The Fall of New York
It had been more than twenty years.
Xu Mo had nearly forgotten most of the movie's details.
All he remembered was that in the end, the protagonist's family of four boarded an aircraft carrier, later scattered to find a cure. Eventually, the protagonist discovered zombies would not attack people suffering from certain diseases. From this, a vaccine was developed—one that mimicked illness and made ordinary people invisible to zombies.
The specific plot eluded him now, but it didn't matter.
Knowing or not knowing the script made little difference in this new reality.
When he saw the family standing in front of him, Xu Mo hesitated only briefly before speaking:
"It's safer if you follow me. Whether you can keep up—that's on you."
Without another word, he sprinted toward the nearby silver jewelry store and slipped inside.
---
The Silver Store
Chaos reigned inside. Several zombies were tearing into a female shop assistant. She was pinned beneath them, her life fading fast.
Xu Mo's mind expanded outward like a tide. With his current mental strength, he could cover a fifty-meter radius—more than enough to scan the entire store. Within seconds, he located two women huddled in a bathroom near the corner. One of them carried herself differently—likely the owner.
A wave of his hand sent steel nails slicing through the zombies' brows. At the same time, the shop's inventory—display cases, backroom stock, even the vault—rose into the air and vanished into the storage ring on his finger.
He had exchanged this ring only that morning. Its space capacity: one thousand cubic meters. At silver's density, one ton occupied less than 0.01 cubic meters. Storing hundreds of tons would be trivial.
Behind him, the Ryan family stared in stunned silence.
"It's… amazing!" the daughter gasped.
"Where did all that go?" the wife exclaimed.
Ryan quickly motioned for silence. As a federal investigator, he knew how sharp the monsters' hearing was. Even if Xu Mo could crush them like ants, carelessness would bring disaster.
Xu Mo ignored the family and strode to the bathroom door. It swung open automatically. The two women inside screamed and covered their heads.
"Quiet!" Xu Mo snapped.
They froze. Only then did they realize it wasn't a monster standing in the doorway. Relief washed over them.
Xu Mo's gaze fell on the Asian woman with a ponytail. She was around 1.6 meters tall, skin so pale it seemed to glow.
"Are you the owner of this shop?"
She nodded uncertainly.
"Yes… I am." Then, remembering herself, she added quickly, "My name is Kim Tae-hee."
South Korean? Xu Mo was mildly surprised, but there was no time for small talk.
"Follow me."
He turned toward the wall, where a shimmering space door unfolded. Kim Tae-hee gasped, instinctively covering her mouth. Through the portal, a green mountain forest beckoned.
Cautiously, she reached a hand through. Feeling the air of the real world beyond, she stepped in. One by one, the others followed until the gate sealed shut behind them.
---
Safe for Now
Xu Mo looked at the group, then gestured to everyone except Kim Tae-hee.
"It's safe here for now. Whether you survive from this point forward depends on you."
Ryan hurried forward gratefully. "Thank you—" His phone rang. He gave an apologetic look and stepped aside to answer.
Xu Mo turned to Kim Tae-hee, cutting straight to the point.
"Do you know where large amounts of silver are stored?"
"Silver?" She blinked. "Of course. My family's in the silver jewelry business." She hesitated, then pressed on. "But first—those monsters in the store, and the… the circle you opened—what are they?"
Xu Mo told her plainly: the world had fallen into a zombie apocalypse.
"What? That's impossible!" Kim Tae-hee's face went pale. The other clerk and Ryan's wife also shook their heads in disbelief.
"Believe it or don't," Xu Mo said indifferently.
They scrambled for their phones. For now, the networks still worked. Calls were made. Only one clerk reached someone—but the sound of screams, roars, and chewing came through the line before it went dead. She broke down in tears.
Kim Tae-hee's face tightened.
Ryan returned, his own expression grim. "He's right. My friend at the White House just confirmed it." He took a steadying breath. "He's sending a helicopter tonight to bring us to the aircraft carrier. It's the only safe haven left. Will you come with us?"
"No," Xu Mo replied flatly. He turned back to Kim Tae-hee.
"Where is the silver stored?"
"Newark," she answered quickly. "There's a jewelry company there—it supplies nearly a third of the U.S. silver jewelry market." Her hands shook as she rattled off another address.
But her eyes lingered on her phone screen, the call failing to connect. Despair settled on her face. Then suddenly, hope flickered.
She turned to Xu Mo, voice trembling.
"Can you… take me with you?"
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