At last, the light of dawn cleaved through the silent curtain of night like a sharp sword. The street outside the Residential Camp's entrance finally welcomed the first rays of sunlight.
Liu Feng straightened up, stretched his stiff muscles a little, and looked down from the platform.
The once weed-choked street had become a muddy mess of torn zombie flesh and blood. Liu Feng had long since grown used to the bloody stench, but the sight of the street in the morning light was truly nauseating.
Just then, Han Bing walked over.
"Feng, it's broad daylight now. I'll send some people to clean up the street."
Liu Feng nodded, then suddenly called Han Bing back just as he was about to leave.
"Han Bing, go check the surrounding walls for damage. If you find any, reinforce them while you're at it. Also, everyone's been holding out all night. Draw up a duty roster so they can take turns getting some rest."
Hearing Liu Feng's orderly instructions, Han Bing nodded with unwavering conviction. He had judged him right after all. Liu Feng was a born leader.
After giving all his instructions, Liu Feng did not rush back to his room to catch up on sleep. Instead, he headed straight for Uncle Ge's makeshift clinic.
Before the Zombie Virus outbreak, Uncle Ge had not been a professional surgeon, but a male nursing aide. His interest in medicine had led him to learn a little of everything. He had never expected that this hobby would carry him, step by step, to where he was now in this apocalyptic world.
When Liu Feng lifted the curtain over the doorway, Uncle Ge was bandaging a young man's wound. During the battle the night before, one of the spikes flung by the big guy had slashed his shoulder. Fortunately, it had missed the major artery and left only a flesh wound.
At Liu Feng's arrival, all the wounded in the little clinic stood up of their own accord. Perhaps it was because of his prestige, or because they respected or feared his status as a Gene Warrior. Whatever the reason, they had all accepted him as "the boss of this camp."
Liu Feng smiled and waved for them to sit, then walked slowly over to Uncle Ge.
"Ge, there are a few things I'd like to ask you."
Uncle Ge immediately put down the bandages in his hands and followed Liu Feng out of the little clinic.
"Feng, just tell me what you want to know."
Liu Feng nodded, leaned close to Uncle Ge's ear, and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Ge, you were there during last night's battle, weren't you?"
Uncle Ge bobbed his head like a chicken pecking at grain.
"Tell me, did anything like last night ever happen when Long Tai was leading you?"
Uncle Ge rubbed his bald crown, thought for a moment, then looked at Liu Feng and said, "It did, but we never encountered anything on that scale."
"Did a Big-Headed Zombie ever appear, too?"
Under Liu Feng's pressing questions, Uncle Ge broke into an anxious sweat. He seemed to have something he was reluctant to reveal.
"Ge, you don't have to worry. Now that I've taken you into my squad, we're on the same side. If you run into trouble, I'll have your back."
At those words, Uncle Ge hesitated, then looked at Liu Feng with complete sincerity, as though he had made an important decision. "Brother Feng, to tell you the truth, I've seen that Big-Headed Zombie before. And I'm certain it's the same one."
"Oh?" A trace of confusion crossed Liu Feng's face. "What exactly is going on?"
As Uncle Ge told his story, Liu Feng finally pieced together what had happened the night before.
Long Tai had actually been raising that Big-Headed Zombie himself. The iron chains around the big guy's ankles and wrists were what Long Tai used to restrain him. Where he had gotten the big guy, however, remained unknown.
Since Uncle Ge was the residential camp's only doctor, Long Tai valued him highly as well. Uncle Ge had seen all this because Long Tai had taken him to see it during a mission outside the camp. At the time, Long Tai had even told him, half jokingly, that if he ever dared to betray him, he would chop him up and feed him to the zombie.
Liu Feng returned to his room with his mind in turmoil.
He lay on the bed, but no matter how he tried, sleep would not come.
Raising zombies was an act against humanity. Of course, Liu Feng himself did not particularly care about that. What left him unable to sleep or eat in peace was the fact that he had shown Long Tai mercy and let him go yesterday.
There was no doubt that Long Tai had orchestrated the arson. Liu Feng had already guessed as much when the big guy crushed the wrecked car with a single stomp.
Han Bing had been right. In this brutal Apocalypse World, you would inevitably pay for your mercy.
There was no point saying anything now. What was done was done. What he needed to do was keep observing his squad to find out whether any of Long Tai's followers remained. If he found any, he would eliminate them outright.
Fortunately, the residential camp remained peaceful over the next few days. That lasted until Han Bing came to see Liu Feng.
"Feng, our supplies won't last another week."
Liu Feng turned and looked Han Bing seriously in the eye. "How did you usually replenish supplies?"
Han Bing paused in surprise, but quickly recovered.
"Feng, there are generally four ways to obtain survival supplies. First, we can produce what we need ourselves and become self-sufficient. Second, we can barter with the other camps nearby. Of course, that mostly involves everyday necessities, though sometimes we trade for guns and ammunition too. Third, we can organize hunting squads. After the Zombie Virus outbreak, the world was reshuffled, and nature began to reclaim it. As the world changed, quite a few Mutant Beasts evolved immunity to the virus. Those beasts are extremely rare, though, and incredibly difficult to catch. But if we do catch one, it can keep our camp fed for at least a month..."
When Han Bing fell silent, Liu Feng nodded and asked, "Didn't you say there were four ways? You've only mentioned three."
Han Bing gave an awkward smile and swallowed uncomfortably before finally speaking. "Feng, the fourth way is raiding. Big camps plunder small camps, and the small camps are left to fend for themselves. It's often the fastest way to get supplies, and also the one most likely to spill blood."
At that, Liu Feng understood why Han Bing had been so hesitant.
A few days earlier, if Liu Feng had not appeared, Han Bing's little camp might already have been reduced to ruins.
As disheartening as it was, that was reality.
Natural selection. Survival of the fittest.
(End of chapter)
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