"What an oppressive feeling."

Oppressive?

Jiang Xiao took a deep breath, sensing the dead silence in the air around him.

Indeed, such a scene is enough to weigh down anyone's mood.

It's like a scene from an apocalyptic movie, where the protagonist and their group arrive in a city full of zombies...

Well, not exactly.

Perhaps it's even less interesting than those movies, where at least the protagonist can have some fun with zombies, thrilling and intense.

But here, there's nothing but lifeless bodies.

Among the group, Shi Shi seemed unaffected. She crinkled her little nose, complaining while wearing a mask.

"Ugh, this smell is awful, like Mu Xitang's socks that haven't been washed in a year!"

...

Mu Xitang watching the livestream: "?"

Slander?

What the heck?

"Mom! Shi Shi is so sneaky! She's slandering me in front of the whole world, Mom, she's slandering me!"

"Stop it, it's a serious moment..."

Sun Wei's brows have been furrowed since the beginning and haven't relaxed.

She didn't sleep a wink last night, just stayed in front of the screen watching the livestream.

Cthulhu...

This kind of thing can no longer be explained with the word "weird."

If not handled properly, Jiang Xiao might really end up in deep trouble.

.....

Watching Shi Shi still in the mood to joke around, Jiang Xiao shook his head helplessly.

However, he understood that for Shi Shi, such an environment hardly affects her.

After all, her body is far from comparable to an ordinary person's.

However, for the others, the situation is entirely different.

Most of them are ordinary people with limited psychological endurance.

The scene before them, with corpses scattered across the street and the stench of decaying bodies in a deserted city, evokes an overwhelming sense of despair and loneliness.

If left to face it alone, they might not last long before they break down.

...

Although Jiang Xiao and Shi Shi seemed somewhat immune to the environment, the situation of the others was not optimistic.

The faces of the elderly were pale, their eyes filled with anxiety and panic.

Just then, a heavy rumbling sounded in the distance, breaking the dead silence.

As the sound grew closer, a black SUV appeared in their line of sight.

The car was covered in mud and bloodstains, clearly having undergone a difficult journey.

The emblem on the car indicated that these were the rescue personnel from Shanghai.

"They're here, the rescue team supporting Shanghai. We contacted them last night; they should have arrived earlier, not sure why it was delayed for so long."

Someone explained to Jiang Xiao about the newcomers.

The car's door opened, and several rescue workers in protective gear jumped out, quickly approaching Jiang Xiao and the others.

"What the hell!"

As soon as they got out of the car, they saw two figures, one big and one small, walking around without protective gear.

Especially the smaller one.

She was even observing the corpses at... no, zero distance!

Have they already been infected?

Thus, they decided to throw caution to the wind, discarding the need for protective gear?

At that moment, someone was extremely vigilant, watching them, seemingly not intending to let Jiang Xiao and Shi Shi into the car.

Fortunately, these elderly held some sway with their words.

After saying something to them, they looked at Jiang Xiao with slightly less tension.

The rescue team leader, holding an instrument, carefully checked Jiang Xiao and Shi Shi's physical condition while explaining.

"Sorry for being late. We encountered some obstacles along the way, where the pile-up of corpses was too severe, and we had to spend a lot of time clearing the path."

The elders nodded in understanding, having witnessed the many dead along their own route.

In such extreme circumstances, it's commendable that the rescuers managed to arrive promptly.

The rescue team leader signaled everyone to get in the car, and Jiang Xiao and Shi Shi quickly boarded the SUV with the others.

The purified air inside the vehicle made it much more comfortable.

Shi Shi finally removed her mask, took a deep breath of the purified air, and showed a slight smile.

The expressions of the others in the car changed as they watched her and Jiang Xiao.

Having stayed without protective gear for so long in this virus and bacteria-laden city, the check showed their bodies without a trace of abnormality!

Some even began to suspect that Jiang Xiao and Shi Shi might be humans carrying antibodies.

Could they possibly research a vaccine to curb the virus spread using their source antibodies?

However, Shi Shi opposed this idea.

It wasn't that she was reluctant to donate some blood; rather, she righteously told the people inside the car.

"You're overthinking it. Our blood is just the same as a normal person's. If you don't believe me, you can draw some blood from my dad right now and check."

Jiang Xiao: "?"

You spoke so earnestly, but then you want to draw my blood?

Indeed, you're quite the filial person.

The SUV started, slowly passing through the corpse-ridden streets.

Outside the window, the silently laying corpses seemed to silently narrate the tragedy of Shanghai.

The people inside the vehicle quietly watched the scenery outside, feeling an unmistakable sense of melancholy.

The rescue team leader looked at Jiang Xiao and them, a touch of respect in his eyes.

"We've all heard about your deeds. Thank you for coming to our aid. Shanghai is in dire circumstances; we need your strength."

Jiang Xiao smiled slightly and responded.

"We'll do our best. Now, can you tell us the latest situation?"

The rescue team leader nodded and began to detail the state of Shanghai and the challenges they were about to face.

The leader's words made the atmosphere inside the car even more tense.

He quickly explained the latest insights on the virus, which not only spreads rapidly but has mutated several times, becoming increasingly unpredictable and difficult to control.

The most worrying aspect is that the infected seem to exhibit a form of collective behavior.

Before their bodies decay, they instinctively gather together, moving in coordination, an extremely rare occurrence in the history of viral infection.

What the hell?

"So, infected individuals subconsciously gather at a specific location?"

"Yes."

The rescue team leader nodded, his face looking grim, knowing very well how bizarre this situation was.

"Who's notifying them?"

The rescue team leader shook his head, revealing the horrifying nature of this matter.

Currently, the people of Shanghai stay indoors, and with the entire city network down, they have no means of contacting each other.

Who knows what's leading them to gather together like this?

Jiang Xiao couldn't help but take a cold breath.

Even Shi Shi, who had confidently spoken about defeating this god, was now silent.

This presence seemed somewhat absurdly powerful?

Jiang Xiao had already given up on solving this virus, knowing full well it's far beyond their capability. He hadn't forgotten his primary goal.

"One more thing, why did this virus outbreak start from coastal cities?"

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