The sound of a baby.
There was no mistaking it. It was definitely a baby's cry. Listening closely, he could tell it wasn't loud or strong like the cry of a healthy baby. It sounded weak.
No matter what, he had to go in and take a look.
Roar!
A zombie's growl rang out.
The zombies who had been running alongside him kept closing in.
Looking at the running zombies, all he could say was that they were impressive. Every one of them had great stamina. They'd kept running all this time, and that kind of spirit deserved encouragement.
Just then,
He rested a hand on Frostmourne's hilt and raised his other hand in warning. "Please don't come any closer. The run is over. I heard a baby crying, and there may be trouble. I'm going to check it out. If you keep coming closer, I'll have to cut you down."
"First warning."
After he said that, the zombies showed no sign of stopping. They even kept pressing toward him, seriously threatening his safety.
"Second warning."
He meant no harm. Even though they'd turned into zombies, he wouldn't do anything excessive to them as long as they were friendly.
"Third warning."
The zombies lunged at him.
That didn't work.
There was no helping it. He'd have to defend himself.
He was very familiar with defending himself now. He knew the process inside and out—when to defend himself, how to do it, and so on. He'd figured it all out.
The evil Frostmourne left its sheath. With one slash, he swung at the zombies' heads. With his current strength, the blow was terrifyingly powerful, and he could hear it cut through the air.
His accuracy, speed, and strength had all reached levels beyond an ordinary person's imagination.
You'd seen someone slice tofu, right?
A sharp blade could be laid on tofu, and with barely any pressure, it would cut straight through.
Splurt!
Splurt!
The sounds of his slashes rang out. These zombies, terrifying in the eyes of ordinary people, were far too easy for Lin Fan. With a single swing, the heads of the zombies in front all flew up, spinning through the air.
The zombies pounding on the roller shutter heard the commotion and saw the moving flesh. They stopped banging on the door and surged toward Lin Fan.
If any survivors had seen what was happening,
they definitely would have shouted,
"Mom, come out and look at this badass!"
"Why are you so unfriendly? Even if you've turned into zombies, can't you keep a little of your reason?"
He spoke as he swung his sword.
The arrival of the apocalypse had inflicted the greatest harm on living humans through these zombies. If it weren't for them, Huang City wouldn't have become like this.
He would still be one of countless ordinary wage workers, listening to his boss spout motivational nonsense at the company and living through a nine-to-five routine with frequent all-nighters.
Instead, he was now constantly dealing with unfriendly zombies.
He liked bustling Huang City.
He liked its friendly citizens.
He liked watching the old men downstairs exercise and play chess.
But it was a real shame. Those scenes he remembered had disappeared.
It was all because of the apocalypse.
He hated the apocalypse, but he wouldn't run from it. He planned to fight back against it, change it, and restore Huang City to the way it used to be.
Black blood covered the ground.
Corpses littered the ground.
There weren't many zombies at the scene. He counted just over thirty, and they weren't hard to cut down. In fact, it was easy.
The zombies were strong, but he was stronger.
The zombies were fast, but he was faster.
"I already made it perfectly clear: don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive. You thought you could gang up on me just because you had numbers, so you attacked me. And now I've killed you in self-defense." Lin Fan shook his head, saddened by the zombies' behavior.
It had been the same back in peaceful times. A group would bully someone. Each person alone might be weak, but once they got together, they somehow became fierce.
After taking care of the zombies,
he found the roller shutter locked, so he couldn't go in just yet.
The baby's cries made the situation urgent. Something was definitely wrong. Without a second thought, he punched a hole through the roller shutter, then grabbed it with his bare hands and tore it apart. With a loud clatter, he easily made an entrance.
The situation was urgent, so he had no choice. If the baby's parents found out, they would surely understand his good intentions—and might even thank him for his brave intervention.
He walked into the shop. It was a women's clothing store, and the air was filled with a smell he couldn't quite describe.
There was a staircase, and the cries were coming from the second floor.
As soon as he reached the second floor, the stench of a corpse hit him. A body hung from a noose in front of him, and the baby's cries came from right in front of it.
He frowned, never expecting things to be like this.
Why had she hanged herself?
He hurried over. At first glance, he could see the body's face. It was a woman, and the baby's cries came from her arms.
"Why is there a baby here?"
Lin Fan was stunned. He couldn't quite understand what had happened.
The woman's mouth was wrapped in tape. The baby was bundled in a sling made from clothing, lying at an angle in the woman's arms. Had she wanted the baby to still be able to nurse when it got hungry after she died?
He lifted the baby from the woman's arms.
The baby was probably malnourished for a long time and didn't look well. She seemed weak, her face completely pale. If things continued like this, she would surely die.
He saw a diary in the woman's arms. It seemed the woman had left it behind on purpose.
He opened the diary.
[It's chaos outside. People are biting each other. Those people look like the zombies in the movies. My baby and I are trapped here, and we can't get out. The baby is crying, and there are zombies outside, pounding on the door. We're both terrified. I called my family, but no one answered. I tried calling for help, but no one would pay any attention to me.]
[It's the second day. It's a little quieter outside, but I can still hear zombies growling and people screaming. The baby was frightened and started crying. I don't know what to do. There's no food here. If no one comes to save us, my baby and I will both die.]
[It's the third day. I got a call from A-Jie, but the person who called wasn't A-Jie. It was his comrade. A-Jie died protecting his comrade. They said they would come get my baby and me and told us to wait for them. We haven't eaten for three days, and I'm very weak now. But no matter what, I have to hold on until they get here. I can die, but nothing can happen to my baby.]
[It's the fourth day. They still haven't come, and I'm dizzy and seeing things. It feels like I'm trapped in a dream. I haven't eaten, and I barely have any milk left. The baby often cries out, and when the zombies outside hear her, they start pounding on the door again. I can't be afraid. At the very least, I have to wait for them to come.]
[It's the fifth day. I'm getting weaker and weaker. I know I'm not going to make it. From what I've seen in the movies, if someone dies, they might turn into a zombie. I don't want my baby to get hurt by me. While I still have a little strength, I should prepare for what comes after. I'm afraid I might hurt my baby, so I have to endure the pain and smash my own teeth before taping my mouth shut. Even if I turn into a zombie, I won't bite my baby.]
[To whoever finds this—perhaps a stranger who survived—I want you to know that my baby's name is Mengmeng. I hope you can let her live. I know that in the apocalypse, a child is a burden. If you want to kill her, I only ask that you don't let her suffer. Don't just throw her outside. I don't want the zombies to eat her. Thank you...]
[Heart]
There were no more entries. The diary ended there.
Lin Fan fell silent, filled with respect.
She was a great mother. Even in the face of death, she still thought only of keeping her child alive.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of your baby. The apocalypse may be merciless, but people still have heart. If I have food, she'll have food too."
Lin Fan sighed. The apocalypse had treated so many people cruelly.
Without the apocalypse,
they would surely have been happy.
He untied the cord around the mother's neck and gently laid her on the ground. Then he held the baby and turned to leave. As he was about to head downstairs, he glanced at the body lying on the floor, then left the shop without stopping.
The baby was still crying.
She didn't seem comfortable.
He ran as fast as he could, the scenery around him flying past. If he ran this fast in a race against zombies, they wouldn't even get the chance to eat his dust.
The baby's cries attracted the zombies nearby.
"I don't have time to waste on you right now. Go play somewhere else."
Lin Fan didn't even bother with the zombies following behind him.
In the blink of an eye,
he left the whole pack of zombies behind.
Before you continue