“Yes, but we’re already being targeted by the blood beasts, and this door won’t hold for long.” Lin Xiaobei looked troubled.

Lu Sheng made a quick decision and gave Sun Tiantian a wink.

A thick layer of solid ice flew from Sun Tiantian's fingertips, quickly sealing the rickety iron gate completely. Once the gate was blocked, the impact sounds from outside were isolated by the thick ice, leaving only faint, inaudible noises.

A few teenagers curiously gathered around and touched it, only to immediately wince from the cold.

"Sister, you're so amazing! Sister Chen Rou is also ice-type, but she can only form a very small piece of ice." One of the little girls surrounded Sun Tiantian with envy, calling her "sister" repeatedly.

Under Lu Sheng's silent guidance, Sun Tiantian had already reached the sixth-tier ice element, which was more than enough to handle this situation.

"Brother, don't worry, with Sister Lu here, there are no worries, it's all a small matter." Zhang Xiaojuan patted Lin Xiaobei on the shoulder.

The people in the underground room waited anxiously for a few minutes, and seeing that the blood beast still couldn't break through Sun Tiantian's ice seal, they finally relaxed.

Lin Xiaobei grabbed the little boy who had been yelling the loudest earlier, "Lin Yingjun, come here and apologize!"

"You knocked over the jar yourself, and then you yelled at it so rudely. Apologize right now!"

After fidgeting for a while, Lin Yingjun finally threw himself into the arms of the bespectacled guy, "Handsome, I was wrong! Spank me!"

The bespectacled guy patted the child's head, and the two sides reconciled.

After a brief introduction, Lu Sheng and the others gained a basic understanding of Lin Xiaobei and his group.

This group of people were almost all members of a nearby boarding school. Lin Xiaobei and several other adults were teachers or leaders at the school, and these teenagers were originally students who were cared for at the school.

After the apocalypse, he lost contact with his parents and had no choice but to live temporarily with Lin Xiaobei and others.

Fortunately, Lin Xiaobei possessed a powerful strength-based ability in the early stages of the apocalypse, which allowed him to manage to hold on with the group.

Some time ago, in order to avoid direct ultraviolet radiation, Lin Xiaobei led everyone to move to live in the sewers.

"Does this blood beast have some kind of daily task? Why does it appear on the 15th of every month? This is the first time I've heard of monsters in the apocalypse having to pick specific days to 'go to work'." Zhang Xiaojuan rubbed her chin suspiciously.

They had witnessed the monster's explosive power. If this thing were out on the streets every day, there might not be a single zombie left in M ​​City, and the streets would be full of this raw duck blood.

Lin Xiaobei gave a wry smile, "I don't know the specific reason either, but the blood beasts do only appear on the 15th of each month, and then disappear without a trace the next day when the sun rises."

“But that monster can talk… and it’s called Xiao Jun, is that you? Little kid?” Han Rui looked at Lin Yingjun, who had a chubby face, and took out a lollipop from her pocket and gave it to him.

Lin Yingjun initially took the lollipop with a happy expression, but his face quickly fell, and he lowered his head sullenly, saying, "The blood beast ate my friend..."

The child's words sent a chill down the spines of Lu Sheng, Su Zheng, and the others.

After being eaten, can the blood beast inherit the memories of its food? Or... does the person being eaten become part of the blood beast?

Zhang Xiaojuan rubbed Lin Yingjun's chubby face, then looked up and chatted casually with Lin Xiaobei, "But brother, you're really brave. You dared to lead people to your secret base as soon as we met. It's not easy for you to survive in the apocalypse for so long with your vigilance."

Lin Xiaobei blushed at his words and scratched her head awkwardly, "I know you guys aren't bad people."

“That’s true. Someone as handsome as me would usually be the protagonist in other games,” Zhang Xiaojuan said, winking.

Everyone: "..."

Chen Rou, who had just threatened to commit suicide with Lin Xiaobei, rolled her eyes at Zhang Xiaojuan and said, "Xiaobei knows who the good guy and who the bad guy are."

Lin Xiaobei hesitated for a moment, "Actually, I have another special ability."

"My secondary ability is called screening. I can judge the truthfulness of the first words each person says to me."

"The first thing you said to me was that you came to M City to find the pipeline that was being repaired. My superpower confirmed that it was true, which is why I brought you here to hide."

Su Zheng looked at Lin Xiaobei with surprise, "You can judge a person based on the first thing they say to you every day?"

"Yes, it's not very useful, because most people's first words to each other are usually empty."

After revealing all his secrets, Lin Xiaobei suddenly said seriously, "I know you must be from the big base. I want to make an exchange with you."

"What exchange?"

"I'll take you to a steel mill. After you get the steel, can you take us back to the base?"

Lin Xiaobei's attitude was very sincere. "We've been stuck in M ​​City for too long, and there's nowhere left for living people to live. But with several children, we haven't found a chance to leave. I know this is the only chance."

"If you have difficulty bringing so many people, you can take a few children with you instead."

Without any hesitation, Su Zheng immediately agreed, "Okay."

Lu Sheng didn't speak, but he tacitly approved of Su Zheng's decision.

Although in the apocalypse, saints are killed first, Lin Xiaobei is indeed worthy of respect for being able to hold on for so long with several children who can be considered burdens.

Nothing in the world is inherently black and white.

The bespectacled guy glanced at Lu Sheng furtively, then whispered in Lu Song's ear, "Actually, the boss isn't as cold-blooded as she seems."

The three teams waited in the underground passage until the next morning, until all the sounds outside the door subsided, before Lu Sheng had Sun Tiantian pull on the ice wall.

To ensure the safety of the children and the rest of the group, Lin Xiaobei went alone with Lu Sheng and the others to find the steel mill. Su Zheng left Lu Song and the bespectacled guy behind as bodyguards, while Lu Sheng left behind the vicious dog Rocket.

The remaining personnel, unburdened, headed towards the steel plant in M ​​city.

Led by Lin Xiaobei, the group walked along the side path for more than an hour before finally arriving at the steel plant area.

The steel plant is an old building from the 1980s, with its exterior still featuring simple red bricks and yellow walls. Inside the courtyard, there are still banners advertising a 100-day campaign to boost production, and the corners are piled with withered and rotten flowerpots.

"The warehouse key should be in the office; we need to go find it first." Lin Xiaobei took the lead and entered the steel factory compound.

Several people filed in, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, they sensed that something was amiss.

"Why... are there no zombies here?" Sun Tiantian hesitated and stopped.

With the entire city of M overrun, the steel mill's yard was surprisingly clean, without a single zombie in sight, making it the last safe haven in the entire city.

Just as the group hesitated, a short, stout figure suddenly approached from a distance. "You lot! What are you doing here?"