A meeting at the pharmacy!

"Hah, hah, hah..." Inside the Dragon Star Pharmacy, Tan Hui's chest heaved.

After catching his breath, he looked at Yue Hao beside him. "I didn't expect it to be this easy. Much easier than I'd imagined!"

After leaving the Yingbin Hotel, they had run almost straight to the Dragon Star Pharmacy, pausing briefly behind cover only twice along the way.

Apart from two zombies chasing them as they neared the pharmacy entrance, everything had gone remarkably smoothly.

Yue Hao's footwork had been impressive too, almost professional.

Yue Hao took several deep breaths and gave a wry smile. "Don't get too optimistic. Those things outside may be brainless, but their sight and hearing are extremely sharp. It wouldn't have been so easy if there'd been more of them."

"Hey, what did you used to do? You're pretty nimble."

"I trained in the military... Cover my rear and light the way with your flashlight. This place might not be safe."

After those brief instructions, Yue Hao led Tan Hui farther into the pharmacy.

The Dragon Star Pharmacy occupied a huge space.

Rows of shelves were packed with medicines and health supplements, and there was a sizable medical equipment section as well.

The two advanced cautiously, one behind the other.

Only after sweeping the entire first floor without finding any sign of anyone did they relax.

Tan Hui pulled several plastic bags from his pocket and began collecting medicines from the shelves.

Yue Hao remained vigilant beside him, but asked, "Tan Hui... do you want to die?"

Tan Hui's hand paused before he went back to work. "Why would you ask that?"

"It's a feeling. Out of everyone, you seem the healthiest, running around helping the others. I can tell you're kind, but you're taking it a little too far. It looks more like a stress response, like you're overcompensating."

"I... don't want to die... I just don't know how to live..." Tears glimmered at the corners of Tan Hui's eyes, but his hands kept gathering medicine.

"They're all dead. I've lost contact with my family and friends, and the country's gone too. What are we supposed to do now? I really don't know. I don't want to see any more people die. I can't... survive alone."

At that, Tan Hui could no longer hold back his tears.

Yue Hao rubbed his brow and said sorrowfully, "It'll get better. The government will come rescue us. This disaster struck suddenly, and on a huge scale... but those walking corpses are nothing to a modern army. A lot of military units operate on closed bases and wouldn't have been exposed to the rain."

"Once they get news of what's happened outside, they'll retake the cities. Dragon Mountain will definitely be a top priority. As long as we hold on, there's hope."

"Yeah." Tan Hui nodded through his sobs.

They soon finished gathering the medicines they needed from the first floor.

The two headed upstairs, with Yue Hao still taking point, blade in hand.

Just as he stepped onto the final stair to the second floor, Yue Hao's expression changed sharply. He thrust an arm out to stop Tan Hui behind him. "Don't move!"

"What is it?"

"I think I just saw a dark shape flash past. Did you see it?"

"I didn't see anything!" Tan Hui immediately grew nervous and shone his flashlight around.

"Fall back! Forget the medicine. We're going back now!"

Yue Hao made the decision at once, turning and pulling Tan Hui downstairs.

But after descending two steps, both froze.

Faint crying drifted down from upstairs.

"It's a child," Tan Hui said, looking at Yue Hao.

Yue Hao considered it for a moment, then nodded and headed back upstairs.

Keeping close to one side of the room, he swept his flashlight rapidly across row after row of shelves.

Near the middle, he spotted a child lying over a corpse.

Yue Hao passed straight over the sight and continued checking the other shelves.

Only after searching every spot and confirming that there were no other living things apart from the child did he breathe easier.

"All right... looks like it was that child I saw. He's alone. Let's take a look."

The two approached and finally got a clear view.

It was indeed a child, dressed in children's clothes and crying over the body of what appeared to be a pharmacy employee.

There was no real danger. After all, zombies couldn't cry.

Both men crouched, and Tan Hui reached out to touch the child.

"Hey, kid... Pfft!"

The instant he spoke, everything changed!

A tiny arm plunged straight into Tan Hui's heart. Before Yue Hao beside him could react, the little figure had opened its mouth and lunged for his neck!

Its mouth was small, but its teeth were razor-sharp!

"Urgh... kh..." Yue Hao's eyes bulged as blood burst from his throat.

A rapid squelching of flesh was followed by the crunch of bone.

The child's entire face was almost buried in Yue Hao's neck as it bit clean through his cervical spine.

Tan Hui was still alive, forced to watch Yue Hao's neck being gnawed apart until only the skin and flesh at the back barely held his head in place.

By the time Yue Hao's head flopped onto his back, the last light had faded from Tan Hui's eyes, and deathly silence returned to the pharmacy.

Inside the Yingbin Hotel, Ding Jia waited anxiously, peering through a gap in the window.

More than ten minutes had passed. They should have hurried back as soon as they'd collected the medicine.

But there hasn't been any sign of them... Could something have gone wrong?

Ding Jia looked outside, then glanced back at her mother, who was still unconscious.

Every second was agony.

As she kept watch, Ding Jia's pupils suddenly widened. A car drove into view and stopped outside the pharmacy.

Three fully armed people climbed out, some carrying bows on their backs, others guns.

The man in front turned to speak. Catching a hazy glimpse of his face, Ding Jia's heart began pounding wildly.

Almost unable to control herself, she turned and shouted, "The alien's come to save us! The alien... mmph!"

"Stop fucking shouting! You threw that basin out and brought all the zombies over here!" The tattooed man stepped forward and clamped a hand over Ding Jia's mouth. "You crazy bitch! Do you have to lose your shit several times a day?"

"Mmph, mmph!" Ding Jia pulled his hand away with all her strength and said excitedly, "He's right outside! Look if you don't believe me!"

The tattooed man leaned toward the window, then shot Ding Jia an irritated look. "Where? Just because you're a crazy bitch doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Keep spouting bullshit and I'll really slap you!"

"I told you two to put your helmets on. Why bring them if you aren't going to wear them?" Su Jin said irritably inside the pharmacy.

"You're not wearing yours either," Cheng Du said, pursing his lips. "That thing's stuffy and blocks my view. I can't even breathe fire with it on. It's not that dangerous right now. Can't we put them on when we get to the hospital?"

"Exactly, Chief. Don't get hung up on it. We're not like you. You're the only one who needs a helmet."

"Heh, you fuckers just love pissing me off... Turn on your flashlights! Straight to the second floor for the medicine, then we're out."

"Shouldn't we grab some everyday medicines too?"

"We found more than we could ever use in the residential complex. No point wasting time or space. You two go ahead. I'll cover the rear."

The two took the lead.

Behind them, Su Jin opened the bag against his chest with his left hand.

His right arm swept out, sending an entire row of unidentified medicines rattling into the bag.

He had specifically cleared out some space in it before leaving.

Hearing the noise behind them, Cheng Du and Fu Hu both turned and gave Su Jin puzzled looks.

"I bumped something. It's fine. Keep going!"

The three headed upstairs. Halfway up, they stopped in unison and looked up.

"Is that a child crying? A survivor!" Fu Hu hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Su Jin frowned, leaped up, kicked off the wall, and jumped straight onto the second floor, blocking Fu Hu's path.

"What's the rush? Let me check first."

"But it's a child... Chief, what could be wrong?"

"Shh! Check for danger first."

The three kept close to one side of the room, sweeping their flashlights rapidly across row after row of shelves.

Finally, they stopped in the middle, three beams trained on the child lying on the floor and sobbing.

The room's only three corpses lay here, surrounded by blood. All three seemed to have died recently.

"This kid's lucky to be alive. Good thing we showed up!" Fu Hu said with feeling, then turned to Su Jin. "Chief, how about we take him along? He should fit in the trunk."

Su Jin stepped forward, fixing his gaze on the child as his other hand settled on his gun's grip...