Xue Qingyu, seeing the crazed expression on Liu Chengyu's face, became even more panicked. She instinctively took a few steps back. "Thank you, but... no need."
Liu Chengyu paused for a moment, his expression instantly turning cold. "Qingyu, are you disobeying me?" "I've watched you grow up since you were little. What's wrong with a hug?"
Xue Qingyu shook her head and kept backing away until she was cornered against the wall with nowhere else to retreat. "Please, don't do this..."
Hearing this, Liu Chengyu let out a sinister laugh, his eyes reddened as he coldly said, "The apocalypse has arrived, everything is gone. I've worked hard for most of my life, and in the end, I have nothing."
"Qingyu, it's the end of the world now. Morals and ethics don't matter anymore." "Can't you just help me out this once?" "I've always treated you well, isn't it only right that you help me?"
As he spoke, Liu Chengyu attempted to pounce on her. Xue Qingyu was already terrified, the zombies had frightened her enough, and Liu Chengyu's beastly behavior was completely unexpected. She struggled desperately, crying and pleading.
However, Liu Chengyu ignored her cries. Seeing that Xue Qingyu was resisting too much to get close, he backed off to a side and began to undress himself. "Qingyu, you need to be quiet, you know? There are monsters outside that eat people. If they find us, your tender little body will be devoured alive."
"Rather than being eaten by those monsters, it's better if I have you, right?" "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you." "I've long wanted to... hehehe..."
Tears streaming down her face, Xue Qingyu shook her head in despair. "Don't come any closer, you beast!"
Liu Chengyu, laughing wickedly, continued to advance, determined to regress to his basest instincts. The harsher Xue Qingyu's insults, the more excited he became.
Just then, the door was forcefully kicked open, and a man and a woman entered— it was Noah and Liu Xiaoyu.
"Qingyu, are you okay?"
Liu Xiaoyu was the first to rush in, immediately noticing Xue Qingyu's pitiful state, thankfully still fully clothed but clearly terrified. She quickly grabbed a set of clothes from the studio's rack to cover her.
Seeing his opportunity interrupted, Liu Chengyu was furious and roared at Noah, "Who let you in? This is my studio; get out!"
Noah glanced at Liu Chengyu indifferently, then turned his attention to the sobbing Xue Qingyu. He could guess the situation quite accurately without much effort. Noah wasn't surprised by Liu Chengyu's actions. Having lived through the apocalypse for ten years, he had seen all manner of human depravity and madness, much worse than this.
The apocalypse, like a ferocious beast, devours all morality and ethics in human hearts, but Liu Chengyu seemed to have adapted too quickly for his liking. At the same time, Noah understood why Xue Qingyu would harbor a hatred towards men in his previous life.
Ignoring him, Liu Chengyu's eyes darkened with malice, and he grabbed a stone used as a photography prop, hurling it at Noah's head. "Die!"
"Watch out!" Liu Xiaoyu cried out in warning.
Liu Chengyu's attack was swift and decisive, without hesitation. But against Noah, it seemed rather amateurish. When it came to killing, Noah was an old hand. With a flash of the knife, Liu Chengyu missed his target, then quickly dropped the stone, clutching his throat desperately. Still, blood oozed relentlessly through his fingers, quickly pooling on the floor. Liu Chengyu wanted to speak, but opening his mouth only resulted in gurgling sounds and a stream of blood and froth.
With a thud, Liu Chengyu collapsed to the ground, convulsing. It seemed he wouldn't die immediately; how long he would live depended on how much blood he had left.
"Noah."
At that moment, Xue Qingyu, who had been crying, suddenly threw herself into Noah's arms, sobbing.
Noah: "???"
He was utterly baffled and wanted to ask, "Do we know each other that well?"
Despite his confusion, Noah still instinctively embraced her, silently thinking, "Bring it to me!"
[Ding, a plunderable target detected, please select direction of plunder.]
"Replicate ability."
[Ability replication successful.]
[Ability obtained: Lightning Control S-grade.]
Finally, the S-grade ability was his, and Noah couldn't help but smile in relief. This was a genuine S-grade ability, providing a solid foundation for the days to come.
However, to Liu Xiaoyu, Noah's smile seemed somewhat like he was flaunting, almost as if he was feeding her sour grapes.
It seemed like a classic tale of the handsome man and the beautiful woman having a mutual understanding.
Liu Xiaoyu couldn't help feeling a bit sour, realizing she wasn't the first choice.
The trio then left the studio and returned to the car, with Noah driving and the two girls whispering in the back seat, occasionally stealing glances at him.
Xue Qingyu's cheeks were flushed, and she didn't dare to look directly at Noah, while Liu Xiaoyu observed them closely...
Noah, however, was deep in thought.
The apocalypse had arrived suddenly, and in just two to three hours, many had already reacted, fleeing the city by car, hoping to escape the zombie hordes and survive in the suburbs.
But with everyone trying to escape, the roads quickly became congested, impassable.
Zombies took the opportunity to attack the cars, smashing windows and turning the situation into a chaotic mess. Once the "blind boxes" were opened, the people inside were essentially doomed.
Deaths were one thing, but the real danger came when a dying person's foot hit the accelerator, causing even more chaos.
Traffic was effectively paralyzed.
This situation made Noah abandon any thoughts of leaving the city.
Walking out of the city would take several hours, and the risk was too high to justify the effort.
After much thought, Noah decided against leaving the city and motioned for the two women to get out of the car. They then headed to a nearby affluent residential area, as per his memory.
The security guards had long since fled, leaving the gates wide open. Faint growling sounds from zombies could be heard from within.
Upon entering the community, Noah first went to the security booth, casually lowering the barrier to lock the gate. He didn't expect the fence to stop zombies, but if zombies did break through, the alarm could still be somewhat useful.
The area was mostly composed of standalone villas, set in picturesque surroundings. However, it now lay desolate, with small groups of zombies roaming around. There was not a living person in sight.
The wealthy not only lived better but also fled faster. When cars were no longer an option, they turned to aircraft. As a result, most residents of this affluent area had left, and very few who remained were still alive.
Noah methodically cleared any scattered zombies he encountered along the way. He then chose a villa close to the community's main gate as a temporary base.
After a thorough inspection inside and out to ensure there were no zombies, they officially moved in.