Too close.

Close enough for me to see my reflection in his pitch-black pupils.

Luzhao stared at me like a hunter eyeing its prey. His eyes were icy, concealing all emotions beneath that layer of ice.

...Just as I expected, he's the type of person I dislike. I leaned back in my seat, putting some distance between us.

Luzhao looked at me, slowly crunching on the candy in his mouth. The sound of it cracking was like him crushing my bones.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Luzhao swallowed the candy, took a deep breath, and replied, "Nothing."

He didn't say anything else and proceeded to start the car.

It seemed like everything that just happened was a false alarm.

But the people inside the car couldn't relax anymore. They remained on edge until the vehicle entered the shelter.

Outside the temporary shelter, there was a newly constructed tall wall that appeared very sturdy.

Upon entering the first gate, residents' vehicles were all parked there.

However, Luzhao was driving a military vehicle, so he smoothly continued toward the second gate.

He stopped only after passing the third gate and said, "Get out."

The people inside the car glanced at the scene outside before slowly opening the doors.

At the entrance of the third gate, there was a long line of people. The men were led to the left building, while the women were taken to the right one.

With a quick glance, I figured out that they were checking the residents for wounds to determine if they were infected.

Suddenly, a man was dragged out while shouting. The officer accompanying him saw Luzhao and approached, asking, "Commander, we found a wound on him, but he..."

The man yelled, "I don't have it! I'm not infected, it's not true!"

He waved his arm, revealing a long wound with black edges.

He was infected.

But perhaps because it was still the early days of the apocalypse, many people harbored illusions and reluctance. For example, the officer before us couldn't bear to shoot someone.

The man's eyes turned white, and he struggled to grab the officer's arm. A scream rang out from the crowd.

"Bang!"

A gunshot.

The man fell stiffly to the ground, his expression frozen in the same terror as before.

Luzhao retrieved his gun, his expression indifferent. "Burn the body immediately. Do not come into direct contact with his corpse or blood."

"Also," he looked at the officer, "if any infected individuals are found inside the shelter, execute them immediately."

The officer's expression was complex for an instant, but he still responded, "Yes!"