"Heh, you really don't know, do you? The zombie virus isn't just transmitted through blood—it can also spread through the air. Only a tiny handful of advanced humans like us can survive. Otherwise, do you really think blood transmission alone could affect the whole world? Those armored vehicles don't even have real soldiers inside."

"Airborne transmission?" Brian Carter was taken aback.

"Alright, now I'll give you a chance: join us, or stay here alone in this soon-to-be deserted zombie city. Well? What do you say?" The burly man with a tiger-head tattoo pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Are you guys planning to head to the suburbs too?" Brian Carter's right hand pressed lightly on the black panther's neck. The panther, which had been crouching on the ground, immediately straightened up, its bright red tongue licking its lips, revealing sharp white fangs. A pair of pale yellow feline eyes stared indifferently at the three people in front of it.

"Of course. Even though there might be mutant animals in the suburbs, the density is still much lower than in the city. So, what do you say? Come with us." The burly man blew out a smoke ring as he spoke.

"Sorry, I prefer to act alone. Looks like I'll have to disappoint you." Brian Carter patted the black panther, and the man and beast passed by the three at a normal pace on their right.

"Hey, act alone? Forget it, boss, if this kid wants to get himself killed, it's not our fault," the long-haired young man said darkly. "In a couple of days... heh heh..."

"Enough, Mouse. Everyone has their own path; we can't force him."

Brian Carter didn't hear the rest of their conversation as he had already walked too far away.

As soon as he passed the three, he strode quickly in the direction of his own place. On the way, the black panther even took care of a female zombie that suddenly leapt out from a large truck parked by the roadside.

As soon as he got home, Brian Carter slammed the security door shut and locked it, then quickly poured himself a glass of water. Dipping his finger in the water, he began writing and drawing on the floor by the door. Complex, mysterious formulas, symbols, and numbers changed rapidly, showing just how astonishing Brian Carter's mental calculation speed was at this moment. Often, as soon as one result appeared, the next formula's result would follow in less than a second.

"Bzzzzzz..." Suddenly, a tingling buzzing noise began to rise outside the window. At first, it was far away, but within a minute, it sounded as if it were right next to his ear. It felt as if the whole world was filled with nothing but this sound.

Brian Carter's face turned a bit pale. His fingers kept drawing out lines of water, which then automatically calculated results. These results became new variables for further calculations, stacking up again and again, as increasingly complex formulas appeared and vanished.

"No, there's not enough time. I have to find a way to distract them for now." Brian Carter closed his eyes, then opened them, his gaze landing directly on the bedroom where Grace Thompson was. He suddenly stood up and rushed into that room.

Ever since Brian Carter had tied her up, Grace Thompson had never been untied, and her mouth was still sealed with tape so she couldn't speak. With the constant bloodletting and malnutrition, she had grown much thinner, and her once-beautiful face had become gaunt. At this moment, Grace Thompson seemed to have just woken from sleep. Seeing Brian Carter rush in, she guessed something serious must have happened. And from the somewhat indifferent look in Brian Carter's eyes, Grace Thompson seemed to sense that her fate had reached a critical turning point. Her eyes immediately filled with tears, showing a pitiful, pleading look.

"I'm sorry, but for my own safety, I have to sacrifice you for a bit." Brian Carter muttered softly, quickly hoisting Grace Thompson onto his shoulder...

Outside the window, the sky, already covered in dark clouds, was now being overtaken by a mass of pitch-black clouds rapidly moving from the suburbs toward the neighborhood where Brian Carter lived, accompanied by an ever-louder buzzing sound, getting closer and closer...

Chapter Ten

"Bam! Bam! Bam!" Amid the growing buzzing, intense gunfire rang out.

"Damn it! What the hell are these things?! Run! Hurry! Get back in the car!!"

"They're flies!! Mutant flies! Boss, hurry!!"

"Roll up the windows!!"

Another burst of gunfire followed. The sound of a car engine started up and gradually faded into the distance amid the buzzing.

Brian Carter sat cross-legged in the storage bedroom, wrapped from head to toe in thick winter clothes, a mask on his face, rubber gloves on his hands, and every bit of exposed skin covered with bandages. This was to protect against attacks from the mutant flies. But even bundled up like this, Brian Carter couldn't shake a strong sense of danger.

Grace Thompson was also wrapped up layer after layer by him, but unlike Brian Carter, she had been left in the living room, and her right hand was deliberately left exposed. In the pale palm, Brian Carter had made a small cut with a knife.

"If the flies really come, their first target definitely won't be me." Brian Carter muttered, spraying himself vigorously with the air freshener and insecticide he had prepared.

The buzzing grew louder and louder. Brian Carter could clearly feel the whole floor trembling with the sound. The zombies, who usually hid during the day, began to howl one after another, but as the swarm of flies approached, those howls fell silent, one by one.