A Noise! (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

If zombies grew faster than normal people, then... within a decade or two, they would rule the Earth. Their numbers might even reach hundreds of billions, or even trillions.

The thought of such a terrifying number was too much for me to accept, and I couldn't imagine what that future would look like. But even a brief glimpse of it in my mind made me break out in a cold sweat.

The sight of zombies covering the hills and plains was already terrifying. But what if they really could take over the entire continent? What if there was guaranteed to be a zombie within a hundred meters of you, wherever you went? How utterly hopeless would that be?

Cold sweat instantly soaked my back.

I stood there trembling for a while, then shakily pulled Su Yan from my pocket and flicked out a cigarette. I put it between my lips, only to see...

My trembling hand.

"Why... why haven't I even touched it yet? Is the mere thought of it enough to scare me this badly?"

I took several deep breaths to calm myself a little, then took out a box of matches.

There was no helping it. After two years, many lighters had stopped working. Winter temperatures were enough to make their plastic casings fall apart. Now, all I had left were things like these that could be stored for years. As long as they didn't get wet, they'd work. Even if they did get soaked, they'd still work once they dried.

"Flick~ Flick~ Flick~"

My hand was shaking so badly that I couldn't light the cigarette. In the end, I gave up and held it between two fingers, looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling as my mood took a sudden turn.

Fear lingered in my heart.

"This is