Enhancing the "Kevlar Bulletproof Vest" was purely a matter of self-preservation. Although its coverage area was limited, its performance in actual combat had proven to be quite reliable, making it an extremely practical defensive tool.
As for strengthening the "Demon's Hand", that was more out of necessity. In truth, Xu Mo deeply envied Du Zhizhang's combat-oriented biological summon, the "Licker". Regardless of whether its strength had been nerfed, having a loyal companion in battle was undoubtedly an advantage. However, the blue shard Xu Mo had obtained was merely dropped by an ordinary fast zombie, and he had no desire to activate some creature weaker than an average human, only to embarrass himself.
Du Zhizhang and Chang Ziteng had each kept a green shard as an emergency backup, while the remaining three enhancement-type shards were all given to Chang Ziteng. Given Du Zhizhang's frail constitution, even if he were to enhance himself to the limit, he would still struggle to engage in close combat.
Chang Ziteng, true to her reputation as the "Stamina Queen", did not disappoint. Of the three red shards, one boosted her neural reflexes, while the remaining two enhanced her muscular explosiveness. At this point, the sheer power of her hammer strikes was almost on par with Xu Mo's Zero Eruption before his enhancements.
Yet, despite both having undergone three shard enhancements in muscular explosiveness, when Xu Mo and Chang Ziteng engaged in a friendly arm-wrestling match, he found himself completely unable to compete. It was evident that Chang Ziteng's strength exceeded his by at least twenty percent.
From this, Xu Mo deduced that the effects of the same number of shards varied from person to person, meaning enhancements could not be generalized across individuals.
No one could predict when the next zombie wave would strike. The immediate priority was to recover from the severe exhaustion caused by the battle. Entrusting the perimeter watch entirely to the security team, Xu Mo and the other two found relatively comfortable spots in the designated rest area and gradually drifted into sleep.
No matter how secure the defenses were outside, sleeping soundly in a city besieged by zombies was nearly impossible. The faint, guttural growls of the undead echoed in his ears, making Xu Mo feel the night had never been this long. In less than an hour, he woke up in shock three or four times, each time drenched in cold sweat.
It was unclear how much time had passed when Xu Mo was suddenly awakened by a commotion outside. At first, he thought the fourth zombie wave had begun, but upon listening closely, he realized—it was cheering. A large number of people were celebrating.
"Xu Mo, you're awake? We finally made it! The space reset is about to begin!" As soon as Xu Mo opened his eyes, Chang Ziteng, who was combing her hair beside him, broke into a delighted smile and reported the good news.
"Space reset… is about to start?"
Xu Mo stared in disbelief at the brightening sky outside. Then, he quickly glanced down at his phone—
7:55 AM.
Only five minutes left until the space reset.
Although he found it odd that no fourth wave of zombies had attacked for six consecutive hours, the fact that they were about to escape this hellhole was undoubtedly cause for celebration.
Finally able to relax after a night of tension, Xu Mo exhaled deeply, stretched his stiffened body, and stepped out of the rest area with Du Zhizhang and Chang Ziteng.
Inside the cinema's main hall, the survivors had clearly received the same broadcast announcement. Almost everyone had gathered on the second and third-floor corridors, their faces no longer filled with last night's terror and despair, but instead, with elation and relief.
Even the zombies swarming below no longer seemed as terrifying. Some people excitedly took out their phones, capturing this once-in-a-lifetime apocalyptic spectacle. A few bold individuals even hurled empty water bottles from the windows at the zombies below, bursting into laughter as they watched the creatures snarl in rage.
As Xu Mo and the others exited the rest area, a familiar figure squeezed through the crowd—Dong Tian, his upper body wrapped in bandages like a mummy, greeted them with a beaming smile.
"The nurse who wrapped your wounds must be a trainee; otherwise, she wouldn't have been this creative," Xu Mo joked, his mood noticeably improved.
Instinctively touching the butterfly knot bandage on his forehead, Dong Tian chuckled awkwardly, "She was terrified last night… but she's a nice girl. I actually got her contact info just now and made plans to have dinner with her after we get out."
"Congratulations, then." Xu Mo smiled. Not only had Dong Tian survived, but he also managed to find a girlfriend—a true silver lining.
Unexpectedly, Dong Tian handed Xu Mo a slip of paper with a phone number on it and said earnestly, "I know you guys aren't ordinary people, and I won't pry into your real identities. But after everything we've been through, I can tell you're good people. This is my contact info—if you ever need help from a lowly cop like me, don't hesitate to call. And don't worry, I'll keep your secrets safe."
Xu Mo nodded, tucking the paper into his pocket, and the two shook hands in farewell.
Time ticked down second by second. With the zombie horde's large-scale assault no longer a concern, the anticipation of returning home had reached a peak. In the final ten seconds, the entire crowd instinctively started a countdown together—
"Ten, nine, eight… five, four, three, two, one!"
Hundreds of alarm clocks and phone timers rang simultaneously, forming a chaotic yet beautiful symphony of hope. Strangers embraced and cheered, turning the entire cinema into a sea of jubilation.
Even Chang Ziteng couldn't contain her excitement. She threw an arm around Xu Mo's shoulders, planted a big kiss on his cheek, and laughed, "Xu Mo, little bro, once we're out, big sis is treating you to a feast! You can even bring your girlfriend along!"
Something's wrong.
This isn't right.
Space reset isn't supposed to be like this!
Xu Mo's face instantly turned ashen. Even though the countdown had ended, nothing was happening. The entire Apocalyptic Mirage remained unchanged—not a single person had been teleported, nor had any anomaly appeared.
Why?
Could it be that this space wasn't set to reset every twelve hours? Or worse… was there no space reset at all?
"Xu Mo? Why do you look so pale?" Chang Ziteng, standing closest to him, quickly noticed his distress.
Xu Mo struggled to form the words. "We… might not be able to leave just yet."
Even those unfamiliar with the concept of space resets began to sense something was amiss. After five minutes of waiting with no changes, the earlier excitement dissipated, leaving behind an eerie silence. Survivors exchanged uneasy glances, searching for answers in each other's eyes—only to find more questions.
"WHAT THE HELL?! Weren't we supposed to leave at 8:00 sharp?!"
"This whole 'special space' thing is probably bullshit! What if this was just some biochemical disaster? What if our country—our government—is already gone?!"
"I don't care! I want answers! I want to go home!"
"Screw it! Let's confront the leaders and see how long they think they can keep lying to us!"
As hope turned to rage, over two thousand survivors erupted in fury. United by their desperate demand for truth, they stormed toward the finance office on the second floor, where Minister Wang and his team were stationed. Within moments, the entire corridor was jam-packed with furious citizens.
Even Xu Mo, someone who knew more than most, had no idea what had gone wrong. Meanwhile, Minister Wang, who was just as clueless, could only curse Xu Mo's ancestors in his heart while frantically attempting to calm the masses—
"Everyone, please listen! I'm just as much a victim as you are!"