After leaving the wholesale street, Liu Yang looted two more large supermarkets.
At this point, supplies filled a quarter of his 50×50×50 meter Dark Space.
With so many resources, Liu Yang couldn't even calculate the exact quantity. But from the looks of it, even if he had to supply a base of 5,000 survivors, it would easily last them for decades or even a century!
Emerging from the emptied supermarket, Liu Yang spotted a hospital nearby.
It was the top-tier Grade-A hospital in the city.
Hospitals were packed with patients before the collapse, meaning the rate of infection here was likely much higher. Right now, it had to be crawling with zombies!
Liu Yang pondered for a moment. "In the apocalypse, medicine is vital. Without it, even a simple fever could be fatal.
"My strength has increased, and my base stats are 20 times that of a normal human, so I'll never fall sick. But the people at my survivor base-and the women by my side-don't have that kind of immunity! Gathering medicine is definitely necessary."
With that, Liu Yang decided to head inside and loot the place.
Stepping into the hospital, he found crowds of zombies wandering through the halls.
The moment they noticed Liu Yang, they bared their fangs and claws, surging toward him.
Liu Yang casually waved his hand. Countless ice needles shot out, striking every zombie with precise, head-exploding blows.
With his Mental Power now 20 times that of an ordinary person, the number of ice needles he could condense was virtually limitless, and his attack range had extended to over a thousand meters.
Compared to hacking away with a blade, Liu Yang preferred eliminating targets with a flick of his wrist. It kept him out of melee range and prevented blood from splattering on him.
Besides, finishing a battle with a single effortless gesture looked exceptionally graceful.
He quite enjoyed that sense of elegance.
After all, true elegance never goes out of style.
As Liu Yang strode deeper into the building, zombies collapsed continuously around him.
Among them were even Level 2 zombies, but before they could even get close, their heads burst open.
Looking at the fallen corpses, Liu Yang's expression turned thoughtful.
"The ratio of Level 2 zombies is getting higher. Before, you'd barely spot one in a crowd of a thousand. But on the first floor alone, I've already taken down at least five! At this rate, Level 3 zombies might start showing up soon."
A Level 2 zombie's base stats were roughly double those of an ordinary human. Unless someone was an ability user, a regular person wouldn't even be able to run away, let alone fight back.
Level 3 zombies had base stats six times higher than a normal person. A regular human would be killed the instant they locked eyes with one.
During the stone tablet test, the strongest opponent Liu Yang had faced was a Level 6 zombie, whose base stats were twelve times those of a normal human! Even a Level 1 ability user would be instantly killed by one.
It was clear that as time went on, the chances of ordinary people surviving on their own would shrink to zero. Joining a survivor base was their only option.
And if a base lacked a sufficient number of ability users, it would eventually be overrun by zombies!
The struggle between ability users and zombies was a constant race against time. Whoever evolved faster would come out on top.
Awakening an ability didn't mean one could sit back and relax. The zombies were constantly evolving, too.
Following the hospital signs, Liu Yang continued toward the pharmacy.
However, the number of zombies along the way grew strangely sparse.
This immediately put Liu Yang on alert.
While the sound of his ice needles shattering heads wasn't terribly loud, it still echoed far down the quiet hospital corridors. Logically speaking, more zombies should have been drawn toward him.
Unless...
They had all been cleared out by a powerful combatant. But that seemed unlikely-the zombies at the main entrance were still intact, and nobody could have bypassed them to clear only the inner corridors.
That left only one other possibility.
A leader had emerged among the zombies, reining in their behavior and suppressing their natural hunting instincts!
Sure enough, as Liu Yang pressed deeper, he found a group of zombies gathered right outside the pharmacy doors, sitting together as if holding a meeting!
Liu Yang was taken aback. "What the hell? Zombies are holding staff meetings now?"
At the head of the group sat a zombie in a white lab coat-evidently a doctor in his past life.
Although his skin was deathly pale, he lacked the filthy, snarling, drooling appearance of regular zombies. He almost looked like a normal person, save for his stark white, clouded pupils.
He sat at the front, seemingly communicating with the others.
A zombie that could speak!
Liu Yang recognized it instantly. This was definitely a Level 3 zombie!
This was the first time he had encountered a Level 3 zombie outside the stone tablet test.
With base stats six times higher than a normal human, even a Yellow Ranking expert like White Fox would likely be killed in an instant.
To stand a chance against a Level 3 zombie, one needed to be at least a Level 2 ability user. Although a Level 2 ability user's base stats were only four times normal human levels-still lower than the zombie's-their elemental abilities would help bridge the gap.
At that moment, the zombies noticed Liu Yang and instantly stood up.
Beside the Level 3 zombie stood two Level 2 zombies, flanked by dozens of ordinary zombies.
With such a formidable lineup, it wouldn't take them ten minutes to breach a survivor camp like Old Wang's. Even Scarface Mouse's base wouldn't be able to hold out against a Level 3 zombie with their current strength.
The ordinary zombies stared at Liu Yang, their eyes burning with predatory hunger.
Yet, without an explicit command from the Level 3 zombie, they restrained themselves and held their ground.
In a stilted, halting voice, the Level 3 zombie rasped, "Hu... human. Tasty... meat. You all... surround him!"
"Swish!"
The entire horde sprang into action.
The two Level 2 zombies split the rank-and-file zombies into two squads, sweeping around to cut off Liu Yang's front and rear escapes.
Meanwhile, the Level 3 zombie remained in place, watching intently and preparing to direct the battle.
Watching their movements, Liu Yang found the tactic intimately familiar.
It was identical to the stone tablet test! With the Level 3 zombie commanding the field, the horde transformed into an organized, tactical army.
To break the army, strike the general first!
"Bang!"
Though the Level 3 zombie was already on high alert, his head exploded in the very next instant.
He didn't even realize what had hit him.
Seeing their leader killed in an instant, the remaining zombies lost their guiding mind. Deprived of organization and discipline, they abandoned all tactics and mindlessly charged toward Liu Yang.
Liu Yang waved his hand.
Every single zombie's head burst simultaneously!
Looking at the headless corpse of the Level 3 zombie, Liu Yang felt a brief sting of regret.
"My Zombie Control is only at Level 2, so I can only control two Level 2 zombies at most. If I had brought it to Level 3, I could have turned this Level 3 zombie into a minion instead of killing it."
Liu Yang shook his head. "Looks like I'll have to pull an all-nighter with that fourth wealthy campus belle to bump my Zombie Control up another level!"