Chapter 13

Later, many factories gradually went under, and planning and construction began on the new district. Most people with any means moved away. The area slowly grew quiet, and the imposing cinema with its red bricks and yellow tiles was abandoned. Only a few children occasionally came to play ball on the court after school. After Zhang Yi started working, he earned a good income and bought a home in the city. He had originally wanted his mother to move in with him, but she could not leave this place, where reminders of his father were everywhere, and refused. It was precisely because of this that he and Yangyang had been left a fallback.

When the three reached the floodlit court, quite a few people were already there, but rather than gathering together, they had spread out to keep watch, lest they attract a large pack of zombies and be caught off guard. Everyone knew one another, so no one questioned them. Still, seeing the woman, who always kept to herself, following the two men inevitably drew some odd looks.

But the three split up as soon as they arrived. The woman did not thank them, and neither Zhang Yi nor Nan Shao had expected a word of thanks. In times like these, not stabbing you in the back was better than anything.

"Captain Zhang." The two had just found a place to sit when Meat Tower Chen lumbered over, but he said nothing else and walked away again.

Zhang Yi lowered his head to check whether his rebar had grown blunt. Nan Shao was finding this odd when he heard Zhang Yi say quietly, "Stay extra alert later. As soon as we get what we need, we leave according to the original plan. No delays."

Nan Shao paused. They had originally agreed to meet up with the others after taking Small Shop Street, see what the Vanguard Team had to say, and only break away when everyone evacuated together. This change must have had something to do with the fat man who had just come over. But he did not ask any more questions. He was not so oblivious that he could not read the situation.

Since he did not ask, Zhang Yi naturally offered no explanation. Over their many years of working together, he and Meat Tower Chen had long since developed a tacit understanding. Even a seemingly casual little gesture could carry a deeper meaning, and Meat Tower Chen had just warned him in this way. If there was anyone left in this world whom Zhang Yi was willing to give a little trust, it had to be Meat Tower Chen, so he naturally took his warning all the more seriously.

By five minutes to twelve, almost everyone had arrived. Those who had not were probably either unable to come or did not intend to. After leaving a few people to guard the entrances and exits, Zheng Kun, the captain of the Vanguard Team, gathered everyone on the court.

"You all know why we're here, so I won't waste words. Since our Vanguard Team organized this, naturally we'll take the lead. Does anyone think that's unfair?" Zheng Kun was tall and powerfully built, standing there like an iron tower. At this point, his gaze swept over the people of all ages before him, a faint trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.

Taking the lead was no good thing. No one had been to Small Shop Street yet, and it was, after all, the old town's shopping street. Even though business had declined over the past few years, there would still have been plenty of people, and correspondingly, there were bound to be plenty of zombies. Taking the lead meant facing these zombies, which had never been cleared out, head-on. The danger went without saying. As long as they were not the ones doing it, what was there to complain about? So no one answered.

After waiting a while and seeing that no one responded, Zheng Kun continued, "As for how things are arranged behind us, decide among yourselves. But one thing: no fighting over supplies, no fighting each other, and no holding us back. Otherwise, don't blame me, Zheng Kun, for being ruthless." At this, he raised his hand and glanced at the dark, tarnished mechanical watch on his wrist. "Let's move. We pull out at four sharp. If anyone gets greedy and refuses to leave when the time comes, you bear the consequences."

Getting from the court to Small Shop Street meant passing through two alleys. Along one side were the school and the old hospital. Since their main gates did not open onto this side, and tall perimeter walls stood there, the alleys were not particularly dangerous, even though densely packed zombies could be seen inside through the small iron gates. With the Vanguard Team leading the way, the journey took almost no effort. Most people could not contain their excitement, feeling that they had really made the right choice in coming this time. They might reap a bounty they had never even dared imagine before without having to put in much effort.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao walked at the very back. Not far from them was the woman who had come with them earlier. She probably was not deliberately walking with them, but was simply used to bringing up the rear.

They passed through the first alley easily. In the second, houses lined both sides, and a zombie or two would emerge from time to time. The Vanguard Team only concerned itself with pushing forward, leaving the scattered zombies for those behind to clean up.

Zhang Yi had just driven his rebar into a zombie's eye when he heard a rush of air behind him. He was about to dodge when he heard the sharp crack of a skull breaking. With a thud, a female zombie in ragged clothes fell at his feet. He pulled out the rebar, letting the zombie fall to the ground, and turned to give Nan Shao a slight nod of thanks for acting in time. Nan Shao smiled, crouched, and took his machete to deftly smash open both zombies' heads. He dug out the crystals, wiped them on his own tattered shirt, and handed them to Zhang Yi. Their fare home was covered.

The woman ahead of them generally dodged any zombies she could. When she really could not avoid one, she did not hesitate to strike: she crouched, smashed its knee, and once it fell, drove the pointed end of her pickaxe into its head with force and resolve. She used the same move every time. Clearly, she had practiced it well, for she had not failed once. Women had less strength and found it difficult to put force into a blow in midair, while zombies had stiff bodies, so this move was indeed very effective. Even so, before long, the woman was still panting slightly from exertion, though she looked as if she could keep going for a while yet.

By the time the three reached Small Shop Street, those ahead had already begun dealing with zombies while frantically stuffing things into the woven sacks and backpacks they had brought. The two men wasted no more time and followed close behind, one gathering supplies while the other kept watch. As planned, they did not greedily take as much as the others, but left each place as soon as they had what they needed. At first, the others gave them hostile looks when they entered, but once they saw how few they were and what they were taking, they paid them no further attention.

Much of the rice in the grocery store had been taken, and there were no small bags left, so Zhang Yi scooped some loose rice into his backpack and took two bundles of dried noodles. He also picked up some pickled vegetables, pickled chilies, and the like that others had overlooked. Seeing nothing else to take, he was about to call Nan Shao away from his post at the door when his gaze swept over the packets of vegetable seeds strewn everywhere. After only a moment's thought, he put them all into his backpack.