Volume One, Chapter Six: The Young Lady Comes to Keep Master Company

"Troublesome," Gao Yang muttered in a low voice, his eyes gradually turning cold and sharp.

Lin Xue asked in a whisper, "Are... are they human?"

Gao Yang was silent for a moment. "In the apocalypse, people are sometimes more terrifying than zombies."

The sounds outside grew closer, and several men pushed open the pharmacy door.

Leading them was a burly man with a scar on his face. He kicked aside a glass bottle on the floor, scanned the store, and sneered, "Looks like someone got here first."

Behind him followed five men, all brandishing weapons with fierce expressions.

"Brothers, search the place! There must be people here, and find the supplies!"

"Bang!"

A man knocked over a shelf, creating a loud crash.

Gao Yang narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at the group. He slightly raised the baseball bat in his hand as faint sparks of lightning danced across his palm.

"We can't hide anymore," Gao Yang said in a low voice, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Lin Xue. "Stay here and don't move. If anyone gets close to you, bite them with everything you've got. Understand?"

Lin Xue gritted her teeth and nodded heavily.

Gao Yang slowly stood up, stepped out from behind the shelf, and fixed his electric gaze upon the group.

The scarred man spotted Gao Yang, paused for a moment, and then grinned viciously. "Oh, it's just a kid! Kid, hand over everything you have, and your grandpa here might just spare your life!"

Gao Yang let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with mockery. "Spare my life? Just based on the likes of you?"

The scarred man's face darkened, and he roared, "You're courting death! Brothers, get him!"

The henchmen lunged forward without hesitation, their weapons held high, swinging toward Gao Yang with brutal force.

Gao Yang's eyes flashed with intensity. He stomped his foot and charged straight at them!

"Bang!"

As the first man rushed within range, Gao Yang swept his baseball bat, crackling with electricity, across the man's chest. He was sent flying into the wall, knocked unconscious on the spot!

"What?!" The scarred man's expression shifted drastically, his eyes widening in terror at the dancing lightning in Gao Yang's hand.

The power of the "Thunderlord" erupted once more!

Gao Yang’s gaze remained icy. He didn't stop, his body enveloped in a flash of lightning, his baseball bat transforming into a hammer of thunder.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more men were struck down instantly, blood splattering onto the floor.

The scarred man panicked completely and turned to flee, but Gao Yang’s figure appeared before him like a ghost.

"Trying to run?" Gao Yang’s voice was frigid. He raised his palm, and a bolt of lightning crashed down!

"Ah!!"

The scarred man let out a shrill scream, collapsing as his body convulsed, charred black.

Quiet returned to the pharmacy.

Lin Xue slowly emerged from behind the shelf. Seeing the corpses on the floor, she couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes filled with shock and horror.

Gao Yang withdrew his hand and looked at her calmly. "Remember, in the apocalypse, humans are more terrifying than zombies."

Lin Xue nodded with difficulty.

Gao Yang said nothing more, quickly stripping the robbers of their supplies and stuffing their weapons and food into his backpack.

"Let's go. It's not safe here anymore."

Lin Xue followed behind him, looking at his back with complex emotions. She understood that although this man was cold, he was her only hope in this apocalypse.

"Thank you..." Lin Xue whispered.

Gao Yang paused. Without turning back, he said faintly, "Surviving is the best way to repay me."

The setting sun cast its glow over the desolate street, draping everything in a gloomy orange hue.

Gao Yang walked in front, Lin Xue trailing closely behind. Their backpacks were heavy with supplies. Even so, Gao Yang’s stride remained light and agile, as if he had grown accustomed to the rhythm of survival in this end-of-the-world era.

"There's a supermarket ahead," Gao Yang suddenly stopped, his eyes scanning the distance.

Lin Xue followed his gaze. At the end of the street stood a large supermarket. Its outer walls were stained with blood, the glass doors shattered, and faint, shadowy figures of zombies could be seen wandering inside.

"Should we go in?" Lin Xue asked in a low voice, her tone filled with hesitation.

Gao Yang tilted his head slightly and said coldly, "What do you think? Supplies are the foundation of survival. Starving to death is far worse than being bitten by a zombie."

Lin Xue bit her lip and nodded.

Gao Yang said no more. He reached down to touch the kitchen knife at his waist, gripped his baseball bat, and watched the lightning flicker at his fingertips. He signaled for Lin Xue to stay close, then approached the supermarket slowly.

"Crunch."

They stepped through the shattered glass doors, the sound of glass shards under their feet sounding piercingly loud.

Gao Yang frowned, his sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings.

Inside the supermarket, shelves were overturned, food was scattered everywhere, and many items had already been cleared out. More notably, a few zombies were wandering slowly, emitting low, guttural growls.

"Five of them, scattered," Gao Yang quickly assessed.

"Stay here, don't move," Gao Yang whispered, his eyes locked on the zombies' positions.

Lin Xue leaned against the doorframe, nodding nervously while clutching a wooden stick, her eyes filled with fear of the undead.

Gao Yang took a deep breath. His body shifted, slipping into the shadows like a panther, silently approaching the nearest zombie.

The zombie seemed to sense something and turned its head lethargically, but before it could react, Gao Yang’s baseball bat, wreathed in a wisp of lightning, smashed down!

"Bang!"

The zombie's head was crushed instantly, and the body collapsed, twitching as blood splattered onto the shelves.

At the same time, the other zombies let out angry roars and lunged toward Gao Yang’s position.

Gao Yang snorted coldly, raising his left palm as lightning instantly condensed.

"Chain Lightning!"

"Boom!"

A brilliant arc of electricity erupted from his palm, striking the nearest zombie. The current spread like vines, shocking the three surrounding zombies until they trembled and emitted the smell of charred flesh.

A few seconds later, the zombies collapsed, dead for certain.

Lin Xue covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock and awe.

"Done," Gao Yang said, retracting his hand.

Just as they were preparing to scavenge for supplies, footsteps and noisy voices suddenly sounded from outside.

"There must still be stuff in there! Get in there, quick!"

Gao Yang frowned, listening intently, his eyes turning cold.

Humans.

Seven or eight men burst through the supermarket entrance, led by a middle-aged man in a leather jacket carrying an iron bar. He had a scar on his face, sharp eyes, and a cruel grin on his lips.

"Hey, looks like we've got goods," the man said, casting a glance at the zombie corpses on the floor. His expression tightened, then shifted into a greedy smile.

"Brothers, looks like someone cleaned up the zombies for us. How convenient!"

Gao Yang stood behind a shelf, staring coldly at the group, his grip tightening on his baseball bat.

Lin Xue's face turned pale. "Who... who are they?"

"Robbers. Garbage," Gao Yang’s voice was emotionless, as cold as ice.

Lin Xue bit her lip and whispered, "What do we do?"