The genesis of the zombie mutation began with animals.
In the deserted city center, a rabbit with red eyes suddenly appeared.
People were too hungry to consider how unusual it was to see a little white rabbit in such a place.
Someone bravely stepped forward to catch the red-eyed rabbit, boasting to their companions as they walked.
"Just wait until tonight for rabbit legs!"
In the end, they didn't get to eat rabbit legs, but the man ended up eating a lot of human legs.
The moment he reached out, the rabbit swiftly bit his tiger's mouth.
The man cried out in pain, trying to shake the rabbit off, only to discover its astonishing biting force.
He desperately shook his hand but couldn't dislodge the rabbit. Instead, a large chunk of flesh was torn from his hand.
The rabbit ferociously snatched the torn flesh into its mouth, acting as if the man were its "food."
He didn't notice that the rabbit's mouth was already starting to rot, its fur along the edges of its mouth peeling away with the flesh.
In just three minutes, the man's once robust body collapsed.
His companions were terrified and rushed forward to check on him.
The next instant, the man who had collapsed suddenly opened his eyes. He grabbed the closest male companion and bit his face.
He was now like the ferocious rabbit, attempting to tear flesh from his companion's face.
An invisible "toxin" rapidly spread through the crowd, like a drop of ink spreading in clear water.
The companion cried out in pain, screaming wildly. Others rushed to pull them apart, but the man's suddenly elongated fingernails dug into their flesh.
At this moment, he had lost his pupils, leaving only a vast expanse of white in his eyes.
None of the companions who went to check his injuries escaped; they all became food for the man's mouth.
Then, the bitten companions once again transformed into the man's companions...
Zombies began to spread rapidly throughout the city.
They could accurately locate surviving humans by their scent.
Some were in their sleep, some were caught off guard, and others thought they were joking; all became the zombies' "feast."
Humans had not yet recovered from the trauma of extreme heat when they were once again struck by a world-ending disaster.
---
Seeing his axe was broken, the man's eyes bloodshot. This group of survivors was his responsibility, and in a way, these zombies were also attracted by him.
The man was named Fang Guang, a real estate agent, and a survivor of the volcanic eruption night. Since then, he had found a lot of supplies by knowing the surrounding terrain well.
Although most people now ventured out at night to scavenge for supplies, there were still brave and well-equipped individuals.
Not wanting to compete with a crowd at night, they ventured out before sunset. Risk accompanied opportunity, and some supplies overlooked by others at night were picked up by many.
That mutated rabbit had suddenly darted out in the afterglow of the sunset.
Fang Guang was at the scene when the first man mutated. He personally witnessed how humans tore at their own kind and how those bitten transformed into zombies.
As the crowd scattered and fled in panic, information about the Yuhu Tiantian villa complex suddenly flashed in his mind.
It was a sparsely populated area, inhabited by wealthy people, and might have leftover supplies. Even if no one was there, he could smash open doors and scavenge the villas to last him for a while.
He hadn't expected to encounter many panicked people along the way who stuck to him like glue.
Fang Guang immediately hatched a plan. Bringing these people along wasn't necessarily a bad thing; they could serve as his cannon fodder.
If there were survivors at the villa area, they could form a force to resist them.
Thus, he temporarily appointed himself a small team leader and led over a dozen people toward the villa area.
As they ran, he shared his information with everyone.
At this point, everyone's minds were in a jumble; following Fang Guang was merely a reflex.
They didn't expect Fang Guang to actually have a plan and a destination, not just running blindly.
The dozen or so people following Fang Guang suddenly felt like they had a backbone, with Fang Guang as their leader.
During the escape, a girl in the group, out of fear, pushed the two boys who came to save her into a pile of zombies.
Anyone with eyes could see it clearly, but they had no time to scold the girl.
The two were quickly swallowed by the zombie horde, and soon, their former "companions" dragged their mangled bodies, still gnawed upon, and shakily stood up again, joining the zombie ranks and lunging towards them with their sharp claws.
They glared hatefully at the girl, who was crying rivers of tears and constantly apologizing. They had no time to think, only to run mechanically.
And that girl was the one who had knocked on Xu An's door earlier, named Ji Yourou.
"Yourou, this villa's anti-theft system is too good, we can't get in at all. We need to find another way."
Fang Guang seemed to be speaking to Ji Yourou, but his eyes were not on her; instead, they were fixed on the crowd blocking the door.
"Brother Fang, what should we do? Those people over there... they can barely hold on."
Ji Yourou's gaze also drifted elsewhere, filled with malice.
Their eyes met in the air, and they understood the deep meaning in each other's gazes.
Fang Guang had specifically chosen Ji Yourou to knock on the door with him.
He had seen her isolated and helpless situation, believing that only then could she completely depend on him.
Men always had a strange feeling that they could control everything.
Everyone had seen her push those two boys into the zombie horde, but the situation was critical, so no one bothered her. Once everyone reached a relatively safe place, Ji Yourou would surely become the target of everyone's anger.
To Fang Guang, teammates were for cannon fodder and betrayal. He didn't think Ji Yourou had done anything wrong; on the contrary, he admired her unscrupulous methods for survival.
If Ji Yourou had been a softie, he would have abandoned her without hesitation.
More and more zombies poured in, eagerly reaching out their black and blue, blackened fingernails towards the humans trapped behind the iron gate.
They felt no pain, knew no fatigue, and their only means of locating themselves was through their "sense of smell." This group of zombies could sense the scent of living people.
Only Xu An's doorway had the largest concentration of living people, so a large number of zombies gathered there, gradually forming a siege.
"Fang Guang, can you do it? We're about to give out!"
"Yeah, what are you two standing there for? Open the door quickly!"
"Are you trying to kill us!"
Men and women, in their panic, questioned Fang Guang. Seeing him standing still, they became even more enraged and started cursing.
Unlike their shared struggle during the escape, their meager trust had long since vanished in the present fear.
"Hang on a little longer, I'm already thinking of a solution!"