Wang Hui gripped the dagger with both hands, his face turning pale at a speed visible to the naked eye. He forced a shaky smile, his voice trembling:
"Mr. Huan, that isn't funny… This has to be some kind of replica, right?"
Huan Tian didn't answer.
He simply held that faint, ambiguous smile.
But in that moment, to the onlookers, that smile became deeply unsettling. One by one, images surfaced in their minds—Huan Tian dissecting a zombie, snapping off one of its ribs with his bare hands.
And then, as if on cue, a phantom sound echoed in their ears—
Crack!
"Urgh—"
"Ugh!"
Several women who had come over to watch turned green on the spot, staggering to the wall and dry heaving. Even the dignified "leaders" couldn't help but take two steps back. The way they looked at Huan Tian changed instantly—from casual disdain to a raw, instinctive fear.
This man… was not like the others.
He wasn't some obedient pawn they could command at will.
"Ahem… We'll take good care of the supplies you brought," Wang Hui said hastily, trying to steady his voice. "Qu Wei, take Qingqing for her examination. Mr. Huan, if you'll come with us."
The entire thirty-sixth floor had been converted into a large dining hall, with barely any private rooms. As Huan Tian and Lin Qingqing walked through the space, they saw a group of survivors busy processing the day's food supplies.
A glance—about twenty people, all women.
It was obvious: the men had been assigned to places deemed "more important."
Soon, Huan Tian and Lin Qingqing were separated and led into different rooms.
Inside the makeshift examination room, Huan Tian took off his coat and pants as instructed, standing silently before Wang Hui and Jiang Liang. He turned in a slow circle without resistance.
The two men kept their eyes on him the entire time. Wang Hui, ever the "scientist," watched closely while flipping open his small notebook and scribbling rapidly.
But there was something about their gazes—detached, clinical, cold. It made Huan Tian's skin crawl.
It wasn't the look of someone assessing another person—it was the look of someone observing a test subject.
A chill crept up his spine.
"Is that enough?"
Huan Tian stepped forward, feigning impatience, using the moment to casually glance at the notebook.
Wang Hui quickly shut it and gave a polite, apologetic smile.
"Apologies, Mr. Huan. It's just a professional habit," Wang Hui said with a slight, embarrassed smile. "Please believe me—it's nothing personal. I keep detailed records on everyone on this floor."
Huan Tian offered a faint smile, showing no sign of offense on the surface. But deep in his eyes, the chill only grew heavier.
Because in the instant Wang Hui closed his notebook, Huan Tian had caught a glimpse of a note:
"Huan Tian, healthy, rating: excellent…"
As for what came after, he didn't get a chance to see.
When he stepped out of the room, he saw that Lin Qingqing had already finished her inspection. She was sitting on a bench, laughing and joking with Qu Wei, clearly at ease. It was obvious their bond went back long before the apocalypse.
"Congratulations to both of you," Wang Hui said with a bigger smile. "From now on, you're officially part of the thirty-sixth floor."
Seeing Lin Qingqing walk out safely, Wang Hui's tone grew even more cordial. He stepped forward to shake her hand as a gesture of welcome.
"Let me introduce the personnel and rules of the thirty-sixth floor. This is Jiang Liang, head of security here. All safety operations are under his command. Every male resident is required to take part in daily patrols. Mr. Huan, I hope you'll cooperate as well."
Huan Tian frowned slightly.
From Jiang Liang's gaze, he could sense a bone-deep coldness.
And that coldness wasn't just directed at him—it extended toward Lin Qingqing too.
"This is Qu Wei, in charge of logistics. All the women on this floor report to her."
"Hehe, Qingqing, you'll have to help me out from now on," Qu Wei said, winking. "I'm sure you'll handle things much better than I can."
As she spoke, she also flashed a playful smile at Huan Tian.
Just as Wang Hui was about to arrange their accommodations, the doors to the largest private room in the cafeteria were suddenly pushed open.
Two tall men in black suits stepped out and walked straight toward them, their expressions stern.
"Director Wang," one of them said, "Mr. Li has instructed that, due to the increasing number of people, stricter screening procedures must be enforced."
"Starting today, everyone—regardless of injuries—must undergo a full twenty-four-hour quarantine after returning from outside. We cannot afford to repeat previous mistakes."
"Previous mistakes?"
Huan Tian and Lin Qingqing instantly picked up on the sensitive wording, their expressions tightening.
Wang Hui's face flickered with anger and unease, as if he'd just been slapped in public. His tone grew stiff and defensive.
"Quarantine? But we send teams out every day to search for supplies, and we need people to patrol the entire floor's defenses. Where are we supposed to find the extra manpower? Besides, we're already short on rooms—our best ones have already been given to Mr. Li…"
"Apologies," the man cut in coldly. "That's for you to resolve, Director Wang. We're only here to deliver Mr. Li's orders."
The bodyguards were cold and mechanical, like two machines. Without waiting for Wang Qiang's reply, they turned and walked back into the room. The moment the door opened, Huan Tian heard wild, sinister laughter inside, accompanied by muffled screams — as if someone was being strangled.
Wang Qiang looked grimly at the others, who all lowered their heads. A finely dressed man stepped forward with a sarcastic smile: "Director Wang, we each bought our rooms with real money and gold. Surely you're not going back on your word and taking them back now?"
Wang Hui's face darkened even further.
There were only a few rooms in the cafeteria, and each person had their own hidden agenda.
The thirty-sixth floor couldn't be considered an absolute safe zone at this point. If a passageway were compromised during the night, those sleeping in the hall would be the first to fall prey to the zombies. Even a simple door could provide an incomparable sense of security.
"Is anyone willing to give up their room? Preferably two rooms separated from each other. Otherwise, if something happens to one person, it might affect others and cause a bigger mess."
But these fat-headed executives weren't buying it. They all watched their interests, saying nothing.
"Didn't you hear me? I said it must be two rooms. If Mr. Li gets angry, you know what the consequences will be."
Hearing this, the fat-headed men began to hesitate. After some shuffling and bargaining, two men of noticeably lower rank reluctantly said with mournful faces, "Then… we're willing to contribute our rooms."
Behind them, the ordinary employees holding weapons all sneered coldly, clearly enjoying the show. After all, those who had rooms had already exchanged them for money. Now, to survive, everyone had to obey Wang Hui and Mr. Li's orders.
While Qu Wei was busy tidying up her room, Lin Qingqing pulled Huan Tian aside, her once-ceremonial smile instantly vanishing.
"Qu Wei told me to be very careful around Jiang Liang. I tried to indirectly ask what happened before, but she said nothing, though her expression clearly showed something was wrong."
"Do you know who this Mr. Li is?" Huan Tian glanced back, noticing that no one else was paying attention to them.
Lin Qingqing shook her head. "There's no such person in the company. I'll try to ask Qu Wei indirectly later…"
Before she could finish, she abruptly stopped speaking as a man passed by them. They exchanged a friendly, slight smile.
In the distance, Wang Hui was already approaching with the others.
Huan Tian's palm shimmered as he produced some chocolates, bread, and a small bottle of water.
"Something's off about everyone here. Be careful. Don't eat or drink anything they give you tonight — not even the water."
"Don't worry, darling, I'm a Tier-1 evolved now." Lin Qingqing smiled softly at Huan Tian, but quickly sobered. "You be careful too. My gut tells me tonight… won't be normal."