Chapter 362 - 174: Monster

Chapter 362: Chapter 174: Monster

Xu Mo put the Crystal Cores into his backpack, then glanced at the two corpses on the ground.

’What should I call these things?’

Zombies were transformed humans, and Mutant Beasts were mutated local animals. But these things with Crystal Cores in their brains were an invasive species. He couldn’t just casually call them mutated creatures anymore.

Xu Mo thought for a moment. He felt he should give them a unified name.

’The term "mutated creature" is too general, and it’s easy to confuse them with local mutations. "Zombie" specifically refers to transformed humans. "Mutant Beast" specifically refers to mutated local animals. These invasive creatures from the Otherworld should have their own exclusive name.’

’Demons!’

The word flashed through Xu Mo’s mind.

’They aren’t from this world. They’re Demons, creatures from the Demon Realm. That unknown world... I’ll just call it the Demon Realm.’

Xu Mo nodded, very satisfied with this name.

From now on, these invasive creatures would be called Demons.

After one last glance at the two corpses, Xu Mo turned and walked toward the off-road vehicle.

The off-road vehicle roared across the sandy expanse, leaving the desert completely behind.

The ground under the wheels was no longer soft sand, but hard gravel, and then soil and an asphalt road.

Xu Mo looked ahead through the windshield as the scenery rapidly changed.

The desert was left behind, replaced by a boundless plain.

Yes, a real plain. Although there wasn’t a single crop on it—only withered, yellow weeds—the view was wide and endless. In the distance, the skyline and the horizon merged into a single, straight line.

The weeds were tall, some reaching half a man’s height. They stood withered and yellow by the roadside. When the wind blew, the entire field of weeds rippled like a yellow ocean.

In the distance, a few solitary trees could be seen occasionally, but they were also dead, with only bare branches reaching for the sky.

The weather was still scorching hot. The sun hung high overhead, baking the earth relentlessly.

Xu Mo drove along a dilapidated highway. The road surface was cracked, with weeds growing in the fissures, but at least it was still recognizable as a road.

After driving for the better part of the morning, Xu Mo saw a town appear up ahead.

Xu Mo slowed down and drove slowly into the town.

The town was quiet. Not the quiet that comes from zombies lurking about, but a complete, utter silence. The streets were empty—no people, no zombies, not even any animal carcasses.

Xu Mo stopped the car to investigate and found that it was as if all living things had simply vanished, leaving nothing behind.

After looking around, Xu Mo’s brow furrowed. ’This town is too clean, so clean it’s like a group of people completely cleared it out.’

Xu Mo recalled what Old Zheng had said: a combat unit from Ming Pearl Port had passed through here a year ago to clear out the zombies in Jiangzhou.

’Maybe they were the ones who cleared this town? They killed all the zombies here, which would explain why it’s like this.’

If that was the case, then it made sense.

Xu Mo continued to explore the town. He entered a relatively intact two-story building. The first floor had a living room and kitchen, while the second floor had bedrooms. He checked each room one by one, hoping to find something useful.

Most of the rooms were empty, or rather, had been looted. Cabinet doors were open, drawers overturned—anything useful had been taken. Xu Mo didn’t have high hopes; he was just checking as a matter of routine.

But when Xu Mo pushed open the door to the last room on the second floor, he froze for a moment. This room hadn’t been looted.

The room wasn’t large, only about a dozen square meters, containing a bed, a wardrobe, and a set of chairs. The quilt on the bed was neatly folded; although covered in dust, its original floral pattern was still visible. The wardrobe door was closed, and the items on the desk were arranged neatly—a desk lamp, a few books, a photo frame, and a small box.

Opening the wardrobe, Xu Mo found a few pieces of clothing hanging inside. The styles were ordinary, the kind of clothes a normal family would have owned before the apocalypse.

After checking the wardrobe, Xu Mo picked up the photo frame from the desk. Inside was a family portrait: a young couple with a little girl of five or six, standing in a park, all smiling happily.

The photo had yellowed slightly, but their smiling faces were still clear.

Xu Mo looked at it for a moment before putting the frame back in its place. Then, he opened the small box on the desk.

Inside the box were a few small items: some coins, a key, and several bags of snacks.

’Snacks?’

Xu Mo was taken aback for a second, then picked up the bags of snacks to examine them. They were ordinary potato chips and cookies. The packaging had faded a bit, but the seals were intact. After checking the production date, Xu Mo put them back. They were from the year before the apocalypse, long expired by now.

However, a strange feeling welled up inside Xu Mo. This was the first time in this apocalyptic world that he had managed to scavenge something from a private residence. It was a significant moment.

After checking the room, Xu Mo went to look through a few other buildings. Some had been looted, some hadn’t, but he didn’t find anything of value. The town had truly been cleaned out, so thoroughly that there weren’t even any zombie corpses left.

That night, Xu Mo found an intact house in the town to stay in.

Since he had confirmed there were no zombies in town, this time Xu Mo brought out a pile of supplies from his vehicle. This included water, canned food, and a small stove. He was going to make himself a proper dinner here.