You were supposed to hoard supplies, why the heck did you hoard zombies!

The rat was like a fuse.

Those mutant beasts affected by the virus soon began to appear throughout the city, the most familiar of which were the stray dogs that used to roam the streets and alleys.

They hadn't changed much in appearance.

Except that their fur was falling out in large patches, revealing the dark red muscles underneath, which, at first glance, appeared as if they were afflicted with some skin disease.

The packs of Mutant Canines prowling the streets quickly became the nightmare of many scavengers.

They were ferocious and cunning, hunting like wolves on the prowl.

When Zhang Ye learned of this news, the number of survivors who had died in the jaws of these canines had already exceeded ten, including a scavenger squad that had been completely wiped out.

Besides the Mutant Canines, another prevalent early mutation was one they had already encountered at the hydroelectric power station.

Mutated feral cats, infected by the virus.

Though few in number, they appeared and vanished unpredictably, quickly taking over areas with narrow terrain, using their agile bodies and astonishing leaping ability.

Abandoned buildings and back alleys in the streets became the feral cats' hunting grounds.

Both humans and zombies were their prey.

Apart from these two, the third most common were those rats that occasionally crawled out of the sewers.

Almost all of them were as big as rabbits.

Some were even comparable in size to stray dogs.

Fortunately, these Mutant Rats soon became prey for most terrestrial creatures the moment they emerged from the ground.

From zombies to stray dogs, and even those starving survivors.

No one would pass up such easy pickings.

It wasn't long before people succeeded.

Dozens of Mutant Rats of varying sizes were brought to the Hunter Squad one after another, and then all were handed over to the employees of the newly established breeding department by Zhang Ye.

This was an area that was isolated on its own.

In the middle stood an office building.

On the first floor, a man wearing black-framed glasses was introducing, with a tense expression.

"Director Zhang, these are the rats they brought over the other day."

"Three in total."

In the direction he pointed, there was a two-meter-wide iron cage where several rats were scurrying about, occasionally baring their teeth and screeching at the man outside.

"This doesn't look like just three rats."

"Could you have remembered it wrong?"

Luo Xin counted carefully, and indeed there were not three, but eight rats inside.

Two large ones, six smaller ones.

The man was just about to explain when a woman's voice rose, though it trembled slightly.

"Rats reproduce quickly."

"If I'm not mistaken, these little ones must have been born recently, right?"

Ai Bing's expression looked calm, but her pale face betrayed her fear of these disgusting creatures.

When she noticed Zhang Ye looking at her worriedly, she immediately signaled that she was fine.

She had been busy planning the safety zone lately.

Taking a rare walk outside, she couldn't let a few rats scare her away, could she?

The man responsible for the introduction was named Yu Yongkang.

Rumor had it he was a rural man who used to raise pigs, so amongst the survivors who had hardly ever seen a live pig, he stood out and ascended to the throne of the head of the breeding department.

Upon hearing Ai Bing's words at that moment, he quickly laughed and agreed, "Minister Ai is indeed learned and talented, spotting it at a glance."

"It was indeed three larger ones that were originally brought in."

"One was eaten by the other two, and then this litter of little ones was born."

As he spoke, he pointed at the little rats in the cage, which had already sprouted fur, and said:

"Look, Director Zhang."

"It's been less than three days, and they've started to grow fur."

"If there's enough food, I estimate they could reach the size of mature Mutated Rats in at most a month."

Everyone was momentarily surprised.

But upon reflection, it seemed only natural.

The most famous characteristics of rats are precisely their astonishing adaptability and reproductive rate.

And this was exactly why Zhang Ye decided to make it the primary breed to cultivate.

Reproductivity was secondary.

The main reason was that they were easy to raise.

Even though the Mutated Rats had undergone mutations, they still retained their original dietary trait of being omnivorous.

They could eat any food consumed by humans.

Grains, oils, and even rotting meat—there was nothing they wouldn't eat.

In contrast, they had an extremely exaggerated reproductive capacity and growth rate.

With just casual care, one could steadily harvest at least a hundred pounds of meat.

Thinking this way, even the best pre-apocalyptic breeds of domestic pigs paled in comparison.

Yu Yongkang's current task was to pick out relatively docile individuals for selective breeding.

In addition, some other Mutant Beasts were also kept here.

For instance, the Mutant Chickens and Mutant Ducks, which had hardly changed compared to the past.

Both were found in the market street.

The reason they survived in the mouths of zombies was simple.

They could fly.

This ability, long lost, had returned to them.

Tests showed that their meat was also virus-free.

Consuming it would not cause mutations.

Thus, these few accidentally discovered Mutant Chickens and Mutant Ducks became Yu Yongkang's treasures; he took care of them personally every day, fearing that the zombies sent to help might accidentally kill them through neglect.

"If we let them breed freely, how many pounds of meat can Mutated Rats produce in a month?"

Seeing how serious Zhang Ye looked, Yu Yongkang could only answer honestly:

"This... it's hard to say."

He had raised pigs.

But he wasn't a statistician.

This question was indeed a bit difficult for anyone.

But seeing the displeasure on Zhang Ye's face, he immediately added:

"There's an empty floor above."

"If we use it all for breeding, we should have thousands of pounds of meat a week."

After hearing this, satisfaction finally appeared on Zhang Ye's face.

That was more like it.

Thousands of pounds of meat should be enough.

After all, with the current living standards in the security zone, most people were still struggling just to get by.

Being able to eat to fullness was already good.

Eating meat?

That was a luxury only formal employees of the company enjoyed; how could ordinary people have that chance?

But now their chance had come.

Once this kind of Mutated Rat began to be cultivated on a large scale, the company would have a stable source of meat.

As production increased, the prices would naturally fall.

Soon, the tables of the survivors in the security zone wouldn't just have instant noodles or bread anymore.

There would also be canned food.

Freshly made meat cans.

Zhang Ye never considered himself a good person.

But as the company's size continued to expand, so did his power.

His personal needs had long been met.

He wasn't lacking in food.

He wasn't lacking in shelter either.

He even had a few women, all with figures and faces that could be considered top quality.

And in this situation, where material pursuits were essentially satisfied, Zhang Ye gradually developed a new desire and pursuit.

He wanted to set the world back on its right course.