Chapter 286

Chapter 286

The soldiers fared well; trained and disciplined, they didn’t touch a thing.

ස0

35 vouchers.

Jagger’s men weren’t so lucky. After days of starving, they grabbed anything edible they could get their hands on.

As soon as they caught a whiff of the delicious smell in the air, they immediately dug in.

Seeing their lips puffed up, everyone burst out laughing. “Good thing those mutant caterpillars were burned, or you guys would be knocking on death’s door.”

After Chloe finished disinfecting them, the medic came over with his medical kit and smeared ointment on their swollen lips. Finally, they started to feel their lips again.

Jagger hid his face, feeling awkward.

He thought, “This is humiliating. Not only did all my guys fall for it, but I did it, too.

Chloe glanced around. “The ground over there is clear. Guess we’ll have to head out through that town.”

Up ahead, more than a hundred people were huddled together in a medium–sized supermarket in the town. The place was a disaster zone, filthy, with trash and human waste everywhere.

Everyone had unkempt hair and dirt–streaked faces, exuding a stench. Their eyes toward the windows were filled with

terror.

In the midst of the tense standoff, a baby’s cry suddenly pierced the air, and the zombies outside became even more frenzied in their attack.

Everyone jerked their heads toward the baby, eyes bloodshot and wild with desperation, as if they might tear it apart the

next second.

The mother instinctively pulled the baby close and hid behind her husband.

With all those hostile stares fixed on him, the man swallowed nervously, his mouth suddenly dry. “What do you want?”

One of the men stepped forward and gave the couple a wicked grin. Bits of human flesh were still stuck between his dirty teeth.

He clutched a blood–soaked axe, advancing step by step.

He said, “What do you think I’m gonna do? Your baby cries nonstop, and it’s the reason the zombies keep coming. You’ve got two choices. Kill the baby, or you and your wife get lost.”

The woman was shaking all over, but she still shot back defiantly, chin jutting out. “Why should we? This isn’t your place. We’re not going anywhere”

Her voice turned sharp. “Don’t forget, my husband is a water–powered human. If we leave, who’s gonna supply you with drinking water? We’re giving you water for free, so you’d better watch your tone.”

Her voice kept getting sharper until Peyton, standing in front of her, gave her a sharp slap across the face,

Peyton was tall and thin, with glasses on, and had lost all traces of his former gentleness. Itis face was tight with anger and disappointment.

He gritted his teeth. “Stop, Nina. Are you looking to get yourself killed! Shut up!

1/4

2:17 pm P

Chapter 286

MM

35 vouchers

Nina was stunned by the slap, taking a moment to process what had just happened. Then she lunged at Peyton, trying to scratch his face.

“Peyton, I’m your wife. How could you hit me? What are you thinking?” Nina screamed.

There was no way Nina could match his strength, especially since Peyton was a powered human. Before her fingers even reached his face, he slapped her again, knocking her to the ground.

Nina landed hard, losing two of her front teeth in the process.

Nina clutched her bleeding mouth, stunned, and shrieked. “Peyton, have you lost your damn mind?”

Ever since they got married, Peyton had always listened to her and never gotten angry. Today, he seemed completely different, like he’d been triggered.

Peyton glared at Nina, his face contorted with fury. “You’ve pissed off everyone here. If you bring the zombies down on us again, I’ll toss you out myself.”

Nina glanced out the window at the zombies, her face turning ghostly pale. She shook her head, her eyes brimming with

tears.

Peyton finally let out a heavy sigh of relief, then turned to Beckett, the man with the axe.

“Beckett, can you give us a chance? I swear I’ll keep my wife and kid quiet. We won’t cause any more trouble,” Peyton pleaded.

As he spoke, he shot Nina a fierce glare, silently warning her to keep the baby quiet.

He thought, ‘This damn woman just keeps making enemies everywhere. If she can’t keep the baby under control this time. we might really get thrown out for good.’

Beckett swung the axe in his hand, blood still dripping from the blade, which was eaten away in several spots.

He wasn’t actually planning to toss them out. After all, Peyton was the only water–powered human in the whole crowd.

Seeing Peyton was already scared, Beckett barked another threat just to make sure he got the message, then finally let it go.

However, the baby’s crying just kept coming in waves, never letting up for a second.

Nina gave the baby a little water, and that quieted him for a moment, but water couldn’t fill his belly, and soon, he was crying his lungs out for food again.

Here, the baby’s crying just made everything around more dangerous.

Nina looked at Peyton, her eyes full of grievance. “Babe, I haven’t eaten anything all day. I don’t have any milk left. The baby is just hungry

Ever since they holed up in this supermarket, there had been plenty of supplies. No one had gone hungry, and things had been peaceful Nina had always had enough breast milk for the baby.

However, by yesterday, everything was gone, Nina hadn’t had a single drop of water or bite of food all day. She had no milk

left.

Peyton’s face was grim. He pulled out the last bit of compressed biscuit from his pocket, dropped it into a bowl, and added

some water to soften it.

“Let’s give the baby something to eat. Crying nonstop isn’t going to help he said.

2/4

2:17 pm P

Chapter 286

MM

00:01

35 vouchers

As night fell, the baby’s cries echoed creepily through the gloom, making the whole place feel even more unsettling.

The zombies outside ramped up their attack. The gate cracked in countless places, and as the undead threatened to break the final barrier, everyone huddled together.

The men grabbed whatever weapons they had, while the women and kids scrambled for anything to protect themselves.

Suddenly, the zombies sensed something dangerous coming their way. They dropped their prey and scattered, pulling back like a tide.

Just 3 miles out, a group of several hundred people slowly approached the town.

The vehicles rolled over the cracked, dried–out concrete, creaking and crunching under the wheels.

As soon as they got close to the town, a creepy chill hit them.

The concrete was worse than outside, with weeds growing everywhere and moss covering the buildings, looking like a ghost

town.

It was supposed to be blazing summer, but the vibe here was seriously spooky.

After the apocalypse wiped out 90% of humanity, except for the bases, pretty much every city in the world ended up like this.

The bustling life was gone, and just faded marks remained.

A thousand years from now, this whole place will probably be nothing but endless wild forests.

Filip had been grinding in Riverside, and now he was Level 5; he gave off the vibe of a real badass.

His eyes were sharp, carrying a touch of mature detachment.

Chloe was seriously impressed.

3/4

o Dane 23