Li Yiming wiped the bloodstains off the small stone.
Once the blood was cleaned off, he held the stone in his hand and examined it carefully.
Under the sunlight, the stone shimmered with a gray luster.
“Holy crap, it’s actually a crystal core!”
The moment he saw what it was, Li Yiming’s face lit up with surprise and joy!
This thing might look like a kidney stone—nasty and grimy.
But its value was immense!
In the comic, this was a crucial item that could help ability users evolve their powers!
If you wanted to enhance your supernatural ability, the only way was to absorb a matching elemental crystal core!
Each element’s core had its own distinct color.
And the gray one in Li Yiming’s hand was a non-elemental crystal core!
Non-elemental sounds like trash, right?
But in truth, the non-elemental core was the most useful among them all!
Why? Because it was the only type of core that any ability user—regardless of their element—could absorb!
Clutching the non-elemental crystal core, Li Yiming’s gloomy mood vanished in an instant!
Right now, the world was still in the early days of the apocalypse.
Crystal cores were extremely rare.
At this point in time, most people hadn’t even seen one yet!
According to the comic’s setting— Not every zombie had a core in its brain.
It was entirely a matter of probability.
The stronger the zombie, the higher the chance it would produce a core.
But right now, during the early apocalypse, powerful zombies were few and far between.
So naturally, the appearance rate of crystal cores was as low as it could possibly be.
Thinking of this, Li Yiming’s smile slowly faded again.
Damn it.
What was he even so happy about, huh?!
What kind of normal person would run into a Licker at this stage of the apocalypse?!
Even just thinking back to the fight made Li Yiming break out in a cold sweat.
If it hadn’t been for the T-virus serum giving him that timely power boost.
He would’ve been just another nameless corpse in a mountain of the dead by now!
This zombie crystal core—he had earned it fair and square!
Li Yiming tucked the core into his pocket.
Dragging his injured body, he made his way back to the hospital lobby where he’d dropped his suitcase and pistol earlier.
Once he recovered the suitcase, he hugged it tightly to his chest.
Inside was the antivirus serum—something he absolutely could not afford to lose!
If he lost this, he might as well stop being human.
Holding the case, Li Yiming glanced around the hospital.
He wanted to find a quiet, safe spot to rest and wait out the hour until it was time to inject the serum.
But just as he scanned the surroundings—
Out of the corner of his eye, something made his entire body jolt!
In the flickering lights of the stairwell… A hulking Licker was standing silently, staring directly at him!
“Wha… what the—”
Li Yiming’s body froze on the spot.
Why?
Why is there another one?!
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Right now, he felt like a camper who had suddenly stumbled upon a venomous snake.
He didn’t dare make the slightest move, afraid that any action might provoke the Licker lurking in the stairwell!!
But the Licker didn’t move either.
It just crouched silently in the stairwell, staring at Li Yiming.
The flickering fluorescent light above kept sputtering and buzzing.
Every time the stairwell plunged into darkness, Li Yiming’s heart pounded violently.
He was terrified that when the light came back on, the Licker would be gone from where it stood.
Fortunately—Man and monster remained frozen in place.
Neither seemed ready to make the first move.
Li Yiming swallowed hard.
Should he fight or flee?
He didn’t know.
Even though the T-virus was still continuously strengthening his body after he killed the first Licker, His injuries hadn’t fully healed yet.
Could he really take on this Licker, which seemed even stronger?
Li Yiming had no confidence.
Just as his mind was racing through scenario after scenario, pre-playing out every possible outcome—
What he saw next made his pupils shrink with a jolt!
In the dark stairwell, several more pairs of cold, glinting eyes slowly emerged.
Li Yiming’s face instantly went pale.
One… two… four…
With every Licker he spotted, his heart sank further into despair.
Another five Lickers had crawled up from the depths of the basement.
Including the one that had first locked eyes with him—
Six in total.
Li Yiming’s expression darkened.
Running into a single Licker—that could still be chalked up to bad luck.
But six?
This went beyond mere coincidence.
It couldn’t just be an accident anymore.
He suddenly remembered that strange mechanical female voice that had echoed in his mind earlier.
So it’s true then— Something really is trying to erase him for going off the original plotline?
Li Yiming raised his head in hopeless defiance.
Just because he was a side character, did that mean he had to roll over and die as a stepping stone for the main protagonist?
Suddenly, a serene smile spread across his face.
“Heh…”
Li Yiming laughed—genuinely laughed.
There wasn’t a trace of despair or fear on his face anymore.
With a calm smile, he raised his middle finger toward the six Lickers staring him down.
“You want me to die just because the script says so?”
“In your dreams!”
“You don’t want me to live?”
“Then I’ll live out of spite!!”
The smile vanished from Li Yiming’s face—replaced by sheer, unshakable contempt.
Maybe it was his defiant attitude that angered that unknown force watching over him.
All six Lickers let out furious, ear-splitting roars at once!
“ROARRR!! ROARRR!!”
Their howls of rage made the floor beneath Li Yiming’s feet tremble faintly.
Faced with six enraged Lickers—Li Yiming no longer felt afraid.
His blood boiled in his veins, and steam began to rise from his wounds.
It was as if his blazing fighting spirit had triggered a surge of power— The T-virus within him suddenly became far more active!
Just as Li Yiming braced himself for a desperate, all-out battle against the six monsters—A burst of static crackled through the hospital’s main hall.
“Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?”
A cold yet pleasant-sounding female voice came through the hospital’s broadcast system!
There was still another survivor?!
Li Yiming was stunned—but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the six Lickers for even a second.
Maybe the girl on the other end realized that he had no capacity to reply right now.
So she cut straight to the point—and gave him a lifeline.
“If you want to live, get to the Internal Medicine office on the third floor!”
Hearing those words instantly jolted Li Yiming back to life!
But before he could fully celebrate— Several of the Lickers had already lunged into action!