The Apocalyptic Evolution.

The hard metal composite bow struck Bai Yi's arm with considerable force. "Ah!" he exclaimed, reacting instinctively to the pain, which felt as severe as being run over by a vehicle. He instinctively clutched his left hand with his right and glanced down, observing the noticeable swelling and the dark red blood covering the purple-red lump.

Before Bai Yi could fully process the situation, Xia He had quickly regained her footing, drawing the bow once more, the black composite longbow fully drawn.

The sound of the arrow slicing through the air caused Bai Yi to panic. He hadn't anticipated that she would actually shoot. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he swiftly rolled to evade the arrow, which narrowly missed his hair and struck the hard granite ground, causing a small hole and ricocheting off. A small shard struck his cheek, leaving a painful, warm liquid trickling down his face.

In that moment, Bai Yi shouted out in frustration, "Are you out of your mind?!" After expressing his outrage, he dashed out of the room and headed for the stairs.

Xia He fired the arrow in anger, but Bai Yi had already exited. The titanium-steel projectile only struck the solid wooden door frame, venting her frustration but causing no harm to him.

"You can't escape!" Xia He declared, moving quickly after him the moment the arrow was released. As she visualized the missed shots, a fleeting moment of uncertainty crossed her face, but her resolve quickly returned, and she pursued him without further hesitation.

As an accomplished archery athlete, Xia He possessed excellent eyesight and knowledge of the terrain, allowing her to track Bai Yi even in the darkness.

Hearing the sound of her pursuit, Bai Yi felt a surge of anger. He mused that if he hadn't been armed with a knife, he wouldn't let a girl intimidate him. Nevertheless, realizing he had been bested repeatedly, he concluded that his best course of action was to flee and bide his time for future retribution.

However, Bai Yi did not anticipate how quickly Xia He would pursue him. As he crawled towards the fifth floor, a sudden rush of air signaled danger behind him. He instinctively curled up and rolled out of the way, feeling a powerful gust akin to a knife slice above his head.

A loud crash erupted as an arrow sped past him and shattered the nearby window. Bai Yi was startled, his heart racing as he took in the sight of glass scattering around him. The sheer force had even contorted the plastic window frame itself. "How can a bow and arrow possess such power?" Bai Yi thought, genuinely frightened, realizing this was beyond the threat of a firearm.

With no thought of vengeance left in his mind, all he wanted was to escape from this aggressive woman. After several failed attempts to hit him, Xia He, either overwhelmed with anger or anxiety, was breathing heavily. As Bai Yi's figure disappeared from view, she expressed her frustration with a fierce stomp before continuing her chase.

Bai Yi, fully aware of the velocity of his retreat, did not dare look back as he ran for his life. Upon reaching the fourth floor, he encountered a zombie he had previously knocked down, which was now struggling to climb back up the stairs. Without hesitation, Bai Yi kicked the zombie again, sending it toppling back down.

He considered running further but briefly paused, a sly grin forming on his face. Instead of fleeing, he began to kick in the doors of the rooms he passed, shattering glass and breaking door handles in the process.

When Xia He arrived on the fourth floor and saw Bai Yi energetically kicking doors, she instinctively drew her bow again and released an arrow.

With exhaustion overtaking him, Bai Yi fell to the ground to dodge the shot and yelled back at her, "If you have the guts, come here! Don't let me escape, or I will get my revenge!"

Though his words had an angry edge, they triggered memories for Xia He, causing her eyes to burn with determination. "You won't get another chance! Today, I will bring you to justice!" she asserted, reaching for another arrow from her quiver.

Rolling his eyes at her dramatic proclamation, Bai Yi resumed his escape, knowing arguing with her was pointless and sprinting towards another staircase down the corridor.

A loud noise echoed behind him, leading Bai Yi to recoil instinctively. Expecting another arrow, he looked back and saw an unexpected scene; several dark forms had emerged from the door, obstructing Xia He's progress. Gloating at her misfortune, Bai Yi turned his attention back to reaching the sixth floor, where he hoped to find a weapon for self-defense.

Just as he began ascending the stairs to the fifth floor, a woman's panicked scream pierced the air: "Help! Don't come over here!"

Bai Yi halted in surprise. Considering her previous brutality, he found it astonishing that she was frightened by a few ordinary zombies. Doubting the genuineness of her fear, he cautiously took two more steps before a loud explosion shook the ground beneath him.

The fourth floor erupted into chaos, the aggressive zombies of the Dark Queen charging forward with intense fervor. The sounds of them battering down doors flooded Bai Yi's ears.

Xia He fired arrows rapidly, aiming at the advancing zombies, successfully bringing down several. However, the relentless wave of creatures soon overwhelmed her. As she retreated, panic set in when she realized her quiver was empty.

Xia He's usual composure under duress turned to desperation as she gripped her metal compound bow, using it to fend off the closest zombies. With astonishing strength that belied her stature, she took down one, but her lack of close combat experience was evident, causing her breathing to quicken.

Realizing she was outmatched, Xia He concentrated her energy and unleashed a wave of green light that struck two zombies, severing their heads before it shattered the window beside her. The tremendous force stunned the remaining zombies, and in that brief moment, she turned to flee.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice the severed head underfoot and slipped, crashing to the ground. The zombies pounced on her, clawing and biting as she struggled to regain control. 

As the panic set in, she cried out, "Help! I don't want to die... I don't want to become one of them!"

Suddenly, a strong voice shouted from beyond the horde of zombies, "Get up! Don't just lie there and wait to perish!" The call imbued Xia He with a renewed conviction to survive, prompting her to grab a nearby zombie and thrust its head against the wall.

Nearby, Bai Yi wielded an iron chair and was valiantly warding off the encroaching zombies. Despite being somewhat weaker than his opponents, his determination allowed him to fend off several attackers. Relieved to see Xia He fighting back, he focused on holding off a group of zombies closing in on him.

Unfortunately, Bai Yi's luck ran out as he was suddenly tackled to the ground by two zombies. Struggling to fend them off, Bai Yi barely managed to elbow one away. A separate zombie lunged at him, snatching the iron chair from his grasp.

What followed was overwhelming; Bai Yi found himself surrounded. Panic gripped him, and he could hear Xia He cry out in alarm, "No!" She attempted to rush toward him, but her injury impeded her and the advancing horde blocked her path once more.