a warehouse over there filled with premium stuff!”

Ye Xiaoyu was relieved to hear that. “That’s great! Let’s not waste any time in getting there!”

The car sped along the highway toward Chengnan Road. Chengnan Road was located in the south of S City and was seventeen kilometers away from J. There weren’t many vehicles on the highway; even if there were zombies, they were all trapped within the vehicles. The trapped zombies howled at them as their car went past, stretching their pale white arms toward them. It was a scalp-tingling sight! But that’s all it was—a frightening sight that posed no threat to Shen Chen’s entourage whatsoever.

What was most important to Shen Chen right now was time. Time was of the essence! He couldn’t afford another second’s delay. Every second delayed prolonged his agony by another second!

Half an hour later, they finally arrived at 388 Chengnan Road.

There were rows of warehouses, and the surroundings were quiet and nondescript. Occasionally, they would hear a dog howling in the distance, making the atmosphere even spookier.

“There usually aren’t any people around here, only watch dogs and maybe a couple of security guards,” said Guo Yuan.

“You seem to be familiar with the area, ” said Ye Xiaoyu curiously.

Guo Yuan smiled somewhat sadly. “My grandpa used to come here to fish, and I would accompany him sometimes…”

“Sorry…” Ye Xiaoyu said apologetically, having sensed that Guo Yuan was feeling emotional.

Guo Yuan shook his head, dispelling the sadness he was feeling. “Don’t worry about it. Becoming a zombie in that manner might not have been a bad thing for him!” Guo Yuan then turned to Shen Chen and said, “Boss, there are so many warehouses here. How do we find the right one?”

“The ginseng needs to be left out to dry, then placed in the shade. We should look for a warehouse in the south with a basement.”

It wasn’t apparent whether Guo Yuan understood what Shen Chen meant, but Guo Yuan nodded anyway. Ye Xiaoyu, on the other hand, said with a sparkle in her eyes, “Brother Shen Chen, looks like you know quite a bit, too.”

Shen Chen smiled in response. In his past life, he heard that the person who had the same problem he did had stored his supply of ginseng in his own basement.

The three of them went through rows of warehouses. A dozen days into the apocalypse, the electricity supply had long been cut off. Fortunately, it was still broad daylight, so the lack of electricity didn’t hamper their search. After thirty minutes, the three of them finally found a warehouse with a basement.

The door to the basement was just like the jaws of a monster. Beyond the door was a stretch of darkness, which seemed to go on forever. They walked down the staircase carefully.

Suddenly, their noses picked up on a foul stench. It was a smell they were all familiar with. The smell of decay. The smell of zombies!

Ye Xiaoyu and Guo Yuan were at a loss as to what to do. The darkness put them at a disadvantage!

Bang!