Chapter 54 - 47: Bloodstain

Chapter 54: Chapter 47: Bloodstain

Time seemed to freeze, only to be violently shoved forward again. Day after day repeated with mechanical monotony.

The thermometer in the shelter faithfully recorded the chilling drop in the outside temperature. Eighteen degrees below zero, twenty degrees below zero, twenty-two degrees below zero. Finally, the column of mercury trembled, hovering uncertainly around the twenty-five-below mark.

Xu Mo stared at the number. Even with his Cowhide Realm physique, he could clearly feel the pervasive chill. A thick layer of frost covered the broken third-floor window, blocking out most of the light and leaving the room perpetually dim.

’At this temperature, forget people. I bet even the zombies would be frozen solid, right?’ The thought couldn’t help but cross Xu Mo’s mind.

Xu Mo recalled what Wang Meng’s squad had mentioned: that zombie activity decreased in the winter. How would these walking dead, driven by some unknown virus and with their more-or-less mutated body tissues, cope in such a frigid environment?

Would they be frozen into stiff ice sculptures, like prehistoric creatures trapped in blocks of ice? Or would they, like certain cold-blooded animals or organisms with unique physiological mechanisms, enter a state similar to hibernation? Would their metabolisms drop to extremely low levels to conserve energy, waiting for the warm seasons to return?

If it was the latter...

An idea flashed in Xu Mo’s mind like a spark.

’If the zombies really do gather to hibernate, wouldn’t now be the perfect time to clear them out?’ He imagined it: find a building or cave where a large number of them were dormant, set it ablaze, and eliminate a huge threat without a fight.

But that was immediately followed by another thought that made his heart sink.

’If winter is when they’re least active, or even hibernating, what about spring? And what about summer? When the temperature rises and everything comes back to life, will their activity also skyrocket to an astonishing level? Will they become even more rabid, more aggressive?’

This speculation gave Xu Mo a new reason to dread the coming summer. The harsh winter was difficult to endure, but at least it suppressed some of the threats. If summer truly became a "hunting season" when the zombies were at their peak activity, the difficulty of survival would skyrocket.

Of course, this was all just speculation based on limited information. For him, and for all survivors, the ecology of the zombies remained shrouded in mystery.

At dawn, Xu Mo completed his daily Qi Collection on the roof. The infusion of Rising Sun Purple Qi left the qi and blood in his body feeling warm and invigorated. He picked up his binoculars and began his first observation of the day, his gaze habitually sweeping across the town and the snow-covered fields beyond.

At first, everything seemed as it always was: silent, white, and desolate.

However, as Xu Mo’s gaze swept over the edge of a sparse woodlot to the northwest of town, he was startled to see a jarring splash of crimson on the vast expanse of white snow.

The color was so vivid, a stark contrast to the pure white surroundings, like a drop of dark ink on a pristine sheet of paper. It was the mark of freshly spilled blood, a sizable area splattered in a spray that looked particularly gruesome against the snow.

The distance was too great for him to see clearly, even with his enhanced vision. But he was certain it wasn’t an old stain; it had been left there only a short time ago. Around the blood, there also seemed to be some dark, irregularly shaped objects scattered about. ’Fragments of torn fur?’

’Something was hunted down over there?’ A chill ran through Xu Mo, and he instantly focused his full attention. He adjusted his binoculars to maximum zoom, locking his sights on the area.

Using the conspicuous crimson as an anchor point, Xu Mo’s observation became more meticulous. Soon, he discovered other unusual signs.

The snow near the bloodstain was clearly disturbed, a messy collection of trampled prints. A wide furrow, as if carved by a small plow, extended from the bloodstain and pointed toward the town.

Xu Mo’s gaze followed the furrow. About two or three hundred meters from the bloodstain, he saw a... "human figure"?

He put the term in quotes because the thing’s physique was simply too immense. Its upper body was almost completely bare, exposed to the air of twenty-some degrees below zero. Its skin was a deathly, ashen-gray, as if frozen solid. The muscles were unnaturally developed and knotted, especially across its shoulders, back, and arms, which bulged to the point of deformity, radiating a sense of explosive power. Below the waist, it seemed to wear only tattered strips of cloth frozen to its legs.

It was moving slowly through the snow.

Yes, slowly.

It wasn’t so much walking as it was trudging through the deep snow. Its movements appeared stiff and sluggish. Each step sank deep into the snow, only to be pulled out with great effort. But it was undeniably moving, shuffling step by step, resolutely, toward Cyan Pine Ridge Town.

’That’s not human!’ The judgment was instantaneous for Xu Mo.

No normal survivor would be wandering around half-naked in this weather, much less possess such an inhumanly massive build.

’It’s a Strength Zombie!’

The name stabbed into Xu Mo’s mind like an ice pick, with chilling clarity.

Wang Meng’s description perfectly matched the terrifying figure trudging arduously across the snowy plains in his binoculars.

This discovery immediately shattered his earlier theory about the zombies possibly hibernating.

Mutated zombies—or at least the Strength Type—didn’t truly hibernate in the severe cold. They remained active, although the low temperatures clearly limited their speed and flexibility, making them far more sluggish than they were in warmer seasons.

’Why is it heading for town?’ Xu Mo’s mind raced.

’Looking for food? Unlikely. Besides me, a hidden survivor, there hasn’t been another living thing in this town for a long time.’

Then... as Xu Mo watched the zombie’s exposed torso and its movements, clearly slowed by the frigid air, a theory began to form.

’Could it be looking for a place to escape the bitter cold?’

’Just as animals seek out caves and humans seek out houses, maybe these mutated zombies have retained some instinct to seek shelter and avoid harm? Unable to withstand the extreme cold of the wild, they instinctively flock to buildings that can provide cover? For them, the abandoned houses of Cyan Pine Ridge Town might be a natural "safe harbor." ’

If this theory held true, it meant the town might not be completely safe this winter. It could attract mutated zombies that couldn’t survive in the wild, all coming here to "ride out the winter"!

Xu Mo lowered his binoculars, his expression turning grave.

He had originally thought that if he could just survive the winter, things might get better once spring arrived. But now, it seemed winter itself held its own unique dangers. The extreme cold limited the zombies, but it might also be driving them closer to humanity.

Xu Mo stared intently at the giant figure moving slowly across the snowy plains, watching as it unyieldingly drew closer to the town, one step at a time.