Because of Lin Yu, Li Dong had been frequently calling or sending voice messages on Star Chat to curse that bastard Zhou Yihang during this period.
If it weren't for that scoundrel Zhou Yihang inviting him to hang out, he wouldn't have gotten into this mess.
Now things had reached a point where he couldn't shake it off even if he wanted to.
With the Lin family's capabilities, investigating whether Li Dong had kept other women outside wouldn't be difficult at all.
But Lin Yu didn't confront Li Dong directly.
The implication was clear - she wanted Li Dong to handle this matter himself, to keep things from becoming too ugly, to maintain some dignity for everyone involved.
However, humans aren't plants or trees - who can be truly heartless? Li Dong couldn't possibly abandon those two women.
After all, they'd been with him for several years, both had given him their first time, and neither had any other improper relationships.
They'd always been well-behaved, never causing Li Dong any trouble. In fact, they'd even blamed themselves for not being able to conceive, constantly consulting traditional Chinese doctors and taking medicine to regulate their bodies.
They never interfered with Li Dong's carousing outside, only reminding him to be careful.
With the apocalypse approaching, Li Dong was even less likely to abandon them.
So Li Dong had been playing dumb about this issue.
Regarding the Lin Yu situation, Li Dong had even consulted his younger brother Li Tiang.
Li Tiang said: "This didn't happen in my future memories - it might be the butterfly effect."
Of course, it might have happened, but the Li Dong in his memories might have chosen to handle it quietly, so Li Tiang wouldn't have known.
In Li Tiang's future memories, he'd been extremely busy during this period.
When busy, he'd go months without contacting family, with project tasks coming one after another.
This was understandable - with meteorites about to rain down from the sky, the higher-ups were all busy saving themselves, constantly assigning various tasks downward.
Many tasks had their confidentiality levels raised, which also limited Li Tiang's external communications.
Li Dong understood Li Tiang's explanation - the future wasn't set in stone and could be influenced by reality.
This made Li Dong worry - if they lost their advantage of foresight, would all his preparations and the Great Qin Heavy Industries Shelter Base attract covetous eyes and potential seizure?
The answer was undoubtedly yes.
After all, building a shelter yourself was much slower than taking one by force.
So Li Dong needed to borrow influence - the Lin family's influence. Before the collapse of order, official power could deter all evil spirits, especially serving as a strong deterrent against violent criminals.
"What a mess. I need to find time to talk with Lin Yu about this," Li Dong thought, rubbing his temples.
He felt he needed to find an opportunity to openly discuss this matter with Lin Yu.
Besides, keeping mistresses wasn't anything unusual among the wealthy class.
Some things might be mutually understood, but it was still better to discuss them openly.
...
In the past two or three months,
Blue Star had descended into chaos across many nations. Some countries with fragile social order collapsed immediately after the first wave of the biohazard virus.
For example, the Boro Ancient Country, where order was never great to begin with. A nation stitched together from hundreds of ethnic groups and dozens of federations, with a massive population and none of the governance capabilities of the Great Xia Nation.
So now they're in complete chaos. The number of biochemical zombies in the Boro Ancient Country might far exceed that in certain regions of the Western Continent nations.
But many countries have recovered quickly, as if the biohazard virus never happened.
Like the Great Xia Nation, the Far Star Union, the Polar Bear Federation, and others.
The Far Star Union simply had so many guns and bullets per capita that the zombies never had a chance to fully break out—ordinary citizens wiped them out first.
Truly overflowing with martial virtue.
As for the Polar Bear Federation, its vast, sparsely populated territory—mostly in extreme cold—made large-scale viral transmission impossible.
It simply couldn't spread.
So the Polar Bear Federation and the Great Xia Nation are among the least affected by the biohazard virus.
However, real-life zombie scenarios are often more thrilling—and more real—than in movies.
On some foreign media platforms, you can frequently find first-person zombie footage. Some even strap action cameras to zombies' chests to film from their perspective.
It's practically become an industry.
Some of these videos have even made their way to domestic media platforms.
No joke—certain regions in the Western Continent nations and the Boro Ancient Country have essentially turned into real-life zombie survival mode.
And some zombies are still mutating.
Most mutated zombies seem to have unlocked certain limitations, sprinting like athletes and packing more strength than the average human.
Of course, this might be because they're no longer restricted by their brains.
After all, human bodies are limited by the brain to prevent damage—our strength and speed are capped.
Beyond that, some mutated zombies are slowly dying off naturally.
These zombies are mostly slow-moving, disinterested in feeding, just wandering aimlessly.
Add in the cold weather, and their energy depletes rapidly.
The real cause of death for these zombies is likely complete energy exhaustion.
Once zombies die, their rotting flesh is either decomposed by microorganisms or eaten by wildlife—crows, owls, vultures, wild boars, feral dogs, stray cats, etc.
Since these animals come into contact with zombie corpses and consume their flesh, they all carry traces of the biohazard virus.
Their movements spread the virus to new areas.
What's more, the virus might infect these animals, turning them into mindless, ravenous monsters that attack humans.
Of course, zombies also attack each other.
Cannibalism among zombies accelerates mutation, making them stronger.
Who knows? They might even evolve into the Tyrant zombies from the movies.
But in Li Tiang's view, this isn't true evolution—it's Aberration. Just mutated proteins consuming each other, growing more bloated.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Li Dong had just returned from the Shelter construction site when he heard several gunshots.
Soon, Li Dong followed the sound of gunfire and drove to the central street of Dongjiang City, where he saw a crowd gathered in layers ahead.
He knew he'd come to the right place.
"What's going on up there?" Li Dong parked his car, stepped out, and handed a cigarette to a man in his thirties before asking.
"Seems like someone infected with the Mutated Rabies Virus went on a biting spree. But the guy who died was different from the usual cases—he had three arms, each thicker than my thigh, and his build was two or three times that of a normal person. Rumor has it he bit several people to death."
The man took the cigarette Li Dong offered and explained as he spoke.
"That's brutal."
"Yeah, the victims were in terrible shape. I heard they were bitten to death alive, with most of their flesh torn away."
Li Dong pushed through the crowd and soon saw the Zombie lying on the ground, covered with a white sheet. Just as the man had described, its size was enormous.
Before long, nearby patrolling security personnel arrived to disperse the onlookers.
Of course, the surrounding spectators had already captured plenty of footage, likely to be uploaded to online platforms.