The official announcement finally lifted the gloom a little. A few people clutched their phones and sobbed, while Ye Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the government hadn't completely fallen, which was good news.
She opened Weibo again, hoping to check what was happening outside, but there was still no signal, and nothing would load.
No internet again?
Ye Zhao wondered for a moment, then reluctantly put her phone away. She had to find a way to disperse the zombies below, or they'd be trapped here.
She also wanted to get out of the city as soon as possible.
Just then, someone in the neighboring building started shouting, "Come on! Come eat your grandpa!" "Damn zombies! Die, die!" "Hahaha! Let's see you fly up here!" They began throwing homemade Molotov cocktails down at the street. One after another, the bottles came down, turning the densely packed zombies into a sea of fire. The flames also caught the cars on the road, and the roar of explosions rang through the sky.
Zombies couldn't think or feel pain. They charged toward any sound, and wave after wave gathered. Before long, a foul stench filled the air.
Someone exclaimed excitedly, "That's great! If we can burn all these zombies to death, we'll be saved!"
The noodle shop owner was thrilled. He led people downstairs to the kitchen to haul up two buckets of sesame oil. Ye Zhao went with them. Since it was a noodle shop, she spotted several baskets of steamed buns and mantou in the kitchen, along with a few bowls of cooked toppings—beef, ribs, pork intestine, and chicken giblets. She went around scanning everything, even the seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
Once she was done scanning, Ye Zhao went to help. They poured the soy sauce and vinegar into separate buckets, replacing them with sesame oil and liquor. Ye Zhao volunteered, "I'll throw them. I'm strong."
[Scan successful: Create simple Molotov cocktail *1, Creation Points required: 1.]
They had to throw them far away. Otherwise, the flames might spread too close and burn down the building.
Glass bottles exploded one after another in the middle of the road. As the zombies followed the sounds, Ye Zhao threw the burning torches after them. With a roar, the flames surged, lighting up the whole street.
When the flames finally began to die down and most of the zombies on the street were gone, Ye Zhao looked at the situation and jumped out the window, ready to leave. The shop owner said, "You're leaving just like that? What if there are still lots of zombies elsewhere? You're a young woman—it's dangerous!"
The others chimed in, their faces full of fear. "Miss, don't go running around. You should wait for the rescue team!"
"Anyway, I'm not going outside. The whole city has fallen. Going out there means death! It's safer here."
"Why is this happening..."
Ye Zhao looked at them and said, "Thanks. You should find a way to leave soon, too. I don't think the city is safe."
"Why? Why isn't it safe? The text message told us to stay home and wait for rescue!" the shop owner asked first.
Ye Zhao said, "...A hunch."
There was no way she could tell them she had a skill that let her foresee the future, and that they wouldn't be able to get out if they didn't leave now.
Besides, the citywide network couldn't have gone down so quickly. Someone had clearly done it on purpose.
They didn't want news from City X getting out.
City X was an isolated island now.
The fate of isolated islands was rarely a good one.
She jumped out the window and ran. After only a few steps, she spotted the group of police officers and civilians from earlier. They hadn't taken the opportunity to leave. Instead, they'd split into two groups. Some people were hauling supplies from the supermarket, while a few officers rushed to the pharmacy for medicine. They weren't taking much. As soon as they had what they needed, they quickly returned to the residential compound and shut the iron gate.
One of the officers saw Ye Zhao and waved to her. "Little girl, come inside! It's dangerous out there!"
Ye Zhao spotted the handgun tucked into the officer's waistband. With her +4 speed, she dashed to the entrance of the compound and declined their offer. "Thanks, Officer. I'm going home. Take care!"
The officers: ...?
Wait, you ran all the way over here just to say that?
Then Ye Zhao ran off while they stared after her as if she were asking for trouble.
[Scan successful: Create handgun *1, Creation Points required: 1.]
[Scan successful: Create police baton *1, Creation Points required: 1.]
[Scan successful: Create handcuffs *1, Creation Points required: 1.]
[Scan successful: Create shield *1, Creation Points required: 1.]
Ye Zhao was satisfied. She reached into her pocket and used her [Create] talent to make a handgun. A cold sensation appeared in her palm. She took it out and glanced at it.
Having a gun gave her another layer of protection.
With zombies everywhere, Ye Zhao jumped onto the cars that had crashed haphazardly together in the road and sprinted across their roofs, drawing a horde of zombies in pursuit.
Along the way, she came across a clothing store that zombies had broken into. Hearing a child crying inside, she stopped and jumped down from the car roof.
Fortunately, there weren't many zombies around the store, and only two were inside. Without hesitation, she grabbed her watermelon knife and attacked. The knife was razor-sharp, and with her speed, she quickly took out both zombies. Two more zombies crowded on the stairs heard the commotion and surged toward her, but she dispatched them with a few slashes.
After quietly clearing the store of zombies, Ye Zhao went upstairs and knocked on a rickety door. "I've taken care of the zombies. Can I wear some of the clothes in your store? Mine are covered in blood."
Whether anyone in the room answered or not, she went downstairs and picked out a black hoodie from the glass-strewn store to change into. After replacing her damp clothes, she felt much more comfortable. Making sure to avoid the cameras, she scanned the sweaters, jackets, pants, socks, and shoes, then put a few more outfits into her Personal Space. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about running out of clean clothes.
She had a skill and didn't need to worry about running out of supplies, but her Creation Points accumulated slowly, so she couldn't waste them.
Just as she finished getting ready to leave, the three women from upstairs finally came down, carrying a clothes pole and a fruit knife. When they saw Ye Zhao, they were both excited and grateful. "Th-thank you for saving us!"
"Miss, can we come with you? I have money. I'll give you all of it!"
"This place is falling apart. We can't keep hiding here..."
Facing their fearful, pleading expressions, Ye Zhao said, "Sorry, I can't. But I know the supermarket at the intersection ahead is taking in survivors. When I leave, I can draw the zombies away from this area. You can take the child there while they're distracted."
The women exchanged uncertain looks, but in the end they agreed. Ye Zhao checked the time on her phone. "You have five minutes to get ready. Pack your things. We leave immediately."
A few minutes later, the three women appeared in front of Ye Zhao with backpacks and a three- or four-year-old child. Ye Zhao took three watermelon knives from her backpack. "Take these. They're for self-defense."
"Thank you!" The three of them took the knives at once. The woman holding the child said, "Miss, what's your name? If I survive, I'll repay you!"
"No need."
The three women watched as the girl in black pulled a whistle from somewhere. She strode outside and jumped onto a car roof, light and graceful, her high ponytail fluttering in the wind. When the piercing whistle sounded, the zombies still wandering nearby heard it and immediately gave chase. A horde followed the girl as she ran off. The women exchanged glances, then resolutely headed out.
The three women raced in the opposite direction, watermelon knives in hand. When they ran into two zombies on the way, they hacked their heads off. At last, they reached the supermarket the girl had mentioned. The police guarding the entrance saw them and immediately opened the gate. After confirming they had no wounds, one of the officers asked, "How did you get here? Was that whistle just now yours?"
"A kind girl lured the zombies away and saved us..."
"What? Then she's as good as dead!"
"She won't die!" the woman holding the child said firmly. "She's amazing. She won't die!"