The construction workers had all become
zombies now, too.
Fortunately, a large iron gate blocked the entrance to the construction site, so the zombies inside probably hadn't made their way
out.
I could usually see the construction site from my bedroom. Although the clanging and banging sometimes annoyed me in the mornings,
right now, I missed that
sound more than anything.
I'd always been rather cold by nature, and I wasn't very good at making friends. There were only a few people I still talked to
now and then. Now...
"I don't even know if they're still alive."
Muttering to myself, I looked around. When my gaze happened to fall on the dressing table, something on it caught my attention.
I walked over and picked it up.
"A hair tie?" I fiddled with it and took a look. It was a simple black elastic band,
with a little star attached. It was probably
the sort you could get two or three of for a yuan, cheap stuff from a street stall.
But that made sense. The siblings weren't exactly well-off, so it was only right to save some money. Besides...
"It's not bad..."
I tested its stretch, then looked at the long hair spilling over my shoulders. After a moment's thought, I tied it into a ponytail in front of the mirror.
"Ow~~ I pulled my hair..."
Come to think of it, tying my hair up was a pretty novel experience, too.
Once I finished, my hair was still just as long, but at least it wouldn't keep getting in my eyes. I nodded, then left Liu Jia's room and went
into the room next door, belonging to my "big brother next door."
I turned the handle and slowly opened the wooden door. For a moment, the dazzling assortment of things nearly blinded me...
A katana hung on the wall. That was the first thing I noticed, followed by some high-tech gadgets, all
inside a huge cabinet that took up an entire wall.
I vaguely remembered that cabinet. Big Brother Liu had spent an entire day downstairs putting it together himself.
There were all sorts of things on it: phones, watches, and other little gadgets, even some things that looked like jade.
But what delighted me most was
something at the very edge that looked like several black panels folded together!
"A solar charger!"
I spotted it immediately, walked over in a few quick steps, and picked it up. In doing so... I pulled out a travel backpack along with it.
"Are these... connected?"
I looked closer and finally realized... there was a high-capacity power bank inside the backpack. One end of the power bank was connected to the solar panels,
while the other had several ports.
"So that's how it's put together..."
As I spoke, I picked up the backpack, hefted it, and felt the material. It really was quite nice. Perhaps it could replace that backpack already
reeking of something disgusting.
I hadn't thrown my old backpack away. I'd left it there, because I didn't have any decent backpacks at home, only
a small shoulder bag I could carry my tablet
in.
I put the backpack on. On its side, around waist level, there was a small object that looked like a switch.
"What's this?"
I pressed it without thinking. The backpack suddenly shifted, giving me a fright, followed by the sound of a mechanism turning.
I looked toward the sound. The switch actually controlled the charging panels, and the whole thing seemed to be mechanically operated.
"Big Brother Liu... really knew how to tinker with this stuff."
Big Brother Liu was genuinely handy. He could tinker with just about anything, and he always managed to make something pretty respectable.
But now... I was the one benefiting from all of it.
With that thought, I walked over to the katana, took it down, and gently drew it a little.
Clink~~~
I'd drawn less than ten centimeters of the blade, yet it already gave off a wonderfully clear ring. The beautiful temper pattern along the blade
reflected a cool, dim gleam that seemed to seep into my very soul.
I drew the blade all the way out...
Shing~~
The sound was immensely satisfying. I didn't know how to describe it, but that crisp, refreshing sound
thrilled my ears. At the same time, the blade
caught the light, making me narrow my eyes as I examined it.
The blade was a little over seventy centimeters long, almost eighty, with a hilt of over twenty centimeters. The whole sword was a little over a meter long.
I set the sheath aside and hefted
the blade. It fit my hand perfectly.
Its weight, balance, the width of the hilt, and the length of the blade all suited me remarkably well.
"Not bad. This really is a good sword. But why didn't Big Brother Liu ever show it off to me?" I muttered to myself.
I raised the sword, turned the edge downward, and
squinted along it from the hilt.
The blade had a slight curve. It was a proper katana, and... the base and tip formed a perfectly straight line.
I'd occasionally seen decorative swords for sale online, as well as other kinds of blades. I'd even bought
one myself, but that one had been made of iron,
and its base and tip hadn't lined up at all. When you swung a sword like that, the air resistance would wrench it sideways
in your hand,
making it impossible to hit your target.
"It looks... pretty old. I vaguely remember Big Brother Liu saying his grandfather was in the Red Army, and that he'd once
killed an officer and taken
something from him?"
But that memory was far too old. I thought it had been back when I'd first arrived. I'd been feeling terribly
low at the time and hadn't paid attention.
"Maybe Big Brother Liu saw that I wasn't reacting and thought I wasn't interested, so he never showed me this
fine blade?"
As I spoke, I picked up the sheath and slid the sword back into it. There was a cord on the sheath, connecting it to the sword. I
tied the cord to my belt and
tested it. It restricted my movements a little, but at least drawing the blade was smooth and easy. I could reach it with one hand.
I nodded and looked around once more. Finding nothing else I could use, I decided to leave.
But before I reached the door, suddenly...
Whirrrrrr~~~~~~
A distinctive, unusual sound abruptly reached my ears, faint at first: a strong, rhythmic beating of air,
the kind I often heard on television.
"Wait! What's that sound?"
The words slipped out instinctively. I hurriedly closed my eyes and listened. As the sound drew closer, a sudden jolt ran through me,
and I scrambled onto the bed, yanking
the window open to look up...
Whup-whup-whup-whup-whup!
In the distant sky, already visible to the naked eye, was something about the size of my palm...
"A helicopter!!!"
I cried out in surprise. Its appearance was something I'd never expected. Even more unexpected was that, as
the sound drew closer, the helicopter
actually began to lower its altitude!!
I could plainly see it slowly descending!
It wasn't landing particularly close to me, but its destination was definitely this city!!
"If! If... if I could get on that helicopter, could I leave with them? Go to... some sort of
settlement??"
The more I thought about it, the more possible it seemed, and excitement welled up inside me. But as the helicopter gradually moved farther away, I followed
its descent with my eyes, and a sudden
chill surged through my heart.
"That's... the city hospital?"
The city hospital was practically in the heart of the city! There were so many zombies there that you couldn't even count them!
Under my gaze, the helicopter slowly descended toward that towering building and landed right on its roof,
vanishing from my sight
at the same time.
"Tch!"
I sat back down on the edge of the bed and remained silent for a long time. Only then did I leave, return home, and take out all my supplies.
The military knife, the katana, the pistol with no ammunition, some food, and a few emergency supplies. I also took
my USB-rechargeable flashlight, then
packed the clothes I'd taken from the Liu family's apartment into the backpack with the charging panels and slung it onto my back.
I tightened the katana at my waist, strapped the military knife's belt across my chest, and secured the knife. Then I looked at my home...
"I'll be back..."
I didn't even know if I could keep that promise. I turned and walked out, then turned back to lock the door.
"Let's go! To the city hospital!"
Thinking of where the helicopter had landed, the almost countless zombies, and the unknown monsters, I gritted
my teeth, turned, and headed downstairs...