Everyone unsheathed their weapons.
Some wielded knives, others crossbows.
But there wasn't a single firearm in sight.
Clearly, this group was among the weaker factions.
No wonder they always peddled intelligence—their true weakness lay in their inability to seize opportunities themselves.
Chen Du drew his arming sword.
Instead of reaching for his pistol, he chose hand-to-hand combat.
This was his chance to test how far his physical enhancements had come since his last upgrade.
In the past, such an opportunity had eluded him; now, he wouldn't let it slip away.
The onlookers assumed this would be a one-sided massacre.
And they were right.
Yet the outcome shocked everyone.
With blinding speed, Chen Du felled three opponents in the blink of an eye, leaving the rest frozen in fear, too terrified to advance.
Even Chen Du himself was taken aback.
He had expected his abilities to surpass those of ordinary survivors—but not by such an overwhelming margin.
His movements were so swift that Bai Xi's teammates couldn't even aim their crossbows at him.
Blood dripped from the edge of his arming sword as he cut down three armed survivors in mere seconds.
"Stop! We surrender!"
Bai Xianxing shouted hastily.
If Chen Du continued, none of them would make it out alive.
"May I ask your name, sir? Spare Bai Xi, and whatever you desire, I, Bai Xianxing, will do everything in my power to fulfill!"
Chen Du nodded. "My surname is Chen. My demands are simple: give me the blueprint for this arming sword.
Also, I'm curious—why wasn't Bai Xi infected after being bitten by a zombie?"
"The blueprint is no issue—it's in Bai Xi's backpack. As long as she opens it, you can take it!"
Bai Xianxing agreed readily but hesitated before continuing.
"As for why Bai Xi wasn't infected…"
Chen Du narrowed his eyes.
He strode over to Bai Xi, placing the tip of his sword against her throat, and spoke coldly, "It seems Mr. Bai doesn't value his daughter's life as much as he claims. Even now, you're still holding back?"
Panic flashed across Bai Xianxing's face.
Seeing his precious daughter in mortal danger, he stammered, "Wait, wait! I'll tell you! Don't hurt her, Mr. Chen!"
The second-in-command of Bai Xianxing's team stepped forward, trying to intervene. "Boss, you can't reveal that! It's the foundation of our survival!"
But Bai Xianxing ignored him.
All he cared about was protecting his daughter.
"The reason Bai Xi survived the bite is because we possess antiviral serum."
Chen Du's eyes widened with realization.
So that was why Bai Xi was different.
Learning that Bai Xi had been injected with the serum, granting her immunity to zombie infections, Chen Du felt a surge of envy.
If both he and Xie Li could receive the same treatment, it would provide unparalleled security.
In this apocalyptic world, zombies remained the greatest threat.
Immunity to infection meant they could survive indefinitely by hiding in a safe location.
He had to obtain the antiviral serum.
Never before had he felt such a burning desire.
"I'll spare your daughter—and even let all of you leave unharmed. But in exchange, you must give me the antiviral serum."
Bai Xianxing furrowed his brow.
Finally, he clenched his teeth and agreed. "Fine. I'll comply."
But the second-in-command protested loudly, "Boss, you can't do this! Without the serum, we're finished! How will we survive without it?"
Bai Xianxing's expression darkened. "Black Tiger, understand this: I am the leader of this team, and what I say goes!"
The air grew heavy as the two men glared at each other.
Their teammates began taking sides, silently dividing into factions.
Bai Xianxing stared at Black Tiger and said slowly, "Black Tiger, if you wish to leave and go your own way, I won't stop you. But as long as you're part of this team, I am the boss. Do you have any objections to my decision?"
After a tense silence, Black Tiger reluctantly nodded. "Fine, fine. You're the boss! Everyone, listen to him!"
Chen Du watched the exchange with a faint frown.
He didn't care about their internal struggles.
All he cared about was the serum.
Impatiently, he said, "Hand over the serum now, and I'll release her. It's straightforward, Mr. Bai. No need to drag this out."
Bai Xianxing forced a smile. "Mr. Chen, the serum is extremely rare. For safety reasons, we don't carry it with us—it's stored under heavy guard elsewhere.
We'll need to retrieve it before completing the trade."
Chen Du nodded, accepting the explanation.
Then he set his terms: "Three days from now, at noon, bring twenty vials of antiviral serum to this spot. We'll exchange them for the girl."
Hearing this exorbitant demand, Bai Xianxing paled.
"Mr. Chen, we don't have twenty vials! That's impossible!"
Chen Du's expression turned icy.
He pressed the blade closer to Bai Xi's neck and sneered. "I'm making a reasonable offer. Are you telling me you can't produce twenty measly vials?"
Bai Xianxing raised his hands defensively. "Mr. Chen, I swear I'm being honest. With Bai Xi's life in your hands, how could I lie?
We simply don't have that many vials!"
Chen Du paused, considering.
Indeed, if the serum were so abundant, its value would diminish significantly, undermining the peril posed by zombies.
He relented slightly. "Fine. Ten vials. That's the minimum."
But Bai Xianxing shook his head. "Eight vials—that's all we have. We originally found nine vials in a supply crate. One was used to treat Bai Xi after her bite, and the rest we've kept.
We'll give you everything we have left."
Chen Du studied Bai Xianxing's face carefully and concluded he was telling the truth.
"Alright, eight vials it is.
For now, Miss Bai Xi will stay with me for three days. Three days from now, we'll meet here as agreed—one exchange, no tricks."